Award-Winning Course Highlighted by Asia’s Only Floating Green
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) — Schmidt-Curley Design — the full-service golf-course architecture, master-planning and construction-management firm — announces its award-winning design, Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand, will be showcased during the Royal Trophy 2009, January 9-11.
The par-72, 7,470-yard layout is ranked the No. 2 golf course in Thailand by Golf Digest and was named Asian Golf Monthly’s “Best New Course in Asia” for 2006. Approximately 45 minutes outside Bangkok, it is distinguished by several lakeside holes, over 100 bunkers and Asia’s only floating green, the 145-yard par-3 17th.
The 17th (which plays as the 8th during the Royal Trophy to ensure all matches reach the hole) is perched upon bulkheads and weighs approximately 700 tons. The green is approximately 7,500 square feet in size, making it smaller than the infamous island 17th at TPC Sawgrass. Moreover, it’s a true island and necessitates use of a small boat to ferry players from tee to green.
“The floating green is an architectural marvel,” says Lee Schmidt, who founded Schmidt-Curley with partner Brian Curley in 1997. “We worked closely with local engineers to construct it and believe it makes a round at Amata Spring especially memorable.”
Schmidt-Curley’s sister company, Flagstick Golf Course Construction Management, also played a major role in Amata Spring’s development.
The challenges an owner faces to construct a golf course on time, on budget, and to world-class standards are daunting, which makes Flagstick’s range of services invaluable. Flagstick’s pre-construction preparation ensures clients will have a precise understanding of the overall construction process, which reduces the inherent risks involved in the project and maximizes efficiency and project execution, making it more rewarding for all involved. Additionally, Flagstick’s ability to manage the myriad administrative tasks associated with any golf course construction project, such as staffing, budgeting and scheduling, is unmatched.
In addition to Amata Spring, Schmidt-Curley’s award-winning credits include Mission Hills’ Pete Dye Course (China), named the “Best New Course in Asia” for 2007 by Asian Golf Monthly; Mission Hills’ Olazabal Course (China), Golfing Magazine’s No. 1 resort course in Asia and Chiang Mai Highlands Golf Club (Thailand), the No. 3 course in Asian Golf Monthly’s 2006 “Best New Course” ranking.
The Royal Trophy is a “Ryder Cup” format competition involving eight-man teams from Europe and Asia. Last year’s tournament was cancelled due to the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana of Thailand in the days leading up to the event.
For more information about completed and current projects, visit www.schmidt-curley.com or call 480.483.1994.
About Schmidt-Curley Design, Inc.
Founded by partners Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley with offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and Haikou, Hainan Island, China, Schmidt-Curley is a full-service, international golf course architecture and master-planning firm with more than 100 layouts in 24 countries, including the U.S., Thailand, China, Vietnam, Mexico, Egypt, Sweden, and Korea. The tandem is responsible for crafting 10 of the 12 courses at storied Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China — the largest golf complex in the world.
Schmidt-Curley teamed with long-time partner Nick Faldo, as well as Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, David Duval, Annika Sorenstam, Vijay Singh, David Leadbetter and Jumbo Ozaki to create a golf experience unlike any other globally. High profile, award-winning projects from Schmidt-Curley include Bali Hai and Siena Golf Clubs (Las Vegas), Amata Spring Golf Club (Chonburi, Thailand, two-time host of the PGA European Tour’s Royal Trophy), Terra Lago Golf Club (Indio, California, site of the Skins Game from 1999 – 2002), Twin Creeks Golf Club (Cedar Park, Texas), and Crosby National Golf Club (Rancho Santa Fe, California).
Schmidt-Curley has also worked extensively with golf’s biggest names — including Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Fred Couples and Faldo on numerous high-profile projects — and boasts four ASGCA members (Lee Schmidt, Brian Curley, Grant Haserot and Andy Raugust).
Producing demanding yet beautiful and enjoyable courses, Schmidt-Curley strives to create golf experiences that stir the senses and elevate golfers’ appreciations for the land and the game. By balancing classic golf course architecture with ever-changing contemporary technology, Schmidt-Curley places an emphasis on site-adaptive courses, memorable and enjoyable for all levels of play and always designed for cost-efficient maintenance and operations.
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (cell)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.761.1444
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
