Firm Transforms Marshland Into Challenging Layout
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) – Schmidt-Curley Design – the full-service golf-course architecture, master-planning and construction-management firm – announces Golden Mountain Golf Club in Qingdao, China, has opened for play.
In less than two years, Schmidt-Curley transformed a boggy swamp into a par-72, 7,005-yard layout highlighted by rugged, natural bunkering and elevated, undulating greens. Nearly every hole has a strong angle of play – a tactic favored by Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley mentor Pete Dye – rewarding the golfer who chooses an aggressive line off the tee with a shorter approach into the green.
To make the property suitable for golf, Curley and Senior Design Associate Patrick Burton cut down a nearby hill and transferred more than two million cubic meters of dirt to fill and shape the site. Like layers on a cake, the course was then capped with one meter of sand to ensure ideal drainage and permit bentgrass tees, fairways and greens to thrive.
Schmidt-Curley’s engineering skill and ingenuity is further evidenced by use of long beach bunkers to frame many holes. This design element was incorporated to maintain the pace of play, keeping the ball out of ponds and lakes that still dot the property. The bunkers also serve a second, but no less important, purpose: Because the land is still prone to seasonal flooding (it’s located two miles from the Yellow Sea), the bunkers may flood but the raised fairways and greens will be protected.
“We took a very difficult site and created one of our most visually dramatic and exciting designs,” says Curley. “Golden Mountain is not overly demanding in terms of length and features wide, inviting fairways, but remains quite challenging – especially if the wind is up.”
Schmidt-Curley is deeply entrenched in China’s booming golf course construction market. To complement its Scottsdale, Arizona headquarters, the firm has established fully-staffed satellite offices in Haikou on tropical Hainan Island, and in Kunming in the Himalayan foothills.
Golden Mountain Golf Club is part of a larger resort complex featuring a 10,000 square foot facility with restaurants, conference rooms and 122-room, four-star hotel. A 350-villa residential component is also part of the development. Located a short drive away is JinKou, a rebuilt and restored 500-year-old Chinese fishing village celebrated for its authenticity.
About Schmidt-Curley Design
Founded by partners Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley with offices in Scottsdale, Arizona; Haikou, Hainan Island, China and Kunming, 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 Pete Dye, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ernie Els, 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, three-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
703.891.3509
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
