Golf-Course Architecture Firm, Thailand, China Projects Lauded as Asia’s Best
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 10, 2009
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) – Schmidt-Curley Design – one of the world’s busiest and most-innovative golf course design firms – announces it captured several categories at the annual Asian Golf Monthly awards.
Although based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Schmidt-Curley has worked in Asia for more than 15 years. During this time it has opened satellite offices in Haikou and Kunming, China and forged a reputation as one of the continent’s premier golf-course architecture firms. It finished runner-up to Jack Nicklaus in the “Best Architect” category and co-founder Brian Curley was named “Golf Personality of the Year.”
Schmidt-Curley’s recently-completed Plantation Course at Siam C.C., host of the Honda LPGA Thailand, was tabbed the “Best Maintained Course in Asia,” and Chiangmai Highlands was named the country’s No. 3 course. Rounding out the accolades is perhaps Schmidt-Curley’s most famous project to date, China’s Mission Hills Golf Club, which was named “Best Golf Resort in Asia” for the fourth consecutive year.
“It’s gratifying to be consistently ranked among the best golf course designers in Asia,” says Curley. “Our leading position is evidence of the high-quality, on-time and under-budget designs we deliver without fail, no matter how big or small the project.”
Chiangmai Highlands is a par-72, 7,000-yard championship course featuring mountain views and lush vegetation. Several holes integrate the streams and lakes dotting the property, and more than 100 fairway and greenside bunkers necessitate deft shot-making.
The Plantation Course at Siam C.C. in Chonburi, Thailand opened in 2008 and is located on the site of a former pineapple and tapioca plantation. Its Seashore Paspalum fairways snake around the property’s prominent large ravines. Significant elevation changes abound, offering several spectacular vistas of Pattaya’s beaches and the Gulf of Thailand approximately seven miles to the west.
Schmidt-Curley master planned massive Mission Hills Golf Club and is architect of record for 10 of its 12 courses including the acclaimed Olazabal Course, host of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup later this month for the third consecutive year. From 2002 to 2004, the firm and its sister company, Flagstick Golf Course Construction, oversaw perhaps the most ambitious golf course construction project in history when five Mission Hills golf courses were completed in a 14-month span.
“Our extensive experience makes us well-prepared to handle any project,” says Curley. “Jungle or open prairie, desert or seaside, we’ll create the course you need to run a profitable operation without sacrificing quality, ingenuity or playability.”
For more information about completed and current projects, visit www.schmidt-curley.com or call 480.483.1994.
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).
Flagstick Golf Course Construction, Schmidt-Curley’s sister company, offers a range of invaluable services. Its 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.
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@buffalocommunications.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
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Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3509
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