LIBERTYVILLE, Illinois (October 12, 2010) – From his Chicago-area base, golf course architect Rick Jacobson continues to expand his international portfolio with the creation of Mogan Mountain Golf Club located in one of China’s premier resort areas about 160 kilometers (100 miles) inland from Shanghai.
Jacobson recently broke ground on the 18-hole environmentally sustainable course, which is the focal point of a mixed-use development that includes hotel, residential, and retail elements.
“The international market – particularly China – continues to be a strong area of growth for new course development,” said Jacobson, who has designed many courses in Asia over the last 24 years.
“For decades, the Mogan Mountain region has been a premier resort and vacation area. The Mogan Mountain Golf Club will be a perfect new amenity to serve the area’s growing clientele.”
The golf course winds its way through mountains and valleys, boasting water features on13 of its 18 holes, Jacobson said. The par 72 course measures approximately 7,100 yards from the championship tees and 5,100 yards from the forward tees with three sets of tees in between. Strategic bunkering throughout the course provides risk-reward options off the tee. In addition, every green features “tight” areas where pins may be tucked for championship competition.
“Consistent with our firm’s longstanding philosophy, Mogan Mountain has been designed to appeal to and challenge golfers of all levels,” Jacobson said. “The combination of aesthetic beauty and competitive challenge makes Mogan Mountain a destination for both the everyday player and the highly skilled professional in the international golf market.”
The front nine at Mogan Mountain winds through valleys and features dramatic elevation changes of 25 meters (more than 80 feet) from tee to fairway. Several holes are framed by trees and groves of stunning bamboo forests. Seven holes incorporate a variety of water features that include lakes, streams, and waterfalls.
The picturesque back nine, which plays through the wide valley, is framed on three sides by gorgeous mountains and features several large natural sand bunkers. Three manmade lakes have been integrated into the design to challenge golfers on six holes of the inward nine.
The 18th hole is especially memorable, Jacobson said. A three-shot par 5 measuring 609 yards from the championship tees, No. 18 plays along the base of the mountain with a stream running along the left side of the fairway. The green is located amid a dramatic waterfall complex built into an abandoned quarry; a vertical rock formation forms the backdrop of the green .
Mogan Mountain Golf Club has been built to be environmentally sustainable and sensitive to valuable water resources, Jacobson said. Storm water runoff will be collected by the course’s system of streams and lakes and will be directed by gravity flow to a central collection lake. The irrigation pump station then will recycle the water back onto the golf course.
“We feel that environmental sustainability is an important element in the construction of any new golf course,” Jacobson said. “We have the technology to make sure the golf course improves rather than detracts from the environment and we’re committed to using it.”
Mogan Mountain is near Hangzhou is a city of approximately 3 million located in the Yangtze River Delta about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Shanghai.
Jacobson’s Moon Course at Lion Lake County Club near he city of Guangzhou (a/k/a Canton), recently was named Best Golf Course Design for 2009 by China Golf Magazine. In addition, the course has been selected as the 2010 “Best New Golf Club” in China at the “People’s Choice Awards.”
Jacobson has been active in international golf course design since he opened his own firm in 1991 following many years with Jack Nicklaus. Jacobson’s first original 18-hole design was the World Country Club in Osaka, Japan. Jacobson currently is working on several other courses in Asia.
Jacobson reunited with Nicklaus domestically when the two collaborated on Bayside Resort and Golf Club in Fenwick Island, Del. The course was named among the top new courses for 2006 by both Golf Digest and Golfweek magazines.
Voted Golf Course Architect of the Year in 2007 by the National Association of Private Clubs and Directors, Jacobson is known nationally for such heralded original 18-hole designs as Augustine GC in Stafford, Va., Bull Run CC in Haymarket, Va., Bear Trap Dunes in Ocean View, Del., and The Club at Strawberry Creek in Kenosha, Wis.
Contact:
Barry Cronin
Cronin Communications, Inc.
847-698-1801 (o)
847-867-3032 (m)
bcronin@cronincommunications.com
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