Award-winning golf course architects pioneering natural, rugged design style in China
(SCOTTSDALE, AZ) — Schmidt-Curley Design — one of the world’s most active and innovative golf course design firms — announces its Liaoning Gold Time Club in Yingkou, China has completed the grow-in phase and is ready for play.
Situated on Bohai Bay in northeastern China, the par-72, 7,119-yard course showcases a mix of rugged bunkering and dunes punctuated by fescue and other cool-season grasses. Liaoning’s one of the first courses in China to feature the natural, less-manicured look that’s enjoyed a return to prominence in the West over the last decade.
“Until recently, most golf course owners in China have preferred highly-manicured designs with hard-line edges,” says Brian Curley. “Liaoning breaks from this mold. It exemplifies the continuing evolution of the Chinese golf market, and our firm’s devotion to promoting differing styles and ‘outside-the-box’ concepts to further popularize the sport.”
Curley and senior design associate Patrick Burton fashioned dunes, sandy lows and many waste and blow-out bunkers from the sand-based property, transforming it into tumbling terrain emphasizing the ground game. Wispy fescue grasses frame the bentgrass fairways and greens. While visually intimidating, the fescue is actually rather easy to play from, making the course enjoyable for novice and skilled golfers alike.
The layout’s finishing stretch is particularly memorable and highlighted by panoramic sea views. The 16th is a long, heavily-bunkered par 4 playing to an elevated green. Hole 17 is a devilish, short par 3 with a wickedly-contoured green. Eighteen is another lengthy par 4. Weaving through seaside sand dunes, waste and formal bunkers, it crescendos with an uphill approach to an undulating putting surface.
A consistently high finisher in Asian Golf Monthly’s “Best Golf Course Architect” rankings, Schmidt-Curley has two fully-staffed Asian offices (Haikou and Kunming, China) in addition to its Scottsdale, AZ, USA headquarters. This promotes quicker mobilization, lower travel costs and other valuable advantages over competitors.
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. The tandem is responsible for crafting 10 of the 12 courses at storied Mission Hills Shenzhen — the “World’s Largest Golf Club” — and is currently designing and building all 10 golf courses at new Mission Hills Hainan Resort on Hainan Island.
Other high profile, award-winning projects from Schmidt-Curley include Bali Hai and Siena Golf Clubs (Las Vegas), Amata Spring Golf Club (Chonburi, Thailand, four-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 Pete Dye, Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couples 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 satisfying 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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