Golfing legend Gary Player to lead the Edinburgh Course re-design as part of multi-million pound investment
Surrey, UK: Wentworth Club has announced the appointment of Gary Player Design to carry out the renovation of its famous Edinburgh Course as part of the multi-million pound investment programme being undertaken by the Club and its owners Reignwood Group.
Player’s involvement will mark a continuation of his long and proud association with the Club, dating back to his 1965 World Match Play victory at Wentworth, and his subsequent input into the original design of the Edinburgh Course, which opened in 1990.
Wentworth Club will draw upon Player’s 65 years of elite golfing experience and market-leading design credentials to establish the Edinburgh Course as one of the premier golf courses in the world.
Over the next year, a number of improvements will be made to the course, including:
• A comprehensive renewal of the irrigation system
• A new bunker programme
• A world class driving range and short game practice area
• The replacement of grasses on putting surfaces
The announcement is the latest in a string of significant developments revealed at Wentworth Club and continues its relationship with world leading course designers on the renovation of its three golf courses. Earlier this year, Ernie Els was unveiled as the designer who will lead renovations of Wentworth’s West Course, which will begin in earnest after this year’s BMW PGA Championship.
Both appointments form part of Reignwood’s wider commitment to make Wentworth the world’s leading private golf and country club.
Commenting on the announcement, Player said, “Having played at Wentworth Club many times I’ve always found it to be one of the world’s elite golfing venues and I am excited to help shape the future of golf at Wentworth, building a course which is as thrilling to play as it is to design.
“Our objective for the Edinburgh Course is to renovate the features and infrastructure to create a world-class golf course. It will be challenging yet fun to play, and have a look and character that is unique and quite different from the demanding Championship West Course.”
Wentworth Club Chief Executive Stephen Gibson said, “We are absolutely delighted to be working with Gary Player Design on developing the Edinburgh Course. He is one of the greatest ambassadors for the game and knows better than anyone what it takes to both play and design great courses.
“This appointment demonstrates the Club’s clear commitment to becoming a world-class golfing venue and we cannot wait to begin work in the coming weeks and months to ensure the very best golfing experience for our members.”
In addition to the improvement projects for the West Course and Edinburgh Course, the Club’s East Course will also undergo an extensive renovation, with a design partner to be announced soon. The upgrades to the golf courses complement the wider investment programme at the famous Wentworth Club, which will see significant enhancements across all its facilities, including to its tennis & health and fine-dining facilities and the overall level of service provided to members.
Note to Editors
For more information please contact:
Press Office via wentworthpress@edelman.com
Bo Wood – Black Knight International
b.wood@garyplayer.com
+ 1 864 477 2720
About Gary Player Design
Established in the early 1980s by Marc Player and widely recognized as the most successful international golf course architectural firm in the world, Gary Player Design has branded nearly 400 layouts with the mark of a champion. Over its existence, the firm has worked on five continents and in 38 countries, and prides itself on taking the Black Knight’s design experience to emerging markets to help develop the game of golf globally.
Player’s vast experience in the business coupled with more than 60 years of experience as a professional golfer have afforded him a unique understanding of the needs of the average golfer; the objectives of the developer, and the concerns of the environment. The cornerstone of our design approach is to create playable and memorable golf courses within the constraints of a given site, while being ultra-sensitive to the surrounding environment – particularly in the area of water conservation.
The result is a portfolio of award-winning and environmentally-recognized courses around the world. The Design Company presently has more than 60 active projects around the world in Africa, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the USA.
For further information and/or a listing of awards, contact Scott Ferrell at +1 864 477 2720 or visit www.garyplayerdesign.com.
About Wentworth Club
For more than nine decades Wentworth Club has been regarded as one of the world’s finest and most prestigious golf and country clubs, famous as the home of the BMW PGA Championship since 1984, host venue to the World Match Play for 43 years and the birthplace of the Ryder Cup. The golf club first opened in 1924 under the ownership of Walter George Tarrant, who made it a golf club with luxury housing around the edge of the East Course and then, the West Course. The Edinburgh Course was opened in 1990 and played host to the Senior Masters Championship for 11 years. Tennis & Health Club facilities were opened in 1999. Over the Club’s 51 year history of hosting the Match Play and PGA Championships, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Severiano Ballesteros, Ernie Els and Nick Faldo feature among a distinguished roll call of winners. In 2014 Rory McIlroy won the BMW PGA Championship en route to becoming World Number One, Open Champion and US PGA Champion, and last year the first Asian winner was crowned – the 21 year old Byeong Hun An.
Previously owned by Richard Caring, the Club was acquired by Reignwood Investments in September 2014, whose Chairman, Dr. Chanchai Ruayrungruang, founded Reignwood Group in 1984.
About Reignwood Group
Founded in Thailand in 1984, Reignwood Group is a global Chinese enterprise with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, the USA and UK. Under the Chairmanship of Dr. Chanchai Ruayrungruang, the Group’s extensive financial resources and global network have created a strategic international platform that not only invests in a wide spectrum of industries, but gives back to society, improves the lives of local Chinese communities and assists in the protection of the environment. For more information, visit reignwood.com.
Contact:
