Hanoi, Vietnam: Award-winning Schmidt-Curley Design has opened their Mountain Course at FLC Golf Links Quy Nhon, located on the sun-splashed coast of Southern Vietnam.
This is the third project the company has designed for the emerging golf powerhouse FLC Group and its operations arm, Biscom. The other two projects currently under construction for FLC are also in Vietnam on spectacular sites in Ha Long Bay and on the coastline of Quang Binh.
The Mountain Course is the second course at the FLC Golf Links Resort which also features the one year old Ocean Course, a stunning Nicklaus Design that has garnered great international reviews. While the Ocean course winds through pine forest and to the beach at the lower elevations of the property, the Schmidt-Curley designed Mountain Course plays on a sand-based, pine scrub hillside with sweeping views of the ocean from no less than 16 of its holes.
Great effort was made to incorporate the native sand expanses but the emphasis was on creating width off the tee in order to combat the often-strong winds and dramatic changes in elevation. The design playbook incorporated a very natural touch with most sand presented as natural dunes and large, transitional sandy expanses in lieu of formal bunkers. Natural surface drainage, natural fairway movement, and irregular, meandering turf lines are also employed. The all-fairway cut Paspalum turf is punctuated with centerline hazards that create optional angles of attack on many holes.
Greens are quite large but feature plenty of movement including kick-slopes, backstops, punchbowls, and fall-away lobes that conform to and set into the natural terrain. Tees are unique as well, featuring a “mini-fairway” design as opposed to individual tee complexes. This allows the course to be set up in a much greater variety of lengths in reaction to the different seasonal wind conditions.
Fairways often seamlessly transition into greens with soft change in grade and an absence of bunkering, allowing for a low ground game to combat the prevalent winds and to take advantage of the ball rolling on hard and firm turf. Much of the site’s outer frame was kept in its natural, open-view state, in order to preserve the tremendous views, present from so many holes.
Close green-to-tee relationships keep the core golf course very walkable and the constant changes in elevation create a strong variety of shot making from uphill, downhill, and side hill terrain.
Construction, headed by Flagstick Construction Management, went at a breakneck pace with all 18 holes grassed in a four-month period, a feat that would not be possible had it not been for a very natural, sand-based terrain that offered numerous existing golf holes requiring little adjustment.
“We are very enthusiastic about the Mountain Course” states principal and lead designer Brian Curley. “It is certainly one of the best properties we have ever had the chance to work on and its design features are a strong departure from most every course in Asia. Players will find it somewhat accommodating off the tee but very demanding on approach shots, and requiring a strong short game to take advantage of the many unique green contours”.
Featured holes include:
#2, a mid-length par four with a world-class backdrop of the ocean, playing to a distinct fall-away green complex tucked into the natural dunes.
#6, a short, par four playing up and around an awesome yet treacherous dune complex.
#15, a short par four with a massive half-pipe dip at the front of the green, set above a stunning ocean backdrop.
#17, a very long and demanding par four with top-of-the-world ocean views from the tee, and playing some 40 meters downhill to a sweeping, well-protected greensite.
“We are very fortunate and honored to continue our maiden efforts into the Vietnam golf market with the FLC Group, a team with enormous vision that has its sights set on creating fantastic golf on world-class properties that will soon be at the forefront of the traveling golfer’s list of must-play destinations”.
Schmidt-Curley has cemented its presence in Vietnam with the establishment of new offices in Hanoi. “Our past success in China was intrinsically tied to a strong customer service effort with local offices and hands-on attention” said Curley. “We intend to bring the same effort, drive and professional service to our Vietnamese clients in the same manner in order to fully execute the most successfully designed and constructed courses possible with the greatest economic potential.”
About Schmidt-Curley Design
Founded in 1997 by partners Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley, Schmidt-Curley design (www.schmidt-curley.com) is a full-service, international golf course architectural and master-planning firm. The tandem-leading, fully-staffed offices in the US (Scottsdale, Arizona) and Vietnam (Hanoi) has been named GOLF Magazine’s “Architect of the Year” and Asian Golf Award’s “Best Golf Course Architect” for six straight years. Golf Inc. Magazine has also named them the Fourth Most Influential Designer in the World.
Schmidt-Curley has designed more than 150 layouts in 25 countries. High-profile credits include 10 of the 12 courses at storied Mission Hills Shenzhen – the “World’s Largest Golf Club” – and all 10 at Mission Hills Hainan Island resort. Mission Hills Hainan’s Lava Fields Course is the only Chinese design ranked among Golf World’s “Top 100”, and the resort’s Blackstone course was named GOLF Magazine’s “Best New International Course” of 2011.
Other award-winning courses include Bali Hai Golf Club on the Las Vegas Strip, Thailand’s Siam Country Club and Amata Spring Golf Club; Southern Dunes Golf Club (Arizona, US); the Wilderness Club (Montana, US) and French Lick Resort’s remodeled Donald Ross Course (Indiana, US). The 54-hole Stone Forest International Country Club near Kunming, China has also garnered global acclaim.
Schmidt-Curley has worked extensively with golf’s biggest signature names, including Pete Dye, Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couples on numerous noteworthy projects.
Producing demanding yet beautiful and enjoyable courses, Schmidt-Curley strives to create golf experiences that stir the senses and elevate a golfers’ appreciation 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:
Contact: Brian Curley, Principal. Bcurley@schmidt-curley.com
