Robin Hiseman - Possible Ryder Cup venue designer!! Congratulations!!

[Brian Phillips]

Robin Hiseman is a good friend of mine, he even shared a room with me for a week in Aussie.  I would just like to congratulate the little man on being the head honcho to design Madrid's bid for the 2018 Ryder Cup.

Although I am green with envy and jealousy (yes, it is now jealousy past envy) I think Robin will do a superb job for the Spanish bid.  Hopefully he will be allowed to design something from his heart not just the corporate side of the company who he works for.

Here is a link to his blog talking about the latest visit to the site with all sorts of dignitaries..

Robin, all the best and good luck.....god that hurts...

http://www.egd.com/wordpress/?p=855

[Mike Nuzzo]

Wow.
Quite the video.
Looks like an expensive proposal.

Congratulations and good luck Robin.

[Scott Warren]

Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke.

[Tom_Doak]

Congrats to Robin.  I've already emailed him separately.

However, I'm confused about the European Ryder Cup venue selection process.  Multiple countries vow to build a tournament-worthy course, and then while they are being built the committee decides upon one of them?  How, exactly?

And I thought the process in the U.S. was strange!

[jeffwarne]

Congrats to Robin.  I've already emailed him separately.

the committee decides upon one of them?  How, exactly?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[James Boon]

Now thats a cheesy video 

Best of luck Robin!

Cheers,

James

[Niall C]

Robin ? Surely you mean Mr Hiseman ?

[Gary Slatter]

Robin, good luck I hope you get the job!

My one question regarding the Ryder Cup European courses - why not use one of the great existing facilities for the Ryder Cup? 
IMHO the 2010 Course will be heaped with abuse as will the Gleneagles version for 2014.  Is it an IMG thing?
Sorry third question: Robin, were you involved with the 2010 course?

[Scott Warren]

Robin ? Surely you mean Mr Hiseman ?

I'd forgotten about that.

[Alfonso Erhardt]

Tom,

According to what I have heard, the venue will be chosen in mid-2011 and the course would start getting built after that. At least that's what they say in Madrid

Regards,

[Scott Warren]

Some of the bid courses are already open and operating, not all are newbuilds.

[Bill_McBride]

Some of the bid courses are already open and operating, not all are newbuilds.

Santander and Valderamma?

[Bill_McBride]

Congratulations, Robin!  Look forward to seeing you at your return to the Buda Cup!

[Alfonso Erhardt]

Some of the bid courses are already open and operating, not all are newbuilds.

Scott,

Only the French course (Le National) is open. The others (Portugal, Holland, Spain and Germany) are just projects...

[Scott Warren]

There was another... I hadn't heard till just now about Sweden withdrawing its bid a few weeks back. It was bidding to host the event at Bro Hof Slott.

[Richard Chamberlain]

He always was a thoughtful lad.
I caught him mid-daydream in Melbourne last year.

[Scott Warren]

I've got £50 that says he's thinking about Kelly Brook...

[Neil_Crafter]

He always was a thoughtful lad.
I caught him mid-daydream in Melbourne last year.

either that or your stories had put him to sleep......

[Bill_McBride]

Some of the bid courses are already open and operating, not all are newbuilds.

Scott,

Only the French course (Le National) is open. The others (Portugal, Holland, Spain and Germany) are just projects...

I'm sure it's all about the money, but why can't one of the classic courses be used?  Do the developers of the new course put up an obscene amount of money? 

K Club, Celtic Manor........

[Jobst von Steinsdorff]

I'm sure it's all about the money, but why can't one of the classic courses be used?  Do the developers of the new course put up an obscene amount of money? 

K Club, Celtic Manor........

Well, quite easy: Due to the European Tour's policy the 2018 Ryder Cup venue will be somewhere in Continental Europe. While I am not sure whether too many classic courses courses in the UK and Ireland would be able to host the Ryder Cup from an infrastructure point of view, I am quite sure that none of the (few) continental ones would be able too. So this requires newer courses.

This being said I think the Spanish bid for the Ryder Cup ist the one having the least chance of winning, as Spain is the only continental European country that has hosted the Ryder Cup before. I believe Sweden would have had very good chances as it being the country that has brought the biggest number of internationally acclaimed golfers into the scene in the last 20 years. (And Spain's selection in 1999 was mostly due to Ballesteros' and Olazabal's standing in the Ryder Cup - and it's all a matter of politics here ...)

I certainly would prefer the German bid winning, getting a Ryder Cup venue built basically behind my back door . Thomas Himmel who would be in charge of designing it, is IMO a very good architect and this could really become his masterpiece.

[Tony_Muldoon]

I'm sure it's all about the money, but why can't one of the classic courses be used?  Do the developers of the new course put up an obscene amount of money? 

K Club, Celtic Manor........

Well, quite easy: Due to the European Tour's policy the 2018 Ryder Cup venue will be somewhere in Continental Europe. While I am not sure whether too many classic courses in the UK and Ireland would be able to host the Ryder Cup from an infrastructure point of view, I am quite sure that none of the (few) continental ones would be able too. So this requires newer courses.

I think Jobst is correct here, but perhaps it’s a chicken and egg thing.   I believe its 40 000 spectators a day - much more than for an Open.  Also they are following 4 matches on the course Friday and Saturday.  Whatever I think of the playability of the K Club, the Palmer team did an amazing job allowing us to follow matches on a water laden course with only two pressure points.  So those large no's and television fee begat a load of money that pays for the new courses.  Would it be the same event, with say 15 000, at Portmarnock?


I enjoyed it so much last time I’m going back this October.


Good Luck Robin, if being a really nice guy helps then Spain’s in luck.

[Robin_Hiseman]

Thank you Chaps (and Brian especially).  Sorry for the delay in responding.  Didn't look at the computer over the bank holiday weekend.  Too busy stalking Kelly Brook and dreaming of Richard Chamberlain;D

As many of you appreciate, projects such as this remain theoretical until they actually get started, but we have as good a feeling as we can that this is a project that will go forward and pretty quickly too.  We have a sensational site and the plan is to move around only the bare minimum of soil.  We have one or two steep slopes that we have to grade out for fairways and greens, but in general it will be a 'lie-of-the-land' kind of course.  I'm not planning a single spectator mound - we have an abundance of natural viewing slopes.

I don't believe that Spain's previous hosting of the Ryder Cup will have any bearing on the decision.  This is a completely clean slate.  If Madrid has the best overall bid, it will win.  The same goes for any of the other four bidding nations.

Why a new course?  It all comes down to space.  Tres Cantos has an abundance of land within which to accommodate the commercial aspects of the Ryder Cup.  That we have been able to achieve an almost textbook Staging Plan whilst not compromising a single hole of our preferred design is testimony to the quality and size of our site.  I can now tell you more about the design of bus terminals than I ever thought possible!!

Back to Madrid tomorrow to discuss the project further.

Robin

[Robin_Hiseman]

A Definition of Irony:

Being described as a 'little man' by Brian Phillips

[Ben Stephens]

Thank you Chaps (and Brian especially).  Sorry for the delay in responding.  Didn't look at the computer over the bank holiday weekend.  Too busy stalking Kelly Brook and dreaming of Richard Chamberlain;D

I can now tell you more about the design of bus terminals than I ever thought possible!!

I take it that you now know bus movements and turning circles sizes now! It would be useful to show the details of buggy and bus movements, etc for Melvyn's sake!

Your beloved Kelly is moving to Melbourne soon maybe a good excuse for you to play the sandbelt again.

Rutland Water could help your new course in Madrid as there was very little movement of earth and I used the land as it lies.

Cheers
Ben