I suppose I should chip in here.
The concept of a 'stadium' effect around a tournament golf hole is well rehearsed and when it came to the design of this particular hole we have simply taken the idea and given it a Spanish angle. The Spanish bull ring amphitheatre is a very dramatic, enclosed structure and we want to create that same, intense atmosphere for a pivotal hole at a Ryder Cup. More than 50% of the enclosure will be temporary structures, so once the show is over it returns to a very natural looking landscape. It's not a great screen grab in the CNN report, as it makes it look like a regular tournament hole. Hopefully, we'll be working up some more impressive artists impressions over the coming weeks, once I've produced the actual design.
We calculate that we could get 25,000 people around this one hole, but the actual figure will depend upon the numbers allowed through the gate. With only four games on the course at any one time during the first two days, gate numbers are generally reduced from the capacity one would allow in for a regular stroke play tournament. We will need to strike the balance between providing an exciting arena for the 16th, hopefully filled to capacity at the right times and maximising the atmosphere around the other holes too. There is no point in putting more people around the hole, as we'd struggle to get that many in place at one time and it would take away from the rest of the course.
The course is going to be built and it will be public. Whilst the quest for the Ryder Cup is uppermost in our minds, it will function as a public golf course and will be tailored to that end in tandem with its Ryder Cup specification. The Plaza de Toros will be a very exciting, temporary arena for a Ryder Cup, but generally speaking, it and the other 17 holes are going to be very naturally designed, with minimal interference to the existing landscape. It's going to be a very different style of Ryder cup course to what you have been accustomed to in Europe, should Madrid win the bid.