Welcome Committe for Doak in China

[Ron Farris]

A welcome committee has been assembled for the next visit by Tom Doak in China.

I have reframed from posting any pictures related to his project in Haikou, Hainan Island, but after quite some time it is refreshing to see much awaited progress being made.  More than 1.8 million cubic meters of sand is being pumped onto an island in the middle of a river.  This is a very interesting project in which Tom and Renaissance Golf will have to mold a golf course basically out of a new sand box.  The entire island is being raised to accomodate the 100 year floods. 

Currently there are 70-some boats involved in dredging sand from the Nandu River and the building of shoreline protection.
It has been a long process to get the project to it's current state:  Earthwork & Rough Shaping.

I can speak honestly when I say this course will likely exceed people's expectation.  A dead flat piece of ground transformed into another fun golf course to play!

This image shows the lesser active side of the island.

[Ron Farris]

[Don_Mahaffey]

Looks like it will be a shaper's paradise. Working in pure sand and a chance to really show some imagination creating features.

Ron, what's the challenge (besides working in China)? Making it look natural? Resisting the urge to overdo it? What local features in the area, if any, are you using for inspiration?

[Ron Farris]

Don, the challenge is simply that it is in China and that say it all.  Ok, there are certain architectural challenges, drainage issues related flood management, filtering out all the Asian preconception of good golf.  Doak and Renaissance can address anything architectural.

I was told years ago by some very well informed people that this project would 'ABSOLUTELY NEVER HAPPEN'.  To see it get to its current stage is a milestone.

[Peter Pallotta]

Ron - Wow. Well, a photo is worth a thousand words, and what this one says is that TD's often-stated desire not to be pigeon-holed and to keep growing/changing seems to be in tact, and indeed stronger than ever. 

I think we'll have to give him a new nickname, like to mobsters used to do: Tom "Petey D" Doak, or Tom "Tommy F" Doak 

Peter

[Don_Mahaffey]

Ron,
I've been following the project from afar and agree with your milestone comment. Glad to see the RGD guys will soon be doing what they do best. I was just curious about any themes or local landscapes that may be driving the creation process. Hopefully TD will chime in. It is always interesting to me to see what is created when you basically have a blank canvas. I love the Rawls course, which is the only other RGD site I can think of that is similar, minus all the sand and water!

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

My first thoughts were Rawls course with deeper pockets?
That beens aid will the deeper pockets have a bigger input to what they want the course to look like.
I remember talking to Mike Devries about working in China, and he said it is not always easy to explain that decorative items such as  waterfalls are not always necessary on a golf course

I cannot imagine 'our" Tom succumbing to such pressures, but do wonder how the deep pockets imput ones architectural integrity?
I would love some input on this from those who have this experience, unlike this Pediatric Dentist wanna be, who lives in awe of you people who really do the stuff!!

[Jim_Kennedy]

........."1.8 million cubic meters of sand is being pumped onto an isand in the middle of the river" - sounds like TD will need to do at least one hole as a tribute to Lido.