Courses under Construction

[Bob Jenkins]

Just curious and I almost do not want to know the answer. Locally, up here in BC, the only new course that has opened this year is the Ridge Course at Predator Ridge. Highland Pacific in Victoria is now 18 holes where I understand there were once but nine and perhaps that would be a new course for 2010. In the western US I know of Wine Valley that opened up earlier and we all know about Old Mac, but nothing else. The economy up here has been fairly good in relation to the rest of North America for the last few years and so I assume the chances of new courses being built elsewhere are rather slim. Therefore the question, WHAT COURSES ARE CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN YOUR AREA?  In BC, Alberta and Washington, I know of none. I hope there are some out there somewhere.

[Bill_McBride]

Nada here in NW Florida, but one that hosted a Champions tour event since 1995 closed (The Moors).

[Mac Plumart]

Rivermont.  I've got pictures to share of how that process is/has evolved, which I'll post when I get shots of the final product.

[Tom_Doak]

We've started our project in Florida, with another band of famed minimalists working alongside.  That and a couple of renovations are all we've had this year, and we are grateful for each of them.

I'm going to keep a running total here, since this is of interest to me.

Under Construction - USA (10) - Kearney NE (Engh), Florida (Doak), Florida (Coore), Shelton WA (Bates), southern Arkansas (K. Dye), Bozeman MT (Miller), Summit Rock TX (Nicklaus), Greenville SC (Player), Ferry Point NY (Nicklaus), Lajitas TX (Cowley/Wadkins)

Under Construction - Overseas - too many to list

[Jeremy Rivando]

Cabot Links in Inverness, Nova Scotia. 

I was fortunate enough to visit the site last week for the first time. The build up and anticipation for this golf course will continue and for good reason, it's possibly the best oceanside site in Canada.  Thanks in part to what may be the best development/construction team to have come together for such an opportunity.

[Larry_Rodgers]

Jim Engh has one under construction in Kearney Nebraska. Joe Niebur is building it.

[Ted Harris]

What is the status of Union Bay Golf Links on Vancouver Island ?

[Scott Macpherson]

Our new course in Newcastle, UK is nearing the end of its construction. The course will open i May/June 2011.

As an aside, I might note that the client has financially benefitted from beginning construction during the down turn. (The bidding process was much more fierce). They took a risk, but will be rewarded for the bravery of their decision to proceed. I congratulate them for that. And it has been a project I am very privileged to be involved.

scott

[David_Tepper]

Scott Mac. -

I am curious to learn more about the Newcastle project. What can you tell us about it? Location? Type of course? Club? Resort?

Thanks.

DT

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Nothing in southeastern PA, southern NJ or DE that I know of except that 3 new holes of KBM's Heritage Creek in Bucks County, PA are scheduled to begin soon. Applecross in Chester County, a Nicklaus Design as opposed to a JN Signature Design, recently opened in early July.

[Carter Hindes]

After recent ownership and management changes, construction will begin in November to build a new 18 holes at Houston National Golf Club, Houston Texas.  Jeff Blume will be designing it and this will become the private club within Houston National.  The existing West and North nines (Von Hagge) will continue to be daily fee and are currently undergoing extensive maintenance practices to improve conditions.  The south nine (Original Von Hagge) will be completely reconstructed and redesigned and will be the back 9 of the new 18.  The Blume 18 will be named Sterling Country Club at Houston National Golf Club.  

[Ronald Montesano]

The boom in western New York has ended with the opening of RTJ2's Seneca Hickory Stick.  From 2004 to the present, we opened Arrowhead (Scott Witter), Links at Ivy Ridge (many), Buffalo Tournament Club (Davis), Diamond Hawk (Hurdzan-Fry), Harvest Hill (Hurdzan Fry), Ironwood (Scott Witter) and Concord Crest (many).  Eight new courses in six years, after two new ones in the previous 30 was absolutely amazing.  Two more (Mystic Pines and Buffalo Creek) never got much farther than the drawing board.  The Belfry USA, along both sides of I-90 near Rochester, opened for two weeks by invitation only, but never to the public.  I weep each time I drive by.  In central New York, with Timber Banks now completed, I believe that new projects are non-existent.  Mill Creek (Hearn/Albanese) and Ravenwood (Nelson) were the two new Rochester contributions.  The Links at Black Creek scaled back to practice facility only (an 18-hole layout was originally in the plans.)

[Scott Macpherson]

HI David,

I have posted a little about the course before. I have included below some photos of the course from an earlier thread about Colt's 'Torn' Bunkers.

Basically, the new course will be the second course at Close House (www.closehouse.co.uk). The first course is a nice little (5,900y) course set amongst many old Oak trees. The new course is styled on Harry Colts wonderful work on English country Estates. Close House was an Estate started in the 1770's - so that style seemed appropriate.

The new course is parkland course, and features great views up and down the river and the valley. It will be about 7000yards long and features about 90m (300ft) of elevation change from highest point to lowest point – like Pasatiempo.

The Mansion house is now a boutique hotel with 19 rooms (though they are planning on turning the stables into another 16 rooms) and very popular for weddings.

The site is adjacent to the River Tyne, and only about a 15 mins drive from downtown Newcastle (very handy), and 10 mins from the international airport.

There is a membership at Close House already and this will continue. Visitors will be able to pay a green fee to play the new course.

The course features about 50 bunkers and bent/fescue greens. Average greens size = about 615m2. The course has extravagant and delightful width in some places and demands precise shots in others. There are lots of old features on the site include 2000 year old archeology, ice-lakes, ridge & furrow forms, stone ha-ha walls and ancient forests.

Strategically, the course features a degree of mystery- which will favour the golfer who visits several times, but won't overly distress the first-time player. We have also deliberately made the course looker more difficult than it plays - especially from the back tees. There is nothing like this course in the area. It will certainly be different from its neighbours! I am looking forward to this course being opened for play next year. Hope you will pay us a visit.

scott


6th Hole - a 400y downhill par 4. The best line off the tee is over the wall (to a wide but hidden fairway)



9th Hole - Mike Clayton during a site visit giving the a 'road test'.


13th Hole- a 460y downhill par 4.



scott


"Torn" Bunker Harry Colt thread= http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,45684.0/
[/quote]

[Tom_Doak]

That is FOUR golf courses in America so far ... five when the one in Houston gets going.  I'm going to keep an updated total in my first post as others contribute.

[Garland Bayley]

All I can tell you is that Slag Bandoon has been busy as a beaver, and keeping his mouth shut. Can't say whether that will affect Tom's total.

[Bryan Icenhower]

Under Construction - USA (4) - Rivermont (details?),

I will leave the details to Chris Cupit, but Rivermont is currently going under some tweaks to holes 7, 8, 9 and 15.  The most extensive work is the reshaping of the green on 9.  We are also addressing some areas that were devastated by flooding this past September (here is a link to a home video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHC0N_j32fk

[Tom_Doak]

Under Construction - USA (4) - Rivermont (details?),

I will leave the details to Chris Cupit, but Rivermont is currently going under some tweaks to holes 7, 8, 9 and 15.  The most extensive work is the reshaping of the green on 9.  We are also addressing some areas that were devastated by flooding this past September (here is a link to a home video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHC0N_j32fk

If Rivermont is a remodel, then I don't think it should count.  There are a lot of those, they are the only reason 90% of golf course architects aren't on food stamps.

[Bryan Icenhower]

Under Construction - USA (4) - Rivermont (details?),

I will leave the details to Chris Cupit, but Rivermont is currently going under some tweaks to holes 7, 8, 9 and 15.  The most extensive work is the reshaping of the green on 9.  We are also addressing some areas that were devastated by flooding this past September (here is a link to a home video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHC0N_j32fk

If Rivermont is a remodel, then I don't think it should count.  There are a lot of those, they are the only reason 90% of golf course architects aren't on food stamps.

and a minor one at that ... I agree with you, as a member it didn't even cross my mind within this thread until Mac posted it.

[Nick Cauley]

There is a ken dye course being built in south arkansas.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Salish Cliffs, Shelton, WA, designed by Gene Bates, should open late 2011.  It is a project of the Squaxin Tribe.

[Steve Okula]

Here in France, golf development is DOA, and the same holds true for the rest of western Europe, as far as I know. There is a new Gary Player designed course going in Bulgaria, I believe.

Of the exotic variety, I know one 18-hole course under construction near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, called KiliGolf, designed  by David Jones from Belfast, and proceeding at a glacial pace. I think there is one shaper and maybe half a dozen local guys working on it, and opening in our lifetimes might be too optimistic.

There are a couple of others on the boards in Kenya that will probably go ahead in the next year or two.

[Adam Lawrence]

Netherlands is quite busy. Frank Pont has Turfvaert (now in soft opening), Philip Spogard and his partner Michiel van der Vaart are building Stippelberg. European Golf Design is building The Dutch, which is a big money project in the south of the country. And Bruno Steensels is has just started work on a new course right next to Schiphol airport.

In Germany, Christoph Staedler's practice has just broken ground on a new build in Paderborn.

Castelfalfi in Italy is a 36 hole project developed by the German travel firm TUI, with one course just about ready for opening and another in construction, designed by Wilfried Moroder and Rainer Preissmann; the Gary Player course at Donnafugata in Sicily is still in construction, and Tom Weiskopf's course at Castiglion del Bosco looks pretty impressive.

PGA National Russia is an EGD project outside Moscow.

In Portugal, Roger Rulewich and Dave Fleury are building the first of what's supposed to be a four course project in Evora, in the Alentejo region.

Egypt remains pretty active - Tim Lobb and his firm are in the ground at New Giza and El Ein Bay. I hear, but don't wholly believe, stories of over 100 new courses in planning in Korea. And who knows exactly what to believe in China?

[Scott Stambaugh]

In Washington state, just two- Salish Cliffs near Shelton and work is continuing (once again) on the second course at Suncadia Resort near Cle Elum- the Rope Rider by Peter Jacobsen.  Rope Rider's new clubhouse, which doubles as a winery for Swiftwater Cellars, has its grand opening next Saturday, the course is planning to open in June 2011.
 

[Tom_Doak]

Adam,

Thanks for all that.  I saw Frank's course in Holland last fall, it was pretty much finished by then.

A hundred courses "in planning" in S. Korea is easily possible.  I have heard from four different developers there who are planning more than a dozen courses between them.  But there are hundreds of courses in planning in the USA, too ... And so far we know of five actually being built.

[Greg Tallman]

I know Nicklaus has something going in China, about 20 kiles from N. Korea border. Not sure the name of the course.

Tom - What town in Florida is your project located? Fort Meade? Do I understand you correctly that you are working with Bill Coore on that site?