Dave Sampson

How refreshing will it be to see a major golf tournament being played on a course under 7000 yards? Personally, I think it is and the USGA should be applauded for it!

It’s been 32 years since the USGA took their national championship to the famed Merion GC, so the course will be a bit of mystery to most. The plot of land is small at 127 acres and the spectator experience will be akin to an Open Championship at the Old Course St Andrews, but this tournament is the US Open, so you know the test is going to be tough!

The course is renowned for being ‘tricky’ and with the only two par 5’s coming in the first four holes, birdies will need to be made early and scores held onto for the remaining fourteen. Setup would have undoubtedly been firm and fast, but the heavy rain over the past week has unfortunately put an end to that. On the flip side however, the rough will be now be even more brutal than usual and the fairways will in all probability be even narrower than their usual ‘pencil thin’, but hopefully not too narrow that the bunkers seem detached. With the course playing soft, the famous wicker basket pins will most definitely be hidden away to protect the course and likely threat of low scores. (Click on link to the USGA website for a fantastic fly through of each hole) http://www.usopen.com/en_US/course/index.html

From a course design point of view it’s going to be a fascinating watch to see how the best players in the world approach the challenge and strategise their way round. Will Tiger employ a similar strategy to the one which won him the Open Championship at Hoylake in 2006, where he took an iron from nearly every tee? On paper, it must offer up the best chance of a first major success to some of the game’s shorter hitters like Luke Donald, Matteo Mannaserro & Matt Kuchar? Perhaps it will be the year for the Steve Stricker!! But as a man who likes the odd flutter, Graeme McDowell must have a great chance!

Nonetheless, whoever the champion come Sunday, I can’t wait to see how the course stands up…..could this become the new template for championship golf??

Renovation works at the new ‘Evian Resort Golf Club’ (course name re branded from the ‘Evian Masters Golf Club’) are progressing well, and if the winter weather had played its part, things would be coming along even better.

Renovating in the Alps at this time of year has its difficulties, and winter rain and snow have caused some minor disruption; however, despite at times some tough conditions, the commitment and hard work from everyone on-site to get the new golf course built, has to be commended.

So far, of the 20 green complexes s that is being re-built, 14 are now complete. 80% of the new irrigation system is installed. Fairway grading and bunkering works remain on 2 golf holes, and only one more tee complex is outstanding.

The majority of the works remaining is topsoil replacement and preparation, turfing and the planting of the 170 new trees.

Things are starting to come together quickly now, and fingers crossed, with a little better weather assistance from ‘upstairs’, completion of the golf course construction works won’t be too far off!

Above: Turfing around 5th Green

Phase 2 construction work in preparation for the new major on the LPGA tour is well underway and the proposed changes to the course are now starting to take shape.

The most notable changes to the golf course layout will take place on golf holes 5, which has been converted from an uphill par 4 to a dramatic one-shotter played over water, and the final four holes, where we are creating a ‘stadium-like’ amphitheatre around the new green complexes 15, 16 & 18.

In terms of the actual golf course features, the previously small and undulating greens are being replaced by larger greens with many more pin locations. The beauty behind the majority of the new greens is that not only will they reward pinpoint accuracy but they are also designed to be receptive to shots that are played along the ground, ensuring that the golfer always has multiple options in which to attack any pin position.

The new bunker styles are designed to be more of a deterrent and penalty, replacing the large & flat bunkers of the past. They will have a more natural and ‘ragged’ edge to them, and will be smaller and deeper, more in scale and proportion to the narrow tree-lined golf holes in which they will sit.

Additional and larger tees have been added to most of the golf holes allowing for more flexibility in the course setup.

To increase the drama and climax of the course, additional water features have been added, mainly to the closing golf holes. As mentioned above, Hole 5 will now be played over a large lake, while the new short 16th will be played downhill, to a raised green which sits above a new cascading stream system. The existing stream feature which use to front the 18th green has now been made into a much larger pond feature which will protect the new raised green. The water features are designed to serve both aesthetic and functional storage purposes.

The ultimate intention at Evian is to create a course with much more variety and choice.

Above: Hole 14

I was back in Russia last week, mainly to present the Detail Design package for the PGA Academy course at Zavidovo, but also for the ‘soft opening’ of the first 9 holes on the PGA National course.

The National course really is coming on great, and Paul Avison and his team have done a fantastic job growing in and presenting the course, the greens in particular were in excellent condition.

Minor tweaks have been made, mainly to grassing lines and bunker edges, but it was good to have the opportunity to see the course again prior to the official opening which is on the 7th of September – can’t wait to see it completed!

Above: Par-3, 12th Hole at PGA National.

It felt like just the other day we were all watching Europe regain the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor (maybe the wet ground conditions had something to do it) but it was great to be back, and this time playing some golf!

This past weekend Gary, Alex, myself and a mate went down for a golf break, where we had tried to organise a round on the Twenty Ten Ryder Cup course, but as to be expected, it was full, so we were booked in for a round on the Monty and the Roman Road courses……(A heavy fog would have made it impossible to play the Twenty Ten, so in a way it was a blessing).

The standard of golf was pretty poor, so the less said about it the better (a ‘slight’ over indulgence may have played some part in that). Nevertheless, there were numerous highlights, namely:

1. Gary attempting his ski impression down the 3rd on the Monty…….and ending up on his rear!
2. Me snapping my driver……whilst not even using it, and
3. Alex adamantly refusing to remove his coat and shoes for bed.

A memorable and enjoyable weekend, but unfortunately not too many good golf ones!!

Dave snapping his driver……whilst not even using it?

Another golfing summer has passed by and yet again glorious golf opportunities have not been made the most of. From the outside, people may assume that as a golf design company, we get countless rounds of free golf, play four times a week and all play off single figure handicaps…….that is not, and never will be the case.

My main excuse for not playing as much golf as I would like are weekends packed with cricket (that may be changing soon) however, I have been able to play a couple of glorious courses which I would strongly recommend.

The first one is the famous Portuguese course, Praia del Rey. A links course set on the cliff tops overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the course has two very distinctive nine hole loops. The inland front nine predominantly meanders through the mature pine forest, while the back nine makes the most of the fantastic ocean views with many holes framed by some mighty dunes. The wife and I went there for our summer vacation and thoroughly enjoyed the entire resort……..great weather, accommodation and golf. I was only able to get in one round at Praia but it was definitely worth it!

Praia del Rey

The second great course played this summer was this past weekend at The Addington, just outside Croydon in Surrey. Designed in 1912 by John Abercromby, the heathland course is a masterpiece of inland golf. Some say that the opening six holes are a ‘taster’ for what is to come, but nothing can prepare you for the fantastic rollercoaster ride that you are taken on from holes seven to seventeen. Woods, heather, topography, great green sites, ravines, bridges – The Addington really does have it all.

The Addington

However, even if I did make more of the potential golf opportunities, the highlight of golf in 2010 was always going to be, The Twenty Ten. As the course designers, the entire company is going down to Celtic Manor to watch the Ryder Cup…………….it’s going to great! Come on Europe!!!

It’s amazing what a few good weeks of weather can do. The previous visit was pretty much a damp squib, very similar to the conditions encountered during the whole of late May and early June, and construction progress was slow and very stop-start.

However, the middle of June has seemed like a defining date where glorious sunshine and unseasonably high temperatures have dried the site substantially and allowed for quick and quality progress to be made. So much so that the project is now ready to ‘sow its first seeds’!

The topsoil has been replaced on four holes and seedbed preparation is virtually complete on two of them. The irrigation system is up and running, sand is being spread in the bunkers and the heather has been planted around them. A few final tweaks to the seedbed prep and grassing will be ready to commence next week……. something we have all be striving towards.

Long may the good weather continue!

The short par 4, 10th Hole at the PGA National

Construction on the PGA National Golf Course at Zavidovo is only one month away from ‘shut-down’ for the Russian winter, but progress so far has been unbelievable. The weather so far has been kind, very kind, (only one day been lost to adverse weather), however to have rough shaped the entire course, built every water feature and installed all the solid drainage in a five, yes five month period, will be an outstanding achievement by all.

So, who are these ‘miracle’ workers?
The main Construction Contractor’s are a local firm called GeoKam. (This is actually their very first golf project.)
By trade, GeoKam actually specialise in marina and lake construction, so their technical expertise in these fields are proving extremely valuable, especially considering the numerous water features being created.
From a structural construction stand point, Russia, with its huge temperature variance, is proving a totally different challenge, but very educational nonetheless. Familiar construction techniques cannot be employed and the use of concrete is very minimal. However, what these technical construction methods are creating, is a golf course which will be synonymous, appropriate and in character with its Russian setting.

With GeoKam’s lack of GC construction experience, the client has brought in Braemar Golf to oversee the Construction Management of the project. Braemar Golf has put together an experienced team of project managers and shapers, and under their guidance and direction, the high quality of the work has been maintained even with the extremely restrictive construction window.

Work is progressing well, but in the words of the GeoKam Managing Director (via translation), ‘There is much more to do, we must be ‘hard’ with each other………and now is not the time for any celebration!’…………….Ok then!