Agustin Pizá revisits ‘pit’ concept for private community layout in Mexico

Golf course architect Agustin Pizá has unveiled conceptual designs for The Pit 2, a multi-purpose golf facility planned for the private community of Mazaua, in Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

The complex will be available to residents of the 40 properties in the community, and their friends and families.

At the centre of Pizá’s design is a sprawling green with seven distinct areas for hole locations, surrounded by various types of bunker, including waste areas and pots. The concept is for players to drop their ball wherever they like and aim for any of the pins.

This project follows the success of Pizá’s original Golf Lounge project, also known as The Pit, which he completed for a private client in 2020. Speaking to GCA about the idea, Pizá said: “I just try not to do anything normal!”

“The Pit and Pit 2 are designed for good players, as well as non-golfers,” Pizá told GCA. “You can find all sorts of shots. You can practice long putts, different approaches, bump-and-runs, trickle-down shots, bunker shots of varying difficulty, pitches below your feet… you have all this opportunity to really practice and challenge yourself.”

Pizá says the layout can undergo an 'Austin Powers’ transformation, “where you bring out the disco ball, the fire pit and the surround sound system,” which he points out is the same as Jay-Z has. “There’ll be two subwoofers going into the ground, so it’s going to be jumping… a full-on theatre.”

“During the day, you’ll have the kids out there,” continued Pizá. “There’s rolling hills, big sandboxes so the kids can play and enjoy a proper golf course. It’s part of growing the game. I don’t want them having an eight-hour class at The Pit, I want them rolling around in the grass, making sandcastles in the bunkers, that’s how I want to grow the game. Then we flip the switch, and now, if you’re with your family, you’re roasting marshmallows over the pit, there’s music and warm lights.

“We’ve designed this as a work of art. We’re designing a grass sculpture that plays as a golf course, or vice versa.”

Both Pit projects were designed with playability, functionality and sustainability in mind. “We are incredibly proud of our commitment to sustainability,” said Pizá. “It is something we strive for on all projects.

Pizá already has Pit 3 and Pit 4 on the drawing board. “I have to admit embarking on these multi-purpose projects was a risk,” he said. “They are never-before-seen concepts and designs. We all were nervous. As a kid growing up in the eighties, I am thrilled they are not a ‘one-hit-wonder’.”

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