25 expected that the golf course will attract a more diverse clientele. An amusement park has been built for kids, and a new indoor swimming pool is to be added. How have you transformed the site? The site was a nondescript broad hill with no interesting features other than a handful of nice trees and scrubland. All the good trees were saved and incorporated into the course design. Approximately 500 good-sized indigenous trees have been purchased from nurseries in Thailand, with all the trees selected and placed in the field by Nicklaus Design. The property was also pockmarked with pits where the hotel garbage was being disposed. Prior to construction, environmentally the site was a disaster, but the pits were cleaned up and the waste removed in an ecologically sensitive manner. Earthworks began in late November 2024 and around 120,000 cubic metres of dirt was moved in a careful and balanced cut and fill exercise. We also created three deep lakes to generate dirt and to store water. Can you provide an insight into the design of the course? The shaping is bold with 11 metres of vertical elevation change between the lowest point on site and the highest. The course routing starts and finishes near the existing clubhouse and hotel. The longest hole will be from the back tee on hole nine at 272 yards while the shortest is 70 yards from the forward tee on hole eight. We have created an exciting set of greens with a generous number of pinnable areas and subtle contouring. The putting surfaces are large, with an average size of 690 square metres, and are surrounded by bunkers or low areas. Operationally, each green will have two pins with different coloured flags to create an 18-hole round. This is helped by the variety of tee yardages and angles on every hole, allowing for two distinctly different nines when playing twice. The tees are enormous free flowing organic shapes that provide multiple shot angles, with most holes having a five-club swing between forward and back tees. The average tee area is 1,200 square metres, but they are easily mown with ride-on equipment and flow seamlessly into the fairways. All holes are distinctly unique, but the eighth has an island green and will no doubt be a favourite. Also, the sixth has a bunker in the middle of the green, and eight metres of elevation change from tee to green, with that combination sure to make that a player favourite, too. And to top it off, lights have been installed at holes seven, eight and nine to provide a three-hole night golf loop. The range is also lit for nighttime usage. Speaking of the range, we have created five target greens with multiple framing bunkers. Complementing this is a practice green, chipping green and a short-game area. Image: Nicklaus Design Nicklaus Design’s plan for the 16-hectare site has included the creation of three lakes, with one home to the eighth hole’s island green TEE BOX
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