TEE BOX 11 the north, and we were keen to line the eighteenth hole up on that if it was at all possible. As we worked on the routing it became clear that it was going to be possible and so we have this extra dimension added to the final hole. “All the holes are ‘Qiddiya City holes’ because we spent a long time during the design process absorbing the unique qualities of the site and thinking about how we could respond to them with the design of the course. The detailing of the artificial turf revetting in the bunkers, for example, picks up on the layering of the rock strata seen on the cliffs. The shaping of the large angular mounds you see scattered around the site, which all orientate in the same direction, takes its lead from the shape of sections of the clifftop profile. “The eighteenth leaves you in no doubt about the magnificence of the setting and, coupled with that, has one of the major wadis coming into play on the tee shot,” continued Haggar. “Hole three, which is a long par three, really takes the golfer into that natural corner of the site and gives them a real sense of just how big and imposing the cliffs are. The hole is a strong carry over a significant wadi to a green that sits as close as possible to the edge of that wadi. It’s a very simple hole; it was almost just a matter of laying the tees and the green in there. Nature has taken care of the rest. It’s beautiful to look at but scary to play, all at the same time.” The architect also highlights the 419-yard par-four seventeenth as a risk-reward hole with its split fairway. The direct route to the green involves a carry over a natural waste area to a narrow fairway. The hole can also be played as a right-to-left dogleg around a collection of ‘fairly nasty’ central bunkers. This easier, but longer, route will mean approach shots will need to avoid a deep bunker that covers the right side of the green and wraps around the back. “This bunker could come into play for everyone, as a tricky back-right pin position on a green, which is perched up, comes under its protection as well,” said Haggar. The Faldo Design team was tasked with creating a course that is playable for the average player but also capable of hosting professional tournaments. “Fairways and greens are generous to cater for the average player and there is a good range of tees to play from,” said Haggar. “For the pros, it will be about finding the best place on the fairway to play to for their next shot, and that’s where the detail in the shaping of the fairways comes in. Similarly, the size of the greens allows for some nice movement and sets up a variety of pin positions, meaning there are easier ones for the average player and harder ones that can be used for tournaments. We want to see the course running hard and fast for tournaments whereas the set up for general play doesn’t have to be as tough. There’s a good amount of room around the course for spectators and everything else that goes with staging a tournament, and we’ve already designed in some key areas for spectator stands and hospitality.” A visualisation of the clubhouse at Qiddiya, designed by New Zealand-based firm Pattersons. Its roof forms a ‘grass meadow in the sky’ and could accommodate 10,000 spectators during a tournament, providing 360-degree views of the course Image: Qiddiya Investment Company
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