Second course at La Tempête in Canada on track for 2023 completion

A new golf course by Huxham Golf Design for La Tempête Golf Club in Quebec City, Canada, will open for play in 2023.

The 7,300-yard South course will be the club’s second 18-hole layout to be designed by brothers Darrell and Warren Huxham, who laid out the original course (to be renamed the North) in 2004. Nine holes of the South opened for play in August 2021, with the remainder to be completed in 2023.

“We designed the first course 17 years ago and it has been very successful,” said architect Warren Huxham. “The club felt that they needed to expand to 36 holes to meet the growing demand. They acquired neighbouring land and in 2019 when many courses were struggling to stay afloat, we began construction of the South course with one eye on potentially hosting the Canadian Open in future.”

The design team was tasked with creating a 7,000+ yard golf course on 200 acres of wooded land.

“It was made very clear that the design concept for the first course – a spectacular and challenging layout that is enjoyable and player-friendly for the members – was a great success and we should continue with this concept for the second course,” said Huxham. “Both layouts are generally open off the tee, with plenty of room to play safe. The greens are large with soft undulations and many pin positions.”

When complete, the South will play between 4,800 and 7,300 yards and take golfers through three distinct areas; six holes of stadium golf (most of the closing holes), six that are open, with water and bunkers as the main hazards, and six that meander through woodland. Water comes into play on thirteen holes in the form of a stream and the site’s six ponds.

“The finishing holes of each nine are definitely the main attraction, with the par-four ninth and par-five eighteenth wrapping around either side of a large pond, with stadium mounding on the outside of each hole to accommodate tens of thousands of spectators during tournament play,” said Huxham. “This cauldron is enormous, with spectacular views from the tees, as well as being secluded and awe-inspiring at fairway level. The eighteenth is a reachable par five with players having to hit over water on their tee shots and again if going for the green in two.”

Another hole highlighted by Huxham is the island-green par-three twelfth, inspired by Pete Dye’s seventeenth at TPC Sawgrass.

“Most greens at La Tempête are large and are accentuated by some interesting undulations that will keep golfers focused on their approach shots,” said Huxham. “For example, the ninth’s is 13,000-square-foot with a five-foot roll that accents the right side. This green can play a five-club difference from front to back.

“The golf experience for shorter hitters and women is also an integral part of our design. We have paid special attention to minimising forced carries and many spectacular forward tees have been built to provide views and challenges that are often only seen from back tees.”

Huxham Golf Design has worked with multiple partners on the project, including Andre Raymond,a founding member and the club’s general manager, and superintendent Yanick Levesque. “In an industry that has seen very few new courses being built recently, it has been a pleasure to be involved in a project of this calibre,” said Huxham. “Andre has been the driving force with his determination, confidence and appreciation for high-calibre golf facilities.”

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