Interviews

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Sean Dudley
/ Categories: News

Beau Welling and Tom McBroom complete course at The 27 Club

  • Lovely Golf Course

    27 major championship winners were consulted as part of the course’s development

  • Lovely Golf Course

    The course will host the Pacific Links China Championship from 18-20 September 2015

  • Lovely Golf Course

    The 27 Club opened for play on 1 July

A new 27-hole golf course has opened for play in Tianjin, China.

The 27 Club is a collaboration between designers Beau Welling and Tom McBroom, and the club will become the latest addition to the Pacific Links International portfolio.

While Welling and McBroom led the work, Pacific Links International’s owner Du Sha took a novel approach to creating the course by incorporating the expertise of 27 major championship winners.

Welling and McBroom contacted 27 professionals and worked with each on a specific hole, sending plans and discussing ideas over the phone, before making conceptual changes based on their feedback.

The two architects then worked to unify the 27 holes into a consistent golfing experience, which opened for play on 1 July.

“The quality of what we were able to do here is off the charts, and to see members enjoying the course is fantastic,” said Welling. “I feel very fortunate that we were able to create something so special with Du Sha in China and accomplish his goal of a world-class tournament venue involving so many great champions.”

Formerly the 36-hole Yangliuqing Golf Club, the site underwent a complete reworking to create the new layout. A million cubic metres of earth were moved on the site, helping to create sweeping elevation changes.

The 27 Club is now preparing to host its first professional tournament. The Pacific Links China Championship will take place at the club from 18-20 September 2015.

“Working with the 27 major champions was a terrific experience and along with Beau I think we have created an exceptional golf course and certainly one of the best in China,” said McBroom. “Each of the 27 holes is unique, using elevation, topography, large lakes and boulder strewn creeks to strategic and aesthetic advantage. The motif for the bunkering is utterly unique and dramatic.”

The 27 major winners involved in the project include: Angel Cabrera, Annika Sorenstam, Ben Curtis, Mark Calcavecchia, Mark O’Meara, Nick Faldo, Nick Price, Paul Azinger, Bernhard Langer, Curtis Strange, David Duval, Fred Couples, Scott Simpson, Johnny Miller, Steve Jones, Tom Lehman, Todd Hamilton, Ian Baker-Finch, Jeff Sluman, John Daly, Larry Mize, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Y.E. Yang, Vijay Singh, Tom Weiskopf, and Tom Watson.

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Sean Dudley

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