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

Richard Humphreys
/ Categories: News

Construction under way on second nine at Las Piedras in Uruguay

Construction is now in progress on a second nine holes for the Arnold Palmer Design Company layout at Fasano Las Piedras in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The new holes, being built by ProGolf, will connect the new Fasano Las Piedras Hotel to the existing nine, which opened in 2012.

Thad Layton, lead architect for the project, says that the site has an ideal amount of embedded slope; requiring minimal earthwork to create well drained, playable surfaces while allowing for ground-game options.

Construction began on 20 September, with an anticipated finish of late March.

“We were originally scheduled to start in July but that understandably got pushed back due to travel restrictions around the pandemic,” said Layton. “Uruguay, in particular, has been quite rigorous in keeping its borders sealed so it’s been a logistical challenge to get all of ProGolf’s personnel and equipment in place for the project. For instance, we have to show negative Covid-19 results upon entering the country and then take another test after completing a seven-day quarantine.”

“We completed the first nine holes at Las Piedras eight years ago within the framework of an 18-hole route that took the golf course out to the very edge of the 1,200-acre property,” said Layton. “Since then, the client shifted their vision for the course, asking us to start and finish in close proximity to their newly completed Fasano Hotel.

“After nearly two years of planning and countless routings, we arrived at five new holes to bridge the hotel to the existing course and added four more holes to the west for an out and back layout. The challenge will be to match up the new nine with the look and feel of the existing holes.”

This article first appeared in the October 2020 issue of Golf Course Architecture. For a printed subscription or free digital edition, please visit our subscriptions page.

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Slideshow HTML
  • Piedras
    Thad Layton

    Construction work on Fasano Las Piedras’ new nine is now in progress

  • Piedras
    Thad Layton

    The new holes have been routed so the course starts and finishes at the new Fasano Las Piedras Hotel

  • Piedras
    Thad Layton

    The first nine holes at Fasano Las Piedras opened in 2012

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Thad Layton
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