Tiger unveils new designs
World number one golfer Tiger Woods may still be unable to play competitively as he recovers from his recent knee operation, but his fledgling course design business is moving forward. With the company's first course in Dubai already under construction, Tiger Woods Design has recently announced two new projects.
The Cliffs at High Carolina, located near Asheville in North Carolina will be the firm's first US design. The course's launch, held on site recently, saw Woods comment on the topography of the property. "The Cliffs at High Carolina is designed to be a walkable mountain course that takes advantage of the amazing views and varied landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains," he said. "The course will play looking out over stunning 50 mile views, in the midst of a mountain meadow, and alongside lakes and streams, while maintaining the mature forest as a signature element.
"The golf course will have the feel of an old parkland course with classic bunkers and green complexes accessible to running shots," Woods added. From its back tees, High Carolina will measure almost 7,500 yards but each hole will feature six tee boxes. Special care was taken by Woods and his design team to ensure that all 18 holes receive southern exposure of sunlight, resulting in yearround playability despite the 4,000 foot altitude. The course is currently in permitting and is expected to begin construction in 2009 with a opening planned for autumn 2010.
Meanwhile in Mexico, TW Design is drawing up plans for a coastal course at Punta Brava, about 65 miles south of San Diego. Early routing plans show a substantial number of holes along the water's edge, with the par three seventeenth, the tee of which is located on a rocky spur surrounded almost entirely by water, being perhaps the most spectacular. Punta Brava is slated for a 2011 opening.
This article first appeared in issue 15 of Golf Course Architecture, published in January 2009.