18th at Saunton East.

Saunton’s East and West Courses, recognised as two of the most distinguished links in south west England, have been given the honour of hosting the blue riband men’s event on England Golf’s 2014 calendar in late July in two years time.

Indeed Saunton has been the venue for a plethora of top amateur championships since 1932. In 1997, for example, it hosted the British Boys Championship which was won by a young Sergio Garcia, just two years before he made his Ryder Cup debut. Further testament to the quality of Saunton’s East Course has come from England’s most successful post-war golfer, Nick Faldo, who once said, ”I’ve no doubt if the East Course were located on the coast of Lancashire or Kent it would have hosted an Open Championship by now.”

The other links courses that comprise the celebrated Atlantic Links offering – Somerset’s Burnham & Berrow and Trevose and St Enodoc in Cornwall – have all hosted top international amateur championships over the years whilst Royal North Devon is recognized as the oldest links course in England, overflowing with a wealth of history and tradition.

Ever since it staged its inaugural competition in 1906, The Ladies British Open, Burnham & Berrow has hosted over 40 national amateur championships – a staggering record that confirms the class of its championship course. Furthermore last year the club hosted The R&A Boys Championship and – for the fifth time – The Brabazon Trophy (English Amateur Stroke Play Championship) and in doing so, entered golfing history by becoming the first course to hold both championships in the same year.

It was the turn of Trevose Golf & Country Club in Cornwall to stage The Brabazon Trophy in 2008, four years after it hosted the English Senior Ladies Amateur Championship and this year it has been chosen as the venue for The McGregor Trophy (English U16 Open Strokeplay).

Meanwhile St Enodoc has also caught the attention of amateur golfing bodies. The championship Church Course hosted its first amateur competition in 1937 when it held the English Ladies’ Close Championship and most recently it was home to the 2005 English Counties Championship. In May 2014, St Enodoc will again be in the amateur golfing spotlight when it hosts the English Women’s Close Championships.

Whilst Royal North Devon may only have staged amateur competitions at county and regional levels, such as the West of England Strokeplay every other year, the uniqueness of the course complements the other Atlantic Links courses well. Founded in 1864, RND is the oldest golf links in England and is widely regarded as the St Andrews of England. Set on common land on which livestock still graze, to play RND is to experience the game as it was played in Victorian England. The great JH Taylor was born in the village of Northam, overlooking the course, and returned as president in 1957. The clubhouse boasts a treasure trove of golf memorabilia, second only to that owned by The R&A that includes Taylor’s portrait and many of the clubs he used in his Open Championship wins. As part of its 150th birthday celebrations, RND will stage the World Hickory Championships as well as the English County Finals in 2014.

Although The Open Championship has not visited one of the Atlantic Links courses, the number of high-profile amateur competitions that have been staged over these south west courses is testament to the very fine pedigree of these links and their combined offering.

Danang GC, hål 16.

They were the fiercest of rivals on the golf course, now three greats of the modern era of golf – Colin Montgomerie, Greg Norman and Sir Nick Faldo – have come together to promote golf tourism far from their fields of battle, in Vietnam.

With their tournament playing days virtually over, each of the trio has turned his attention to other business activities, including designing world-class golf courses. Between them, they have 108 courses in play, including one each in Asia’s newest and most exciting golf destination, Vietnam’s Central Coast based on the country’s third largest city, Danang.

Each course is a member of the new Golf Coast Vietnam destination-marketing group that is seeking to attract golf tourists from regional Asian markets and further afield, especially Australia, New Zealand and western Europe.

”Vietnam’s Central Coast is the new showplace for golf,” says Jon Tomlinson, co-ordinator of the Golf Coast Vietnam group, who is also general director of The Montgomerie Links, Colin Montgomerie’s eponymous local course that opened in 2009.

”Not only do we offer the best golfing experience in Asia, but this is the only place in the world where three of the leading golfers of the modern era have put their individual stamp on courses they personally designed.”

Montgomerie Links, one of 13 courses carrying the seven times European Order of Merit winner’s moniker, was named last year for the second year in succession as Vietnam’s best golf course. In the past three years its immaculate grooming, playability and presentation have won widespread acclaim.

Right next door is Danang Golf Club’s Dunes course, designed by Greg Norman, which opened in 2010. As one of 73 Norman-designed courses in play around the world, the links layout built between sand dunes ranks among his best, and was named last year as Vietnam’s best new course.

Within the next six months, a third course – Laguna Lang Co, designed by Sir Nick Faldo – will open north of Danang. The undulating course that winds through woodlands, wetlands and rice paddy to the beach is mid-way between Danang and Hue and will join 22 other courses designed by the six-times majors winner.

The golf pedigrees of the three designers could not be better. Montgomerie, with 41 professional wins, has been a world Top 10 player, a successful Ryder Cup captain and unparalleled ambassador for golf around the world. Norman, with 88 pro victories and two British Opens, was world number one for 331 weeks – second only to Tiger Woods. Faldo, with three Masters and three British Opens, is easily England’s finest player of the modern era, with 40 pro wins and 97 weeks as world number one – third behind The Shark.

Also coming on board for the launch of Golf Coast Vietnam is the Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa, an exquisite five-star beachfront property, which is close to both courses. It is Hyatt’s first resort in Vietnam and only the second Hyatt property in the country.

And South-East Asia’s leading dedicated inbound golf tourism operator Golfasian – through its Vietnam subsidiary company Golfasian Vietnam – has been appointed the exclusive tour operator for the new group.

Jon Tomlinson says it is unusual for golf designers of the likes of Montgomerie, Norman and Faldo to be as involved in the designs of their courses as they were in Vietnam’s Central Coast.

”It shows how much potential they saw to establish great golf courses here. It is a perfect environment for golf that amazes visitors. Add the attractions of the World Heritage cities of Hoi An and Hue, both within easy reach of Danang, the My Son cultural site , the Cham Islands, and China Beach and you have a golf tourism package that is second to none anywhere in Asia.”

Adding to the attraction of Danang is the imminent opening of a new international airport that is already attracting more direct flights into the city. Last December, Air Asia began flying direct to Danang friom Kuala Lumpur, joining Silk Air services from Singapore, and Asiana and Korean Air from Seoul. Air Asia is also expected to start flying direct from Bangkok in the near future, while there are numerous daily connections from Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi.

The general manager of Danang Golf Club, Ben Styles, says the Golf Coast Vietnam marketing group brings something new to the golf tourism industry.

”Nowhere else in the world are there such high profile designers within minutes’ drive of each and perfectly placed on a picturesque beach as China Beach and quaint yet thriving tourism towns as Danang, Hoi An and Hue.

”At Danang Golf Club, golfers are tested with a true links layout, rolling through sand dunes and ultimately within yards of the shoreline on our signature 16th hole that is backdropped by the lapping ocean and Cham Islands. It offers a stark contrast to the resort style of Montgomerie Links, leaving golfers well satisfied that they have experienced two championship courses.

”Combine these two courses with the soon-to-be-opened Faldo-designed Laguna Lang Co and Ba Na Hills by Luke Donald, Danang will surely be the finest golfing destination in the region, if not globally.”

Tim Haddon, director of golf at Laguna Phuket, who is overseeing the Lang Co development, says the new course will offer a links-style feel among an interesting mix of landscapes. ”It’s a reflection of Nick Faldo’s experiences around the world and combined with the other two courses in Golf Coast Vietnam will be an added bonus to golf in the region as well as the whole country.”

Golf Coast Vietnam is participating in the International Golf Tourism Association’s Asia Golf Tourism Convention at the Mines Resort and Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur from April 23-24, the world golf tourism body’s first event of its kind in Asia.

Over the past few years, the $2.5 million tournament has consistently attracted the cream of the US PGA Tour and this year is no exception with Choi Doha-bound nine months after winning the biggest title of his professional career and the one considered golf’s “fifth Major” The Players Championship.

“It’s a great honour for us to have KJ Choi confirmed for his first ever appearance in the tournament,” said Hassan Al Nuaimi, President of the Qatar Golf Association (QGA), organisers of the event in association with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and title sponsor The Commercialbank of Qatar.

“KJ’s eight win on the US PGA Tour – including, of course The Players Championship – means he is considered Asia’s most successful golfer, while he was also the first Asian player to break into the top ten in the world.

“Many US PGA Tour stars have played here in Qatar and we are delighted they are spreading the word on the quality of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters and the challenge of Doha Golf Club.”

Kyoung-Ju Choi won the biggest title of his career with a play-off victory over David Toms at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, while he also enjoyed seven top ten finishes in 2011, including runner-up at the AT&T National and a share of third place with World Number One Luke Donald at The Tour Championship,

As well as eight wins on the US PGA Tour, he also has four wins on the Asian Tour to his name, was the first Korean to earn a US PGA Tour card and created golfing history by becoming the first Korean to win on the US PGA Tour and The European Tour having won the German Masters in 2003.

The son of a rice farmer whose interest in golf grew after one of his high school teachers recommended he try the sport, Choi is also a former power lifter squat lifting 350 pounds as a thirteen year old. A father of two and now resident in Texas, Choi pledged $200,000 from his Players Championship winnings to victims of the deadly tornadoes that struck the American South in early 2011.

”I believe in sharing,” says Choi, who has established the KJ Choi Foundation to help the needy in his native South Korea. ”A lot of people make money but we all live in a society where we need to share. When I see people suffering, that hurts me a lot.”

Commercialbank Group CEO Andrew Stevens said the staging of the 2012 event would again underline Qatar’s position as a global player in international sporting events.

“Once again we will have a very powerful field competing at Doha Golf Club with many European Tour and US PGA Tour stars already confirmed,” he said. “I am certain General Manager Chris Myers and the club staff will have the golf course at its challenging best – Doha is generally considered the toughest leg of the Middle East swing and I am sure 2012 will be no different.”

Siam Country Club Plantation Course

Led by growth from Australia and Europe, the value of foreign golf tourism to Thailand may reach 60 billion baht or $US2 billion in 2012 for the first time.

Based on a Tourism Authority of Thailand forecast for a record 19 million inbound visitors to the kingdom next year, up to 600,000 foreign golf tourists – or three percent of the total – will make a beeline for its five major golf destinations: Bangkok, Phuket, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.

According to Mark Siegel, whose company Golfasian is one of Thailand’s major inbound golf tour operators, foreign golf tourism into Thailand is continuing to grow, while he says golfers spend an average of 100,000 baht ($US 3,300) each on the ground – three times the average of other tourists.

With Thailand’s major golf courses reporting strong early bookings and forecasting growth above 2011, the estimated 57 billion baht ($US 1.9 billion) spent in Thailand by more than 500,000 inbound golf visitors this year should nudge 60 billion baht spent by up to 600,000 foreign golfers in 2012.

”It could be our best season ever,” Mark Siegel says. ”The political situation is calm, there have been no natural disasters to deter tourism, and Thailand’s cultural capability to attract tourists remains streets ahead of other markets.”

The surge in golf tourism to Thailand will entrench the kingdom as by far Asia’s most popular destination for foreign golfers and one of the top three other golf destinations behind market leader Spain, which attracts almost a million golf tourists a year.

Even traditional golf destinations such as Scotland, Ireland and England – or the United States – can’t match Thailand’s year-round golf appeal, with prices about half the cost of most western markets. Thailand has 260 golf courses – 60 fewer than Spain, 200 fewer than Scotland and 100 less than Ireland.

Two new awards are adding to Thailand’s overall tourism aura. Bangkok has been voted the world’s best city by readers of Travel & Leisure magazine in the United States, while Thailand is the world’s fourth best country to visit and Phuket is the world’s 10th best island destination, according to UK magazine Condé Nast Traveller.

Although supplying only 10 to 15 percent of Thailand’s golf tourists compared with 65 percent from Europe, the strong Australian dollar and extra flights into Thailand are bringing more Australian golfers. Importantly for many tour operators and courses, Australia’s winter brings golfers from Down Under in Thailand’s low season between May and September, while Europeans overwhelmingly favour the November to March high season during their winter.

Rising long-haul demand and improving numbers from Japan and Korea also means members of Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience, a co-operative marketing group comprising Thailand’s top golf courses and hotels, are expecting a bumper high season from November to March and ongoing strong demand throughout 2012.

”There has been a dramatic improvement ,” says Prasertchai Phornprapha, managing director of Siam Country Club near Pattaya, a two-course complex that relies purely on pay-as-you-play visitors and is expecting to host 50,000 foreign golfers in 2012, half its total expected numbers. ”When there is peace in Thailand it is the destination of choice because of its culture and value for money,” he says.

Bangkok’s exclusive Thai Country Club, named by Asian Golf Monthly last year as Thailand’s best course and first runner-up in Asia, is also expecting a bumper season. General manager T.W. Hughes says his optimism follows one of the best high seasons ever in 2011. ”We believe this year will be at least equal to last year and perhaps even better, given those who experienced TCC are likely to want to repeat their experience. The course will be in the best condition in years and we continue to make upgrades in and around the rest of the club.”

Stacey Walton, the general manager of Banyan Golf Club at Hua Hin, 200 kilometres south of Bangkok, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand has done a good job in rebuilding Thailand’s image after protests in Bangkok during the past two years severely disrupted tourism for several months at a time. ”We should see results from that,” he says. ”November to February is looking especially strong and as the golf hub of Asia, Thailand will reap the benefits.”

Harald Ellison, general manager of nearby Black Mountain Golf Club, says forward bookings from Scandinavia, northern Europe and the United Kingdom are encouraging. The club, owned by Swedish interests, which hasn’t missed a day’s golf since it opened in 2007, will bring a new par-3 course into play by the end of the year to accompany its core 18-hole layout. The new island-dotted mini-course with water on every hole and heavy bunkering will be a test for golfers of all levels and is expected to be played by a large number of Black Mountain’s visitors.

Meanwhile, the Thai Government has high hopes for continued strong tourism growth over the next four years. Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism and Sports Minister, Chumpol Silpa-archa, announced a target of at least 30 million foreign inbound tourists by 2015, who he said were expected to generate national revenues of 1.4 trillion baht or $US466 billion at current exchange rates.

If achieved, the target would almost double inbound arrivals in just five years. And if inbound golf market’s share and expenditure remain at current levels, golf tourism will contribute 150 billion baht ($US4.5 billion) to the Thai economy four years from now.

José María Olazábal

Q: Why is the Ryder Cup so special to players?

It is a very special event and a unique event, a team event that only happens once every two years we don’t play team events in golf in general. The atmosphere and the commoradery in those two weeks is second to none.

Q: Would you describe that as “the Ryder Cup Sprit?
Yes, without a doubt, 12 players all together, all week long at the same time have to play as one, they play for their countries for their continents in this case. They have to understand each other and leave apart their differences and play as one and you let your guard down compared to individual tournaments, you are completely open to your partner for that day or match.
Q: Why do players take so much from the Ryder Cup?
That’s because there is huge pressure that week, if you look at the last few ryder cup, when you hear from Gmac on the pressure, it’s bigger than the big matches, you have to have a stronger mentality and be better.
Q: You were attending the ryder cup in Celtic Manor on one of the days as a Nespresso ambassador and ended the day as Vcaptain. How did this happen?
Well, the weather was bad, I was there for Nespresso, but because of the weather the match format played and they decided everyone had to play, I was asked if I was available and I was asked to fill the role of VC.
Q: You wouldn’t have believed that before that day would you?
No, I wouldn’t have believed that

Q: You have been V- Captain twice. What will you be taking from that to being captain?
Thre’s a a lot of things you learn. You learn that captains are always busy during the week, they don’t have a lot of time to see how players are playing so you have to rely heavily on VCs. VCs must be strong in that regard. Three maybe four captains will do, so we have one guy on each match, seeing the players play to get information and getting the pairings right.
Q: What went through your mind when you were announced as Captain?
Well it was a lot of joy and at the same time a lot of responsibility, there is a lot of things you have to do, meetings to attend and decisions to make before the Ryder Cup. You have to be careful on what you say, when you say it. With that regard there is a lot of responsibility not just on yourself. We are representing the European Tour and the European Continent, I’m really proud and I’ll do the best I can.
Q: Will you look to change any rules any directions going in to next year’s ryder Cup?
No, not really, I think the rules are ok, we do have the white envelop with the name of one player in case something happens, if someone gets injured but I truly believe in the players honesty and I don’t believe any players will be playing any tricks. I know Davis Love, his attitude towards the ryder cup is second to none. I remember for instance when he was playing with Darren Clark, he hit the ball in the left rough, there was a sprinkle head there. He could actually have had relief and had a much better lie for his second shot, but he said that he would not improve his lie in such a way that improved his lie, so that says a lot for Davis Love and I don’t think they will be playing any tricks like that.
Q: Ryder Cup, then and now?
Well I think it is much bigger event now, it is a worldwide event, I think it is the third largest sporting event in the world after the World Cup of football. It is huge, you have sponsors, TV media attention, it’s broadcast around the world. It means a lot to the players to be part of that event. It used to be a great match event between the US and Europe but now it’s a global event.
Q: Duties changed?
Not really, it is true that we tried to cut down all the things that used to be done, like the dinners, we have tried to reduce that down to the minimum. Once the tournament starts, the pictures are taken and the opening ceremony is done, the players just concentrate on their games and their matches. Once they play their matches, their day is over, they don’t have a lot of time as they have to prepare for the next day, they have to get a massage or physiotherapy depending on whether you are tired or have cramps; They don’t have much time to relax. They don’t have much duties other than playing golf.
Q: Unfortunately we lost your dear friend Seve Ballesteros earlier this year. Not just a golf hero but a ryder cup hero, but a very emotional player and so are you, we know that from the past. Is emotion something you will rely on next year?
I’m going to be myself, that’s the way I am, most of the time I talk from my heart. I will express what I feel and that’s what I’m going to do during that week. We will have some experienced players who know what the ryder cup is about. We might have some rookies in and we’ll try to make them feel comfortable within the team, make them relaxed and I’ll try to speak from the heart.
Q: Difference between being a captain on European soil and over in America?
Well obviously things are going to be tougher over there. We’re playing away, we’re playing in Chicago, the crowds are loud over there. The US team will have a huge support. They are going to try and win the trophy back, without a doubt. They have the chance to prepare the golf course to their liking, like we do when we play in europe. It’s going to be tough, the players have played in America enough to know how the crowds are. They know that they might get some silly comments from people who want to be too clever at the wrong time but I think they are mentally strong and they will be well prepared for that.
Q: Europeans playing in America. Not only will it be tough but how soon will you start to watch them?
We are still in the first stages, we have a lot of months ahead, a lot of tournaments to be played, big tournaments with the majors and the world tour events. It’s true it’s going for me to be difficult to follow the players in the States. But at the end of the day, the game will talk. If they play good golf they will make the team. I have to say it’s not easy to make the team, you really have to play good golf. It’s up to them to do so, we will have a better idea in July next year. We’ll have an idea of who’s in the team and who’s in the bubble trying to make it.
Q: Proud of europeans at the moment?
I am proud of what europeans are playing. To me where they sit at the moment though isn’t that important. I want them to be sharp in September next year. I ‘ve seen in the past that players who have been playing great, that when it comes to the ryder cup the energy levels are low, I need them to be really fresh and playing really well during that week.
Q: Youth v experience?
I think both are very important. The game of golf is played very aggresively. If you look at the golf courses we play; usually narrow fairways, severe rough, firm greens, pin positions that are really tight. But still the youngs guys aim for the flags and try to make birdies, that’s golf today. But I think to have a certain degree of experience is always welcome.

Olazábal was speaking to us ahead of the Nespresso Trophy Challenge at Archerfields Links on 26-28 September. For more information visit www.nespresso.com

Sullivan, 24, contributed to Great Britain and Ireland’s recent Walker Cup win, and earlier this year won the Scottish Open Amateur. His many prestigious amateur titles include this year’s Hampshire Salver, where he fired a 9-under 60 in the opening round.

Four of golf’s most decorated young stars have turned pro and signed agreements to play PING® equipment, PING Chairman & CEO John A. Solheim announced today.

Signing endorsement deals were Tom Lewis, who was low amateur in the 2011 Open Championship; Harris English, winner of a Nationwide Tour event this summer; Scott Langley, the 2010 NCAA champion; and Andy Sullivan, the fifth-ranked amateur in the world.

“These players have chosen to play PING equipment for years, so it’s been both exciting and rewarding to watch them develop through our college and amateur systems and become stars,” Solheim said. “Their accomplishments are amazing and they’ve already shown they can compete with the best players in the world. From a larger view, as a company we’re proud to be associated with such fine men who will represent the PING brand in the best possible way. It’s going to be fun following their progress in the years ahead.”

As part of the multi-year agreements, each golfer will wear a PING hat, carry a PING staff bag and play a minimum of 11 PING clubs, including a PING driver and PING putter. Financial terms and the length of the agreements were not disclosed.

Lewis, 20, won the silver medal as low amateur at this year’s Open Championship, where he opened with a record 5-under 65 to share the first-round lead. He also played for the victorious Great Britain and Ireland team in the recent Walker Cup using a G20™ driver and 3-wood, S56® irons, Tour-S® wedges, and a Scottsdale® Wolverine® H putter.

English became only the third amateur to win on the Nationwide Tour with a victory at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational in July, one day after his 22nd birthday. The previous week, he won the Southern Amateur. He had four wins as a University of Georgia Bulldog. English, who competed on the U.S. Walker Cup team, plays a G15® driver, G20 3-wood, S56 irons, Tour-S Rustique wedges, and a Scottsdale Hohum® putter. He will also wear PING Apparel.

Langley, 22, is a decorated University of Illinois grad who won the NCAA individual title last year, when he was also low amateur at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He had four collegiate wins. Langley employs a G20 driver, i15® 3-wood, i15 hybrid, S56 irons, Tour-S wedges, and a Redwood® D66® putter.

The new managed scrubland will match the area already separating the 6th and 7th fairways at Estonian Golf & CC

Golfers taking on the challenge of the acclaimed Sea Course at Estonian Golf & Country Club will soon have their skills further tested following enhancements to the penultimate hole at the Tallinn venue.

The 182-yard par-3 17th hole is nearing completion following an upgrade, which has seen the removal of a large water hazard in front of the green. The obstacle has been replaced with an area of managed scrubland, enhancing the visuals of the hole and matching similar areas running along the adjacent sixth and seventh holes.

The new scrubland will be predominantly sand-based, incorporating boulders and shrubs native to the landscape, with a striking water feature snaking its way through the middle.

Hanno Kross, Estonian Golf & Country Club CEO, said: “The hole is already open for play and looks stunning even though it is not completed yet. The area has been laid and the water feature is finished, and by the start of next season all the shrubs will be planted and the boulders in place.

“Here at Estonian Golf & Country Club we pride ourselves on offering visitors a first-class golfing experience and we are confident the new layout of the 17th hole will throw up its own new set of challenges as well as being even more visually appealing.”

The scrubland – as with the areas between the 482-yard par-5 6th and 408-yard par-4 7th holes – is not classed as a hazard and therefore players will be able to play their ball from the sand and even ground their club.

Estonian Golf & Country Club – just 20 minutes from the beautiful capital city of Tallinn, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – has been ranked as one of Europe’s top 100 golf courses and is part of the European Tour Courses network.

The challenging championship Sea Course – which staged the Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier earlier this year – winds its way through forest and opens up alongside the Gulf of Finland and Jägala River, offering serenity and stunning views across the coastline.

As well as the Sea Course the venue also boasts a 9-hole links-style course – the Stone Course – that incorporates a number of protected ancient heritage sites and walls dating back thousands of years.

Rick Jacobson

Shortly after Rick Jacobson founded his golf course architecture firm here in 1991, he designed the World Golf Club in Osaka, Japan. That project would foreshadow the evolution of the thriving international practice that exists today at Jacobson Golf Course Design.

Today, as Jacobson marks 20 years as one of the industry’s most highly regarded practitioners, he frequently finds himself back in Asia as one of that continent’s more prolific American golf course architects.

”Twenty years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine that Asia would be such a large part of our business,” Jacobson said. ”Now, with the emergence of the Chinese middle class, we’re seeing an explosion of golf course construction reminiscent of what took place in the United States during the first quarter of the 20th Century. It’s very exciting to play an active role in the history of the game in the world’s most populous country. The early experience we had in Asia helped our company take advantage of this incredible opportunity.”

Jacobson currently has numerous projects in various stages of development in China – from conceptual design through construction and turf grass grow-in. Golf Inc. Magazine recently named the Moon Course at Jacobson’s Lion Lake Country Club in Guangzhou (a/k/a Canton, pop. 9.4M) a top-three international golf course development for 2010. Construction of a second 18-hole course, known as the Moonlight Course, currently is under way at Lion Lake. In addition, Jacobson has new resort and residential golf course projects under development in cities such as Beijing (pop. 11M), Chengdu (pop. 4.2M), Chaozhou (pop. 2.5M), Guiyang (pop. 4M), Hangzhou (pop. 3.2M), and Yulin (pop. 3.4M).

Additional international course work in the Jacobson portfolio includes the Jewel of the Sea resort in Brancaleone, Italy in that country’s southernmost province of Calabria. In addition, he is in the process of renovating the 27-hole Ibaraki Kokusai Country Club in Osaka, Japan.

Jacobson also continues to work on U.S. projects, including Bowes Creek Country Club in Elgin, Illinois, which finished among Golf Inc. magazine’s top six developments worldwide for 2010. ”The best public golf to appear in the region in years, Bowes Creek is that rare course built for players of all abilities,” wrote Crain’s Chicago Business in reviewing the course. For Bowes Creek, Jacobson also earned a Merit Award for environmental responsibility from the American Society of Landscape Architects (Illinois). Whether he is working on an international or a domestic project, Jacobson proceeds with an environmentally sensitive approach that results in sustainable designs that fit seamlessly within the context of the natural surrounds.

Jacobson’s designs have been universally praised for their aesthetic quality, their ability to challenge elite players yet remain fun for players of varying skill levels, and for leaving ownership with economically viable products that golfers enjoy and want to play on a repeat basis.

Jacobson is appreciative to those who gave him the opportunity to live his dream to design golf courses, where people can truly enjoy a sport he loves.

”I’m very thankful to the owners and developers who provided us with the opportunities to design golf courses,” Jacobson said. ”I am also appreciative of our staff and industry colleagues who worked as a collaborative team to implement the projects. The golf industry is full of great people. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of them along the way and have established numerous lifelong friendships.”

Some of Jacobson’s award winning courses include:

Augustine Golf Club in the Washington, D.C. area (”an instant classic,” according to Golf Magazine, which placed it among its Top 100 Courses You Can Play);
Bear Trap Dunes resort in Delaware, a 27-hole facility (2002 Development of the Year, per Golf Inc. magazine);
Bull Run Golf Club in Manassas, Virginia (”Best Public Course in the D.C. Area,” per the Washington Times);
Makefield Highlands Golf Club in suburban Philadelphia (”A stroke of genius” – Bucks County Courier Times);
Morningstar GC in suburban Milwaukee (”Best New Course in Wisconsin” – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel);
Patriot Hills Golf Course outside New York City (”Top 20 Best Public Course in New York State” – Golf Magazine);
Spirit Hollow in Burlington, Iowa (”Best New Public Golf Course, 2001″ – Honorable Mention by Golf Magazine, host of 100th Iowa State Amateur);
The Club at Strawberry Creek in Kenosha, Wisconsin (”Top 10 Golf Course in the state of Wisconsin” – Wisconsin State Journal);
Bayside with Jack Nicklaus (”America’s Best Courses You Can Play, No. 1 Course in Delaware” – Golfweek 2007-2010).

In addition to original designs, Jacobson has been a prolific and highly respected renovator of golf courses, including such classics as North Shore CC in Glenview, Ill. – 2011 site of the historic Western Amateur championship – Bob O’ Link GC in Highland Park, Ill.; Oak Park CC in River Grove, Ill.; Des Moines G&CC, in West Des Moines, Ia., in preparation for the 1999 U.S. Senior Open; Cantigny Golf in Wheaton, Ill., in preparation for the U.S. Public Links; and Sunset Ridge CC in Northfield, Ill., Golf Inc. Magazine Renovation of the Year for 2006.

Prior to starting his own firm, Jacobson worked with Florida-based Jack Nicklaus Golf Services for several years. He was involved in some of the Golden Bear’s well-known courses, including PGA West-Private & Resort in LaQuinta, California; The Club at Nevillewood outside Pittsburgh; Wynstone near Chicago; English Turn in New Orleans, former home of the PGA TOUR’s annual New Orleans event, and Desert Mountain-Renegade Course in Scottsdale, Arizona, and others.

Lagula and de Blacam & Meagher showhomes which are now officially open and ready for inspection.

PGA Catalunya Resort announces two new additions to its acclaimed 36-hole golf resort; the spectacular Lagula and de Blacam & Meagher showhomes which are now officially open and ready for inspection.

These homes, located in the La Vinya and La Selva neighbourhoods of the resort, offer the perfect tee-side retreats for avid golfers and their families eager to live in a home on one of Spain’s most respected golf resorts. Designers have been careful to ensure that the properties are sensitively constructed and set back from the fairways. Named after the architects that designed them, they are spectacular examples of the cutting edge real estate that is to come at PGA Catalunya Resort.

Investment Director Richard Strappe explains that in addition to the consummate golfing facilities available at the venue, “the launch of these homes provides the opportunity to showcase life at PGA Catalunya Resort and to demonstrate the calibre of the real estate and the community that we are creating.”

The de Blacam & Meagher property offers a secluded pool, specially designed outside kitchen, integrated external speakers and an authentic al fresco barbeque oven. Meanwhile, the Lagula villa lies immersed in its green surroundings with an expansive glass facade overlooking glimpses of perfectly manicured fairway and the home’s large private decking and pool area.

PGA Catalunya Resort is a luxury complex spread over 300 hectares of countryside and around two world-class golf courses including The Stadium Course which is currently ranked 2nd in Spain. PGA Catalunya Resort comprises elite leisure facilities and a select number of villa plots, stylish modern townhouses and apartments for sale. A consciously low-density development, each property is set within an average of 1.4 hectares enjoying views over sprawling fairways, mature forests and beyond to the Pyrenees mountains.

Prices:
Lagula Show Villa: €2.2m
de Blacam & Meagher Show Villa: €1.4 m
Golf-front plots start at €380,000
Turnkey villa opportunities starting at €950,000
Golf Retreat Apartments, available from €325,000
Dynamic townhouses available from €625,000

Nespresso’s golf ambassador

For more than two decades, Nespresso,has taken part in the European Masters Tour as the Official Coffee Supplier and is delighted to participate again in the 2011 edition. The Omega European Masters is one of the most prestigious Tour events on European soil, and takes place at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club from the 1st – 4th of September 2011 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
Nespresso is delighted to announce its continuing partnership for the third consecutive year with golfing legend and Ryder Cup captain José Maria Olazábal who will celebrate the official start of the Ryder Cup point rankings for the race to Chicago 2012 at the Omega European Masters and will act as Nespresso’s golf ambassador throughout golf events around the world.
José María Olazábal is considered as one of the best professional golfers in history. As a two-time Masters Champion and Golf Hall of Fame member, Olazábal embodies the true values and authenticity of the game of golf. His passion and winning spirit makes him a natural golf ambassador and a perfect fit for Nespresso to collaborate with the brand’s golf activities.
Together with José María Olazábal, Nespresso will bring unique golfing and coffee experiences through a series of events hosted by Olazábal and Nespresso. On Saturday the 3rd of September media and Nespresso Club Members will be granted an exclusive meet & greet event with the current Ryder Cup captain in the Nespresso’s chalet at the Omega European Masters.
For four days, from the 1st – 4th September, as Official Coffee Supplier for the 2011 Omega European Masters, Nespresso will tee up an estimated 15’000 Grand Cru coffees, offering moments of genuine relaxation and pleasure – the Ultimate Coffee Experience – to players and guests at Nespresso bars placed around the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Crans, where golf meets Nespresso.
Nespresso and the Omega European Masters are proud to have long partnership history for over two decades. In addition Nespresso partnered with the 2010 Ryder Cup as a Preferred Supplier and a number of other flagship events on the European Tour. Recently Nespresso launched a new golf activity to its portfolio – the Nespreso Trophy, which invites Nespresso Club members and guests to experience the Nespresso moments in golf.