By Design - Summer 2019

12 | By Design By Design ASGCA members have been responsible for pioneering golf projects throughout the world. Richard Humphreys finds out more about the challenges and rewards of designing courses in emerging markets for golf. GROWING THE GAME F rom its foundation to the present day, ASGCA members have consistently been at the forefront of pioneering projects throughout the world, introducing golf to new audiences and at the same time helping spur economic development in all four corners of the globe. ASGCA Fellow Jack Nicklaus says that one of his greatest motivations for golf course design is to create opportunities in emerging markets to introduce and grow the game. “It is, for me, the challenge of going into countries and markets and shaping the game of golf—and through golf, impacting tourism, economies, and lives around the globe.” Speaking in Secrets of Golf Course Architects , published by the ASGCA in 2008, Nicklaus gives the example of his firm’s work in the Dominican Republic. Punta Espada Golf Club opened in 2007 and helped the developer at Cap Cana to achieve record-setting property sales and employment in the area. “The project created more than 4,000 jobs, most of them for Dominicans from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo,” says Nicklaus. Here we look at four other examples from recent years. Lake Victoria Golf Resort Eighteen holes at Lake Victoria Golf Resort just outside Kampala, Uganda, opened for play in 2018, following a 10-year project by Golfplan. The golf course was to complement the Serena Lake Victoria Resort on the shores of Lake Victoria. “This was to be the second 18-hole course in the region, as far as I know,” says Kevin Ramsey, ASGCA, of Golfplan. “The Uganda Golf Club in Kampala dates back over 100 years and is a by-product of British colonization. Lake Victoria golf course is the only one in the country built to modern USGA recommendations. “Similar to many developing countries that we work in, it is difficult to find proper equipment and, on top of that, nobody knows what a golf course is, let alone what it should look like. “The owners were golfers and have travelled throughout the world and have some perspective on what golf is like in the USA, Singapore and Dubai. “The construction team was a different scenario altogether. It was imperative to not only provide highly- detailed plans and drawings for the engineers to follow in the general earthworks, but also to provide a team of highly skilled expats to direct and implement the detailed work. This involved a group of shapers, supervisors and an irrigation manager.” The project involved two phases of nine holes each. The pioneers Golf’s Photos: Golfplan