Golf Course Architecture - Issue 60, April 2020

35 Gary Player Design has redesigned the golf course at Kigali Golf Club in Rwanda and extended it to 18 holes. The course was previously nine holes played primarily by local golfers. Gregori International began construction of the course in October 2019. Gregori International had a team of 150 workers on site for the project. The firm executed 380,000 cubic metres of earthworks in three months, built storm drainage canals, set up irrigation systems and oversaw the grow-in period. “Fairways have been grassed with Kikuyu Zouina, with Agrostis Ignite for greens and should be playable by the end of this year,” said Phil Jacobs, senior designer at Gary Player Design, who was on site and responsible for the redesign of the new 18 holes. “It is worth noting that this is a fast track project, thus we are working within a very tight schedule,” said Xavier Gregori, CEO of Gregori International. “The technical challenges have been numerous, including extremely significant amounts of rain, which disrupted the progression of the construction works. We’ve also had to resolve difficulties regarding the logistics of reaching Kigali: our containers arrived at site via the ports in Tanzania.” Rwandan golf course increased to 18 holes Both the European Institute of Golf Course Architects and American Society of Golf Course Architects have reacted to the recent Distance Insights Report released by the R&A and the United States Golf Association. The report concluded that golf would thrive best if the cycle of ever-increasing hitting distances and course lengths is brought to an end. An EIGCA release stated that “the negative impacts seen in the game today – such as slow play, increased maintenance costs and high resource use – are all in part a result of this cycle and so we agree that it needs to be reviewed.” Jan Bel Jan, president of the ASGCA, said: “This cycle may have a negative impact in a number of areas, including economic sustainability of facilities, their environmental footprint, course strategy and the fun that comes by playing from correct tees.” Architect societies react to distance research Download the full Distance Insights Report at https://www.randa.org/ TheRandA/Distance-Insights TEE BOX Photo: Gregori International