In 2009 seven courses designed by European Golf Design, the joint venture design company of The European Tour and IMG, will host tournaments on the European Tour and Ladies European Tour.
PGA Golf de Catalunya situated in Gerona, just outside Barcelona, hosts the Open de Espana on the European Tour at the end of April. The tournament was held there previously in 2000.
At the beginning of June, The Twenty Ten course at Celtic Manor plays host to the Celtic Manor Wales Open for the second year running on the European Tour. Built to stage the 2010 Ryder Cup, the course opened in late 2007. 9 new holes have been designed and 9 renovated from the original Wentwood Hills course to produce the first ever purpose built Ryder Cup venue.
The following week the European Challenge Tour visit the Champions Club at Moyvalley Hotel & Golf Resort on the outskirts of Dublin. Darren Clarke worked alongside European Golf Design on the course which opened in 2006.
At the end of June it’s the turn of the Ladies European Tour to play a European Golf Design course. Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links, designed in association with Bernhard Langer, will host The AIB Ladies Irish Open for the second year running.
In August Linna Golf Club in Finland, 100km north of Helsinki, makes its debut as a tournament venue, prior to hosting the 2010 European Amateur Championships. The European Challenge Tour players will compete for the SK Golf Challenge.
In September the European Seniors Tour returns to Casa Serena for the Foxconn CZ Open. Casa Serena opened for play in 2008, located an hour to the east of Prague, Foxconn built the course for the exclusive use of their clients and executives.
The seventh course to host a tournament is San Domenico, in Puglia, Italy. For the fourth successive year The European Challenge Tour return for their end of season Challenge Tour Finale in October.
European Golf Design is very proud of the fact that several of their courses have received the honour of being named ‘Best New Course in Europe’ by Golf World magazine.
The Faldo Course at Sporting Club Berlin, in association with Nick Faldo, was named as Best New Course in 1997 and PGA Golf de Catalunya near Barcelona received the same distinction for 1999. The Marquess Course at Woburn Golf & Country Club was named ‘Best New Inland Course in UK’ and The Montgomerie Course at Carton House, in association with Colin Montgomerie, near Dublin, was named ‘Best New Course for 2004’. In addition, The Marquess Course and our course at Dubai Creek Golf & Country Club have been named by Golf World in their list of the Top 100 Courses in The World.
Projects currently under design include courses in Bulgaria, Barbados, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey
European Golf Design www.egd.com