Harradine Golf has inaugurated a new golf club at Kazan in Tatarstan. The brief was to design an 18 and a 9 hole golf course with practice facilities on a beautiful site near the Volga River along with club house, car parks and real estate adjacent to and around the golf course.
Sub-grade shaping on the first nine holes commenced in autumn 2004. Sowing started in 2006 but work had to be interrupted due to the harsh winter and the remaining holes were sown starting in May this year.
A warm and sunny day on 28th September saw the presentation of the driving range and the first nine holes of the development. The guest list included passionate golfers, VIP’s and members of the Russian entertainment business.
Kazan is the capital city of Tatarstan, Eastern European Russia. The port and shipyards on the Volga make it an important water transport centre.
This new golf facility, which is combined with hotels, cottages, and high-class real estate around the course, will ensure that Kazan becomes an enjoyable and fashionable winter and summer destination.
At the beginning of 2007, according to the European Golf Association, Russia had seven golf courses with 5,150 registered players. Igor Malyshkov, president of the Moscow Golf Development Federation, says that golf is rapidly gaining in popularity throughout Russia. The number of players is expected to grow from 5,000 to 25,000 over the next few years.
In addition to the new Harradine courses at Kazan, two major courses are being built around Moscow’s Sheremetyevo international airport – a nine hole, 60 acre course, and the more elaborate Nick Faldo International Golf Club, a 27-hole project. Courses are also planned for St. Petersburg and other regional capitals like Tver and Krasnodar.
The Harradine team has built a professional and impressive reputation for golf course design. They have finalised over 200 distinguished projects in many parts of the world and Kazan Golf Course will definitely be one of the many iconic golf courses designed by Harradine Golf.
Harradine Golf www.harradine-golf.com