The construction of a new golf course designed by Harradine Golf has begun in Kazan, Russia.
This course, which is located close to the Kazan’s capital city, Tatarstan, is located on the banks of the River Volga, which has presented plenty of problems when it comes to dealing with the naturally high water table.
“The land is flat and low, which causes 40% of the site to flood during the winter period,” said Peter Harradine. “The required material will be dredged from the Volga in order to raise the level and create rolling hills between fairways for safety, aesthetic and strategic reasons.
“The main attraction are the views of the Volga, so we are trying to exploit that as much as possible by designing at least one hole playing along the water’s edge while allowing as many panoramic views from most holes on the golf course.”
The par-72 layout will also meander around and cross three artificial lakes designed in the low spots. Most of the sparse existing trees have been kept and many local trees will be planted to enhance the game strategy and safety of the players. The clubhouse will be perched on an artificial mound overlooking the 18th green and the Volga, which is only 20 metres away.
Harradine added: “The initial idea was to cross the site with a canal deriving from the Volga and connected it to a water body at the northern end of the site. The new canal would have meandered along and across various holes thus adding a lot of interest to the layout. However, when the owner realized that the fluctuations of the Volga could exceed five metres, it was decided to create lakes instead of the canal in order to keep the water level constant for aesthetic reasons. Their decision has created its own problems due to the high water table which will limit the depths of the lakes and will require an extensive air release system under the liner to avoid future air pockets pushing the liner up.
“The stripping of the top soil and the lake excavations have already started, which is quite a challenge as temperatures often can go below – 25 degrees centigrade during this time of the year.”
The course is on schedule to open nine holes in the late summer of 2022 and the remaining holes during the spring of 2023.
Kazan already boasts an 18-hole course at Sviyaga Hills, which was also designed by Harradine Golf.