Schmidt-Curley Design — the full-service golf-course architecture, master-planning and construction-management firm — announces it has built the world‘s largest putting course at China‘s Mission Hills Golf Club.
Draped across more than 17 acres, the putting course is punctuated by wild, rugged bunkering and dramatic humps and hollows. Framed by bursts of flowers, dense groundcovers and native grasses, it evokes the feel of a miniature, quarter-scale golf course.
Unlike most putting courses that are effectively oversized putting greens or bear a close resemblance to miniature golf, the Mission Hills course traverses the rolling countryside, snaking around bunkers, mounds and thickets of landscaping.
The putting surface is a contiguous, six-acre ribbon of platinum paspalum turf, ideal for practice with the flat stick, wedge or both. The course does not have a prescribed routing, so players are free to jump on and off wherever and whenever they‘d like, just as one would with a standard practice green.
"There is nothing on the planet that comes close to the course‘s size, appearance or playing alternatives," says Brian Curley. "The possibilities are limitless. It can play as a putting course requiring negotiation of hazards and putts of 100 feet or more. Or, players can sharpen their chipping and pitching, incorporating lofted ball flights over the myriad bunkers and swales turning the facility into more of a short-game course. Regular use of the course will cultivate shot-making creativity that‘s sure to shave-off handicap strokes."
Sitting adjacent to the Schmidt-Curley-designed 18-hole, par-3 Zhang Lian Wei Course, one of 12 golf courses at the mammoth resort 30 minutes north of Hong Kong, the putting course is perfect for skilled golfers, juniors and individuals who are just starting to play the sport. It melds seamlessly with Mission Hills‘ mantra of "growing the game," creating a place where one can be introduced to golf in a fun, low-pressure environment. Moreover, it serves as an ideal outlet for experienced players seeking rapid short-game improvement.
"Schmidt-Curley did a fantastic job with the putting course," says Tenniel Chu, executive director, Mission Hills Golf Club. "It is another in a long line of valued projects the firm‘s undertaken at our club. The Mission Hills we know today wouldn‘t have been possible without Schmidt-Curley‘s expert architectural contributions to all 12 of our golf courses."
"Creativity is our hallmark, and we‘re always excited when clients ask us to tackle outside-the-box projects," says Curley. "It allows us to showcase the ingenuity and imagination that have made our firm successful for so many years."
Schmidt-Curley www.schmidt-curley.com
Mission Hills Golf Club www.missionhillsgroup.com