For the third year in succession, Schmidt-Curley Design underlined its reputation as one of the world’s most active and innovative golf course design firms by being ranked Asia-Pacific’s Best Golf Course Architect in 2013.
Co-founded by Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley in 1997, Schmidt-Curley has designed more than 150 layouts in 25 countries with 80 courses across the Asia-Pacific region. It was the seventh straight year that the company had claimed a top-three finish in the Asian Golf Monthly Awards’ Best Architect category.
“We appreciate the honour and recognition,” said Curley, who received another notable accolade when he was placed eighth in Golf Inc.’s 2013 listing of the Most Powerful People in Golf in Asia, the only American to feature in the top-10.
Curley added: “We’ve assembled the best team in the business and could not have achieved these feats without their unwavering dedication to tirelessly serving all our client-partners.”
The firm’s work at Mission Hills Haikou, White Stone Hot Spring, ChiangMaiHighlands and Amata Spring also garnered praise during the Asian Golf Monthly Awards ceremony in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
Ten-course Mission Hills Haikou – entirely master-planned and designed by Schmidt-Curley – maintained its position as the Best Golf Resort in Asia-Pacific. Its Blackstone Course, host of the 2011 World Cup of Golf, not only retained its Best Course in China title but also was named Best Championship Course in Asia-Pacific.
Meanwhile, the White Stone Hot Spring Resort was second runner-up in the Best New Course in Asia-Pacific category. It is the 14th Schmidt-Curley course to open on HainanIsland since 2009.
Located just north of Sanya, the layout boasts bold, sprawling bunkers that flank fairways deftly routed through the rolling landscape. Eight holes dramatically hug the Changling Reservoir’s shoreline, providing several visually striking risk-reward opportunities throughout the round.
The company’s work in Thailand was also recognised. Amata Spring Country Club, venue for the Thailand Golf Championship in December, was named Best Maintained Course in Asia-Pacific, while Chiang Mai Highlands, in the country’s Himalayan foothills, topped the Best Value for Money rankings for the second year in succession.
Schmidt, who will assume the role as President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects this year, .said: “We’ve been intimately involved with the Asian golf industry for nearly two decades. Our record of consistent design achievement, master-planning expertise and client satisfaction is unmatched. We’re excited to continue to lead the way as the region’s influence over global golf grows.”
Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, the firm has two fully-staffed China offices (in Haikou and Kunming) to promote quicker mobilisation, lower travel costs and other valuable advantages over competitors.
Schmidt-Curley Design www.schmidt-curley.com