Damha

Anwar Damha, head of a large São Paulo construction company, is the man behind the São Carlos course that’s named in his honour and his firm’s diversification into the building of golf courses is just a new area of expertise that includes housing, highways and shopping centres.

Mr Damha wanted a local man of considerable golfing repute to design his course in 2003 so he wisely chose Ricardo Rossi, a respected former professional, to set out the 18 holes.

Ricardo brought a lifetime of experience to the project – he competed in five Opens in Britain, played in the 1953 Masters in America and finished runner up to Sam Snead in the 1952 Brazilian Open – and it took three years of planning and construction before the fairways of the new course were revealed to the golfing public.

Laid out in two returning nine hole circuits, Damha Golf Club features a thrilling par three on the front nine that plays to an island green completely surrounded by water with bunkers placed to the right of the hole. On the back nine, water is involved again at holes 16 to 18. Ponds protect the green at the last two holes but, unusually, the four tee boxes at the 16th are all set up as individual islands within a small lake – duffed tee shots from any of these tees are destined for a watery grave.