US$1.4 billion Hyderabad golf resort to be built

Moroccan golf reaches new heights in the Middle Atlas mountains at Ifrane We were delighted to accept a recent invitation to play the new IMG-managed course at Michlifen Golf & Country Club within Ifrane National Park, located just an hour’s drive south of Fez international airport in the Middle Atlas mountain region. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the 18-hole layout is the Golden Bear’s first Signature golf course in North Africa and it’s been built to a championship standard that makes it more than capable of hosting both national and international tournaments. We’d actually been to the site during course construction in April of last year, when we were attending the Trophée Hassan II European Tour event at Royal Dar Es Salam Golf Club in Rabat, so it was great to return eighteen months later to see the finished article. The Michlifen course is situated to the southwest of Ifrane, some ten kilometres from the resort’s 5-star chalet hotel, where it was built for ONCF, the national railway company, with architect Dirk Bouts and shaper Russell Curtis heading the Nicklaus design team on the ground. Because the landscape is so rocky in these parts, fairways were capped with imported soil and playing corridors for the last six holes had to be carved through the forest that lies to the south side of the property. By no stretch of the imagination could this course be described as an easy build. Both the front and back nines end in spectacular style with fairways laid out along an escarpment overlooking the market town of Azrou in the distance and the clubhouse terrace perched above this ridge behind the 9th and 18th greens has to be one of the best sundown spots in world golf. Click the link to read more about Michlifen Golf & Country Club It’s a long way to travel to Morocco to visit just one place so we built a little road trip into our excursion, enabling us to have a look at a few other golfing facilities in the north of the country, starting with another IMG operation at the Atalayoun Golf Resort in Nador, on the Mediterranean coast. The recently opened Marchica Golf Academy offers an unrivalled array of practice and learning facilities, including a state-of-the-art Performance Centre, full-scale driving range with proper target green complexes, short game centre and a lovely little par-3 course which runs alongside the lagoon. Led by a small team of Professionals, the Academy not only offers itself as the ultimate golf-learning destination, it will focus on integrating and developing golf within the community as well as identifying and nurturing golfing talent in the country. An hour’s drive east, very close to the Algerian border, lies the popular coastal resort of Saïdia and the decade-old Lacs course at Golf de Saïdia is a Francisco Segales design, routed around a number of sparkling lakes, with both nines finishing in front of the clubhouse. It’s a pleasant resort course to be enjoyed without raising the pulse too much. Nearby, the finishing touches were still being made to Golf de Saïdia’s brand new Teelal course and a very modern two-storey clubhouse when we visited. This 18-hole links-style layout is only the second design from Nicolas Joakimides and he’s set out the course on a sandy 180-acre site next to the beach, shaping much of the course himself. It looks a really fun track – crammed with fairway humps and hollows, sandy waste areas and punchbowl greens – but because it was still growing in we didn’t get a chance to play what appears to be a great new addition to the golf scene in Morocco. Hopefully, we’ll get the opportunity to return next year to properly appraise it. We then headed six hundred kilometres west, from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean and the harbour town of Larache, where Lixus Beach Resort lies to the north of the port. We’d been alerted to this place six months ago by a golf news item which mentioned its 18-hole championship course was open for play – it was closed when we tried to have a look at it in April last year. Unfortunately, it looks like the course still isn’t actually operating at the moment, which is a real pity as it looks like a very well-constructed layout – having been built to championship standards by Enrique Saenger in 2010 – but the current maintenance regime on the property leaves a lot to be desired. Further south, between Rabat and Mohammedia, we looked in at a Robert von Haage 9-hole design at Bouznika Bay, where the late architect’s partner Rick Baril had overseen the project in the late 1990s. He told us: “We hired a Canadian shaper we had worked with previously and found a great French project manager. A team was built around these two key people, and the project was completed.” “I think we were able to design some interesting holes at Bouznika Bay. Today, I think we could have been even more aggressive with the sandy waste areas – which mainly border one side of many golf holes. But I would be more aggressive with the sandy waste areas today – and allow them to penetrate the fairways in some strategic points.” Our final visit was to another 9-hole course, this time the old layout at Royal Anfa in Casablanca, which is set within an oval horse racing circuit in the north west quarter of the city, less than two kilometres from the corniche that runs along the Atlantic shoreline. Secrétaire Général Mohamed Mekour had extended an invitation to join him for lunch at the clubhouse and it was fascinating to hear him talk about the management of a club that has more than four thousand members, which represents around two thirds of all registered golfers in Morocco. As it was a Friday, when weekly race meetings take place, the course was closed but we were given special permission to inspect the layout by buggy with the course manager. Extending to 2,710 metres from the back markers, this 9-hole circuit plays to a par of 35, ending with a par three hole which requires a carry across a small lake to the home green. Royal Anfa is a nicely laid out track that has served the membership since the 1930s (or 1940s, depending on who you listen to) and the club definitely functions at the heart of Moroccan golf, as witnessed by the sight of several leading officials from the Moroccan Golf Federation enjoying lunch at the next table, following an earlier meeting they’d attended in the clubhouse. All too soon, it was time to depart the Western Kingdom and return once again to the UK. We’ve now been to just about every golf facility in the country, apart from one that opened in the south of the country last year, along with Ron Fream’s 9-hole layout at Settat University which we hadn’t enough time to visit this time around. There are also a few very private tracks laid out within the Royal palaces in Rabat, Fes, Marrakech and Skhirat that we’d like to visit in the future if it was possible to obtain the necessary permission. We’ve played within the palace walls at both Agadir and Meknes so it would be a rather unique golfing achievement to complete the Royal rota but that’s perhaps another story for another day… Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Asian Golf Course Rankings 2012 Top 100 Golf Courses extends its Asian rankings 14th January 2012 We must confess that we have done a disservice to Asian golf courses. Rather embarrassingly we neglected the world’s largest and most populous continent while focusing elsewhere. However, we have now reviewed every Asian country and feel quietly confident that the very best Asian golf courses are now featured on the Top 100 website. If you feel we have missed any then please let us know. Let’s be honest, defining the best golf courses in every Asian country has been exceptionally difficult, so we must thank dozens of people who have provided us with invaluable information. Special thanks go to Masa Nishijima, our International Consultant, who brought numerous top Asian courses to our attention. With Masa’s help, we soon hope to produce the first ever rankings of the Top 100 Golf Courses of Asia. India holds an honourable place in golfing history. Older than any club in the world beyond Britain – older, indeed, than most of those in Britain itself – the Royal Calcutta Golf Club has antecedents stretching back to the days when the power of the British Raj was gaining strength, beyond the beginnings of Victoria’s reign. Today, there are around 200 golf courses in India and the number is growing but the engine room of Asian golf is Japan. There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together – nearly 2,500 in fact. The Japanese are serious golf lovers but you may wonder therefore why we only feature 10 Japanese golf courses. The reason is that our International Consultant believes that there are only a few world-class courses in his homeland. Nevertheless, Japan has more World Top 100 ranked golf courses currently than any other Asian country. But watch out… China is getting deadly serious about golf. Golf in Hong Kong dates back more than 100 years and the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling can trace its roots way back to 1889, which places it amongst an elite group of the 100 oldest golf clubs in the world. Even though Hong Kong is no longer a British colony, we feature Hong Kong as a separate destination to China. If you find yourself in Hong Kong with your golf clubs in tow, you should head to the island of Kau Sai Chau where there are two excellent courses at the Jockey Club. The third and latest layout at the Kau Sai Chau public facility is the East course. It’s one of the few public courses in the world with ocean views from every hole. According to the Guinness Book of records, Mission Hills at Shenzhen (25 miles north of Hong Kong) is the world's largest golf facility. With twelve courses, each headline-designed by a golfing legend, it’s undeniably an impressive golf resort, but Mission Hills Group decided to shift their attention to Haikou on the tropical island of Hainan. Here they built ten more golf courses and two of them have already jumped ahead of their mainland elder siblings in the national rankings. The Schmidt-Curley Design firm laid out all ten courses at Haikou (they are also the design firm behind ten of the twelve Mission Hills mainland layouts) and two quickly emerged from the pack. Lava Fields is our highest new entry from their burgeoning stable, despite the fact that Mission Hills reckon their crown jewel is the Blackstone course – venue for the 2011 Omega Mission Hills World Cup. The Blackstone debuts at 5th position in our new Chinese rankings. After all this talk about Mission Hills, we should say that both the Lake and Mountain courses at the Spring City Resort should not be overlooked. However, if you can find a way to access the Stone Forest International Country Club, you’re in for a real treat. The Leaders Peak layout is our new Chinese No.1 and it really is a future World Top 100 course that Schmidt-Curley routed around some truly breathtaking rock formations. With more than 400 golf courses in China and around 150 more are at various stages of development, China is the No.1 country in the world at the moment in terms of new course developments. South Korea is now a very strong golfing destination. With more than 200 courses there are a few that are world class – including Nine Bridges on the volcanic Jeju Island. The Golfplan-designed Pine Beach Golf Links is an interesting development, which opened in 2008. Pine Beach has been described as Asia’s version of Pebble Beach and the club’s par three 15th even bears a striking resemblance to Cypress Point’s iconic 16th. Indonesia, especially Bali, remains a popular destination for travelling golfers. Greg Norman’s Nirwana Bali is our new No.1 which edged out Gary Player’s Ocean course at Ria Bintan. Singapore punches way above its weight for a tiny city-state and despite its close proximity to Changi Airport, The Garden course at Tanah Merah Country Club remains in Singaporean pole position. The Japanese brought golf to Taiwan and the country’s oldest club, Taiwan Golf & Country Club, dates back to 1918. There are now around 70 golf courses on the appropriately named “Beautiful Island” and the Sunrise Golf and Country Club remains our No.1. Ever popular, Thailand can boast a number of interesting new additions to a portfolio of golf courses that now exceed 200. Designed in 2007 by Phil Ryan of Pacific Coast Design, Black Mountain Golf Club has quickly established itself as one of the best 18-hole layouts in the country. Our new Thai number two is Amata Spring Country Club, venue for the Royal Trophy between 2006 and 2010 and our number one is the exclusive but brilliant Ayodhya Links. We’re not sure exactly how many golf courses are in play in the Philippines, however we do know that there are many more than the 25 facilities registered with the National Golf Association of the Philippines. The Makiling course at Sta. Elena Golf Club is James Spence’s favourite Robert Trent Jones Jnr course in Asia. The author of The Finest Golf Courses of Asia and Australasia reckons Sta. Elena is one of the best driving courses in Asia with a good balance of safety and danger from the tee. Kota Permai Golf & Country Club was created by Australian Ross Watson in the late 1990s. The course has hosted a number of top professional competitions, including the Volvo Masters of Malaysia and the 2008 Malaysian Open, and it’s our new Malaysian No.1. With more than 200 courses in Malaysia we felt it appropriate to feature a Top 20 for the first time. It is evident that Colt & Alison had a hand in the design of Dalat Palace in the late 1920s or early 1930s, though it is not clear exactly what that consisted of. However, Dalat Palace remains our Vietnamese No.1 despite strong competition. The Dunes course at Danang Golf Club opened to critical acclaim in 2010 and it’s our highest new Vietnamese entry. Course designer, Greg Norman, said, “You’d be doing a very poor job to make a boring course out of a site like this”. Straight in at No.3 is Colin Montgomerie’s Links layout, which has hosted the Vietnam Matchplay Championship every year since 2009. With only 25 courses in the country, Vietnam can be proud of quality rather than quantity. David McLay Kidd has left an interesting legacy in Nepal at Gokana Forest Resort which one reviewer recently described as “the ultimate chillax resort”. If Cambodia is on your itinerary then take a look at the 18-hole championship course at Phokeethra Country Club, which opened in 2007, the same year it hosted the Cambodian Open. Should Sri Lanka be your destination of choice then head to Victoria Golf & Country Club where the setting for the Donald Steel layout is “one of the finest in the world” according to architect Martin Ebert. Naturally golf is not the most popular sport in North Korea, but the country does have one notable course. Pyongyang Golf Course is where the first North Korean Open was held a few years ago and it was a decade or so ago that the nation's late dictator Kim Jong-il is said to have shot a 38-under par round of 34 in his one and only round of golf which included more holes in one than most avid golfers will achieve in a lifetime. Every Asian country is featured on the Top 100 website, although not every Asian country is lucky enough to have a course listed. In 2005, Golf World magazine rated the Kabul Golf Club in their first ever World Top 100 rankings. We’re not entirely sure why, but for those who are interested in playing golf in Afghanistan we suggest reading this article (click here) and we strongly recommend advanced booking! Feedback is genuinely welcome… in fact it’s actively encouraged. So please tell us what you think about the latest list of Asian golf courses. We won’t ever claim to be “definitive” but we are the most “informed” golf course rankings in the business. If you’ve played any of our featured Asian courses, we’d be delighted to know what you think, so why not contribute and post a course review or two? Click here to visit Asia on the Top 100 website, or simply click on Asia on the left hand navigation to journey through the continent. Keith Baxter Editor www.top100golfcourses.com

Pete Dye Course opens at French Lick Resort 24th April 2009 French Lick Resort in Indiana, complements their existing Donald Ross course with a new Pete Dye course French Lick Resort, located in southern Indiana, announces the new Pete Dye golf course will officially open for play this week on April 24. The new Dye course marks a significant move forward in the golf renaissance that has been taking place at one of the countries leading resort destinations. "We are very excited about the opening of the new Pete Dye course here at French Lick Resort. The course is arguably one of the most exciting inland designs that Pete Dye has ever created with panoramic views in all directions," said Dave Harner, Director of Golf at French Lick Resort. "Pete spent a great deal of time on site creating a visually stunning and challenging layout that will test the skills of not only the greatest golfers in the game, but also players of all levels. He did a wonderful job in laying out a variety of tee markers and angles that will make it playable for everyone." Many already believe that Dye has created one of the most breathtaking and exciting 18 holes of golf in the country. The course was carefully carved on a dramatic hilltop offering a variety of elevation changes, rugged and dramatic terrain, narrow fairways and ever changing bunkers, along with spectacular views from every hole that stretch for over 40 miles. Acknowledging the advances in modern equipment, golf balls and player fitness, Dye has designed a golf course that stretches over 8,100 yards from the professional tees. However, this new creation welcomes all levels of players. With five sets of tees, yardages begin at 5,100 yards from the forward tees. Most players will probably play from 6,100 to 6,600 yards. This new course is already gaining recognition. In 2010, the PGA of America will play its PGA Professional National Championship on the new Pete Dye course. This is expected to be the first of several high profile professional events to be hosted here. The new Dye course showcases many distinct design features, including the newly designed volcano bunkers, as well as stretches of holes on each nine that are vintage Dye. The front nine builds excitement from hole to hole and gets more visually dramatic as the outward nine finishes back up toward the clubhouse with one of the best views on the course. The back nine offers the most dramatic stretch of holes from Nos. 11-14. This culminates with one of the course's signature holes, No. 14. Stretching nearly 600 yards from the back tees, this par five, with a split fairway, escalates from tee to green over a massive grass hollow that will intimidate even the elite players. Complementing the new Pete Dye course at French Lick Resort is the historic Donald Ross course, which has just undergone a $4.6 million restoration project that has brought the course back to Ross's original plans. "We are very excited about showcasing not only this new modern Pete Dye masterpiece, but also our newly restored and historic Donald Ross course, making this truly one of America's must see golf destinations," said Harner. French Lick Resort is now the only resort in the world that combines the classic history of Donald Ross and the modern day design of the legendary Pete Dye. This combination is a spectacular opportunity for golfers to experience two of the best designers who ever shaped beautiful landscapes into golf courses.