Two days after winning his 13th major title, Tiger Woods
announced plans for the design of his first golf course in the
US.
Tiger Woods of the US
celebrates making his birdie putt on the eighth hole during the
final round of the 89th PGA Championship golf tournament at
Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma August 12,
2007.
The world number one, who launched his own design company last
year and has a project under way in Dubai, will be creating a
layout at The Cliffs at High Carolina near Asheville.
"My goal is to design a handful of very unique courses around
the world and The Cliffs is a perfect fit for my first American
design," Woods told reporters at the picturesque site in the Blue
Ridge Mountains.
"Seeing what they've created with some of the world's best
designers is very inspiring and I'm looking forward to adding my
own style into the mix."
The Cliffs at High Carolina is the eighth community within a
collection of private, master-planned residential developments in
the Carolina Preserve.
Woods will be following in the footsteps of renowned designers
such as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Fazio who have already
produced Signature Golf Courses in the area.
"When I first visited High Carolina, I loved the site and the
spectacular 50-mile views of the Asheville area and the Blue Ridge
Mountains," Woods said.
MOUNTAIN VIEWS
"When I got to the top of the mountain and looked across those
meadows, I knew this would be the site of my first American design.
I hope this will become one of the most talked about views in the
country.
"The land lends itself to a walking golf course." the
31-year-old American added. "Walking is integral to golf, and it
will be very unique to have a walking golf course at elevations up
to 4,000 feet."
Woods, who clinched his 59th PGA Tour title by two shots at the
PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday, created Tiger Woods
Design last November.
He announceda his first project the following month, a
development in Dubai that will include a 7,700-yard, par-72
championship course, golf academy, clubhouse and 80-suite hotel. It
is scheduled for completion in late 2009.
"There are golfers everywhere who may never get a chance to play
a links course in Scotland, a tree-lined course in America or the
sand belts of Australia," Woods said.
"Hopefully I can bring some of those elements into their
backyards. I've been working very hard over the last decade to get
a feel for all kinds of courses and really understand the best
elements of design."
Tiger Woods Design is based in Windermere, Florida.
(China Daily via Reuters August 15, 2007)
