Brian Curley - The name behind the big names at China`s Mission Hills mega-golf resort
Released on = July 3, 2007, 1:34 pm
Press Release Author = GolfPublisher Syndications
Industry = Media
Press Release Summary = Golf architect Brian Curley on building China\'s Mission Hills. Course-design profiles at WorldGolf.com
Press Release Body = By Brandon Tucker, Staff Writer, Golf Publisher Syndications
Norman, Sorenstam, Couples and Singh are some of the names on the 12 courses at China\'s Mission Hills, but behind the Tour pro credits is respected course-design firm Schmidt-Curley. Partner Brian Curley talks about his golf journey from Pebble Beach caddy to architect on the world\'s biggest golf resort.
It\'s easy to fall for golf when you grow up on the Monterey peninsula.
Golf course architect Brian Curley saw the writing on the wall working as a caddie on the hallowed grounds of Cypress Point and Pebble Beach. He knew as a youth that golf would be his profession.
But he also knew he didn\'t to have the game to make it on the PGA Tour. And he\'d \"worked around enough disgruntled head and assistant pros in the pro shop to know that wasn\'t for me.\" Curley took instead to the design side of the game.
This was the \'70s, before the age of celebrity course architects.
\"There were a lot of [clubs] back then that had Donald Ross courses and didn\'t even know it,\" Curley recalls. \"The designer wasn\'t mentioned anywhere. Now every course is showcasing their designer.\"
Curley and partner Lee Schmidt have become part of that phenomenon, collaborating on courses with the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Pete Dye, with whom Curley studied.
Schmidt-Curley\'s portfolio includes the biggest brand-name design job in golf, the 12-course Mission Hills mega-resort in China - the world\'s largest golf resort, per The Guinness Book of World Records. WorldGolf.com caught up with Curley between his regular treks to Asia to talk about the state of course design.
WorldGolf.com: When you\'ve got 12 golf courses, all with a different name but built by the same firm on the same property, how different is a Norman course going to be compared to a Sorenstam?
Brian Curley: The most obvious differences would be in the bunker styles. The Norman course is very Australian, like Royal Melbourne. It has tall grasses, rugged, traditional bunker styles. It\'s not manicured. The Vijay Singh course is more of a Pete Dye, TPC Sawgrass-type course. The Leadbetter and Annika\'s course are more user-friendly.
WG: There aren\'t many female names in women\'s design. Are men going to want to play an \"Annika Sorenstam\" course?
For more details visit - http://www.worldgolf.com/features/brian-curley-golf-course-designer-mission-hills-resort-china-5608.htm
July 3, 2007 Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
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