Seven courses designed by European Golf Design, a joint venture company of The European Tour and IMG, will host tournaments on The European Tour International Schedule and Ladies European Tour during 2008.
The first to come under the golfing spotlight will be the Twenty Ten Course at the Celtic Manor Resort, which plays host to the Celtic Manor Wales Open from May 29 – June 1. Built to stage The 2010 Ryder Cup, the course opened for play last year. Nine new holes have been designed and nine renovated from the original Wentwood Hills course to produce the first ever purpose built Ryder Cup venue.
The same week the Challenge Tour visits Marriott Worsley Park Hotel & Country Club in England for the Oceânico Group Pro-Am Challenge. The course, seven miles from central Manchester, opened for play in 1999.
Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links hosts the AIB Ladies Irish Open from July 11 - 13. Designed in association with Bernhard Langer, the EGD course opened for play in 1995 .
In September the European Seniors Tour visits the newly built Casa Serena for the Casa Serena Open. Casa Serena, located an hour to the east of Prague, was built by Foxconn for the exclusive use of their clients and executives and opens later this year.
Fleesensee Golf and Country Club in Germany will be the venue for The European Tour Qualifying School – First Stage in September. Three courses were designed by EGD and the project was completed in 2002.
The Challenge Tour returns to San Domenico in October for third playing of the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final.
Finally PGA Golf de Catalunya, which opened in 1998 and is located in Gerona, just outside Barcelona, hosts The European Tour Qualifying School – Final Stage in November.
European Golf Design are very proud of the fact that three courses have received the honour of being named ‘Best New Course in Europe’ by Golf World magazine. The Faldo Course at Sporting Club Berlin, in association with Nick Faldo, was named as Best New Course in 1997 and PGA Golf de Catalunya near Barcelona received the same distinction for 1999.The Marquess Course at Woburn Golf & Country Club was named ‘Best New Inland Course in UK’ and The Montgomerie Course at Carton House, in association with Colin Montgomerie, near Dublin, was named ‘Best New Course for 2004’. In addition, the Marquess Course and the EGD course at Dubai Creek Golf & Country Club have been named by Golf World in their list of the Top 100 Courses in The World.
Projects currently under design include courses in Bulgaria, Barbados, Czech Republic, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Bahrain, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey.
