July 30th, 2022
Past President of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA) and Principal of David Williams Golf Design, David Williams has been appointed by owners Grupo Satocan to undertake a review of the two 18 hole courses at the Salobre Hotel Golf Resort on Gran Canaria.
The resort features a 370 room 5* hotel, considerable new housing and two 18 hole golf courses
The Old/South course at the resort was opened in 1999 and British architect Dave Thomas was initially involved in the layout, although the detailed design was undertaken by Roland Favré. It measures 5,825 metres off the back tees, with a par of 71, and is a typical resort course, not too long but with a variety of hazards including water and ravines, as well as sand bunkers and waste areas. Continue Reading »
June 23rd, 2022
After a gestation period of over four years, David Williams, Past President of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, was finally able to present his Masterplan to all members of Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas, the oldest golf club in Spain, at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the club on Tuesday 14th June 2022.
The presentation at the Extraordinary General Meeting at RCG Las Palmas
The club, founded in 1891 on a site near what is now very close to the centre of the city of Las Palmas, on the island of Gran Canaria, moved to a new location in the 1950s on the edge of an extinct volcano at Bandama, a few kilometres away to the south. Leading British golf architect, Phillip Mackenzie Ross was commissioned to undertake the design, and it was that course which formed the basis of Williams’ masterplan. Continue Reading »
May 23rd, 2022
When David Williams, Past President of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, was asked in 2010 to prepare a detailed report and Masterplan for the Championship Course at Real Golf de Pedreña, near Santander on the north coast of Spain, he probably did not envisage that the implementation of that masterplan would result in twelve years of fairly constant re-design and re-construction of the layout.
The 18th green overlooks the Bay of Santander with the city across the bay
Designed by Harry Colt, one of very few of his designs in Spain, it was described by equally renowned golf architect Tom Simpson as “the best golf project by Harry Colt on the continent”. Opened in 1928, the course has hosted the Spanish Open on three occasions, most recently in 1988. However, in more recent years, its main claim to fame is its association with the late great Seve Ballesteros, who was born in the village of Pedreña and in consequence, played most of his early golf at the club, where his final home overlooks the course. Continue Reading »
November 10th, 2021
David Williams, Principal of David Williams Golf Design, prepared an initial Masterplan for Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas, the oldest golf club in Spain, in May 2018. In November of that year, he returned to the island of Gran Canaria to modify the plan and to present it to a small group of members.
Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas on Gran Canaria is the oldest golf club in Spain
Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic prevented his return to start the implementation of the plan until this October, when he revisited the club to finalise the plan and oversee the initial reconstruction work, which included the creation of a couple of new tees, and detailed discussions with the club on the future treatment of the sixty or so bunkers which protect the course. Continue Reading »
November 7th, 2021
David Williams Golf Design, international golf course architects, celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2020, and to mark the occasion commissioned a number of watercolour paintings of holes created during that time. The commission was awarded to Welsh artist Arwyn Davies, who incidentally had worked for the practice in its early years.
David Williams (left) presents Real Golf de Pedreña General Manager Pedro Navedo with the watercolour painting
One of the paintings was of the par 3 10th hole of Real Golf de Pedreña, re-designed by Williams in 2014. Unfortunately, because of Covid travel restrictions, the painting could not be delivered during the Anniversary Year, so David took the opportunity during a site visit to inspect the Autumn 2021 renovation programme to present the painting to the club General Manager Pedro Navedo. Continue Reading »
