May 1st, 2024
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 over fourteen years of fairly constant re-design and re-construction of the layout.
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.
The 18th green overlooks the Bay of Santander with the city across the bay
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January 31st, 2024
Although the vast majority of their 2023 projects have been throughout Spain and the Canary Islands, North Wales based David Williams Golf Design have not neglected the British market, with projects completed throughout England and Wales – from north to south, and east to west.
The new 17th par 3 island green at Penrhos Park Golf & Country Club
Close to their North Wales office, at the beginning of the year, David Williams oversaw the construction of a short game practice area for a client on a private estate near St Asaph. Built by local contractors 360 Groundcare, the facility included a 400 square metre USGA spec green, practice bunkers (using Ecobunker edging and lining), and a range of practice tees.
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September 13th, 2023
David Williams Golf Design were commissioned to produce masterplans for both the courses, the Old/South and New/North courses, at Salobre Golf and Resort, on the island of Gran Canaria in the summer of 2022. On completion of the plans, the resort determined to phase the proposed works, starting with the Old Course.
The opening hole of the Old Course at Salobre
Headed by Alejandro Gonzalez, Director of Golf, the resort decided to phase the implementation of the masterplan of that course, starting in summer 2023, the quiet period for golf tourism on the Canary Islands, with a large reduction in grassed areas to dramatically reduce the requirement for water, a scarce resource on the islands, the course being wall-to-wall grass on fairways and rough areas since its inception. Continue Reading »
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 »
