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 »
April 13th, 2020
David Williams was appointed back in 2010 to create a Masterplan of the Harry Colt designed Championship Course (1928) at Real Golf de Pedreña, near Santander in northern Spain, one of the very few Colt courses in that country. Since that time, he and the club have been slowly realising that masterplan, often re-building two or three holes a year.
The totally re-built par 3 seventh hole
As David explains, “The renovation is usually of the complete hole, with tees, bunkers and the whole green complex re-designed and re-built, with the drainage and irrigation being updated at the same time. As such, the complete hole is closed whilst the work is being done, with therefore two or three holes closed at any one time. Because of this disruption, reconstruction is normally only undertaken every alternate autumn, although the club have the advantage of also having a shorter nine hole course, also starting and finishing at the clubhouse, designed by the late great Seve Ballesteros (who was always associated with the club during his lifetime and lived overlooking the course). Continue Reading »
January 31st, 2020
David Williams…….and the 30th Anniversary Book
- 34 new courses built throughout UK and mainland Europe
- Courses include European Tour, Seniors Tour and Ladies Tour venues
- Projects built in over a dozen different countries
- Over 200 clubs assisted throughout UK and mainland Europe
- And why the 17th hole has to be a par 3!
North Wales based, David Williams Golf Design, International Golf Course Architects, celebrated its 30th birthday on the first day of this year, having been formed on 1st January 1990 – and later the same month, David Williams himself celebrated his own 70th birthday.
This coincidence led to a remarkable gift, celebrating both occasions, arranged and given by David’s son, Thomas, a journalist and his daughter, Ffion, a PR Manager. As David explains, “Without my knowledge, they took the details from the DWGD website of the over 30 new courses which we had designed or co-designed throughout the UK and Europe in those 30 years, and between them contacted each club for up-to-date professionally taken photos of each course to include in a printed book. They designed and arranged the photos into a large A3 size glossy hardback book featuring every course. A wonderful surprise – and a magnificent momento, not only of my own 70th birthday, but also of the 30 years of David Williams Golf Design”. Continue Reading »
July 31st, 2019
Among their current on-going project list, David Williams Golf Design, headed by Past President of EIGCA David Williams, has three courses either originally designed or modified by Harry Colt, generally regarded as Europe’s greatest ever golf architect.
The dramatic par 3 seventh hole alongside the River Wear at Wearside Golf Club
DWGD has recently carried out a Course Review and Audit at Wearside Golf Club in the north-east of England as part of an overall Masterplan for the club. Although the original course was originally designed by Harry Vardon, major changes to the layout and course were undertaken by Harry Colt in the 1920s, and the majority of his design remains to the present day. Continue Reading »
