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 »
December 15th, 2018
The Championship Course at Real Golf de Pedreña, near Santander in northern Spain, a regular fixture in Spain’s Top 25 Golf Course listings, designed by Harry Colt and opened in 1928, is well known throughout the world of golf, not only for its challenging layout, which has hosted 3 Spanish Opens, but also in recent years because of its link with the late great Seve Ballesteros, who grew up overlooking the course and played all his early golf at the club.
The new downhill par 3 ninth closing hole
Much less well known is the 9 hole course at the club, designed by Seve himself and constructed about 20 years ago. Whereas the Colt-designed 18 hole course sits on the top of the headland between the Bay of Santander on one side and the Rio Miera on the other, the Seve design occupies the much more sloping ground running around the main course, but with dramatic views of both the bay and the river. Continue Reading »
November 13th, 2018
Construction work has been completed on the David Williams’ designed total transformation of the Short Game Practice Area at Real Sociadad Hípica Española Club de Campo (RSHECC) on the northern outskirts of Madrid, Spain.
As David, Past President of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects explains ..”The 36 hole venue was originally designed by American architect Robert Von Hagge in the late 1990s. Although there were two large practice putting greens, close to the 1st tee of each course, the venue however only had one short game practice green, shared between chipping and bunker practice, although well situated on sloping ground between the two courses and directly in front of the impressive clubhouse. However, it became apparent that this was not large enough for both uses for both courses, and not only became overcrowded at busy times but also created safety issues with the dual use”.
Continue Reading »
