Schmidt-Curley Design’s reputation as one of the world’s most active and innovative golf course design firms has been enhanced with the retention of its title as Asia-Pacific’s Best Golf Course Architect in 2014.
It’s the fourth year in succession that Schmidt-Curley Design has scooped the top prize in the Asia Pacific Awards’ Best Architect category and the eighth straight year that the company has claimed a top-three finish.
Co-founded by Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley in 1997, Schmidt-Curley has designed more than 150 layouts in 25 countries with 80 courses across the Asia-Pacific region.
“Once more we greatly appreciate the honor and recognition,” said Curley, the only American to feature in the top-10 in Golf Inc.’s 2014 listing of the Most Powerful People in Golf in Asia.
Curley added: “This award is testament to the quality of our outstanding and highly talented team and the professional service we provide.”
Schmidt, currently serving as President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, said: “For nearly two decades we’ve been intimately involved with the Asian golf industry. We are proud of our record of consistent design achievement, master-planning expertise and client satisfaction.
“We are now working on our first design project in Myanmar and we’re excited to continue to lead the way as the region’s influence over global golf grows.”
The firm’s extensive work at China’s Mission Hills also received praise during the Awards ceremony in Singapore.
Ten-course Mission Hills Haikou – entirely master-planned and designed by Schmidt-Curley – maintained its position as the Best Golf Resort in Asia-Pacific while Mission Hills Shenzhen placed third in the category.
Its Blackstone Course, host of the 2011 World Cup of Golf and last month’s third edition of the World Celebrity Pro-Am, retained its Best Course in China title and was also named runner-up in the Best Championship Course in Asia-Pacific segment.
Curley believes it has become ‘one of the premier tournament courses in the world’ and that many more events will be staged there.
Curley said: “In a short space of time, the Blackstone Course at Mission Hills Haikou has established itself as one of the ‘must play’ venues in Asia. Its striking contrast of golf within a black lava field terrain is equally scenic and demanding and with risk/reward opportunity at the final holes, this course should prove to be one of the premier tournament courses in the world.”
Schmidt-Curley has designed more than 150 layouts in 25 countries. High-profile credits include 10 of the 12 courses at storied Mission Hills Shenzhen – the ‘World’s Largest Golf Club’ – and all 10 at Mission Hills’ Hainan Island resort. Mission Hills Hainan’s Lava Fields Course is the only Chinese design ranked among Golf World’s ‘Top 100’, and was named GOLF Magazine’s ‘Best New International Course’ of 2011.
Other award-winning results include Mission Hills Hainan’s Blackstone Course; Thailand’s Siam CC and Amata Spring GC; Southern Dunes GC (Arizona, USA); The Wilderness Club (Montana, USA) and French Lick Resort’s Donald Ross Course (Indiana, USA). The 54-hole Stone Forest International CC near Kunming is also garnering global acclaim.
Schmidt-Curley has worked extensively with golf’s biggest names – including Pete Dye, Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couples on numerous noteworthy projects – and boasts five ASGCA members (Schmidt, Curley, Grant Haserot, Andy Raugust and Patrick Burton).
Schmidt-Curley Design www.schmidt-curley.com