Last week I was in Bangladesh at the Cox’s Bazar Golf Club.
I am working in partnership with the Bangladesh Golf Federation (BGF), the Bangladesh Army and local stakeholders from Coxs Bazar, Dhaka and Chittagong to help create one of the planets most sustainable golf courses. It will be the first golf course in Bangladesh – which currently has 14 golf courses – that will have been planned from start to finish.
Whilst Bangladesh have some very interesting and very fun golf courses – I am thinking of Kurmitola and the Army course (Dhaka) and Bhatiary (Chittagong) – these golf courses developed and grew extensively over time.
Work has started on site and is moving at a pace.
Some information about the design and construction below:
- 18 holes / 6600 yards /par 70
- Manual Irrigation system
- Native cow grass to be used for tees, fairways and rough.
- Existing site vegetation left for far rough areas
- Native paspalum for greens (found 30km from site)
- No subsurface drainage. Golf course shaped to surface drain and harvest water
- Less than 40 bunkers.
- No sand-capping
- Push up greens (using riverbed sand found on site)
- Existing site features (water, topography, vegetation) to create a high percentage of the interest.
- Contours built for surface drainage and to add strategic interest.
- Work on the ground completed by the army and local workers. 99% of which have never worked on a golf course or played golf.
- Shaper (Ramesh) from Nepal. Project management by Paul Jansen and BGF (Brig Salim Akhtar)
Some pictures from the visit (Week 6th – 11th March 2017)
Start of the clear exercise. Standing near 18 tees
Marking clearing limits on Hole 6 and 7
Numerous lookout points have been built over the site. Great idea.
The future short game area leading onto tees for Hole 1 and makeshift clubhouse
Makeshift clubhouse is rather cossy and nice
Work on Hole 1 green and 2 tee.
Looking down at green 1 from tee 2
Bunker built left side of green 1. Tee 2 on left
Shaping up fairway on Hole 1
Green 1 rough shaped.
Hole 9 clearing and earthworks ongoing. Pic taken from 1 tee
Hole 9 looking up towards the green complex
Bunkers getting built near Hole 9 green
For 99% of the team this will be first time they would have seen a bunker let alone build one
Looking at Hole 9 from hill right of the tee…sharp dogleg right with natural water body in front
Hole 7 after some select clearing
Building the short game area
Building the short game area
Fantastic service at the end of a hot day
Great food as well
