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Construction begins on Monty's Krabi links
Ground broken on the champion golfer's long-awaited
course.
by Robert Carry -
Thailand Property Report
January 2008
Construction has finally got underway on the
long-awaited Montgomerie at Krabi Golf and Country Club,
it has been revealed. Patrick Bowers of IMG, the company
responsible for managing Montgomerie's business and design
affairs, told Property Report Thailand that although "the
project is not far enough along for Montyīs design to have
started," the master routing had been completed and the
Scottish golf starīs design role was set to begin early in
the new year.
The Montgomerie at Krabi course is being constructed as
part of the sprawling Cove Krabi development; the first
luxury project of itīs size to be built on the island. The
US$1 billion 1,200 rai project will feature the
Montgomerie-designed 18-hole course, three hotels and a
marina among a host of other amenities. The whole project
will take eight years to complete and will and feature
dozens of seaside villas and 850 condominium units,
expected to start from 6,000,000 Baht (US$179,319) each.
It will also feature a range of dining and entertainment
options by 2015. The Scot was unveiled as the designer for
the Krabi developmentīs course at a ceremony in November
of last year.
The Krabi development will be Montgomerieīs second foray
into golf design in Southeast Asia with work on his
Vietnam-designed course now well underway. "I think this
site, this golf course, will become world renowned," said
the Scot of The Montgomerie Links Vietnam project, which
is sited five kilometres from the Nam Hai Resort in
central Vietnam.
Montgomerie added that course design was the natural next
step in his career, "I have always been interested in
great golf courses," he said. "I really became serious
when I started to think about what I could give back to
the game and what legacy I was potentially going to leave.
There is really no better way to put your mark on the game
outside of winning championships than to put your name to
a course design and influence a course that golfers will
be playing for years to come."
Montgomerie added that although some might suggest that
the involvement of pro-golfers in the design of links is
more about tapping into their marketability rather than
their design skills, he feels he and his fellow
professionals have a lot to offer when it comes to
moulding courses: "There has always been some debate
regarding the value that professional golfers offer when
it comes to course design," he said.
"I think that because we have had the opportunity to play
the best courses in the world, with some of the best
players in the world, who is better positioned to help
design golf holes with great shot values and memorable
features? I like to integrate the natural terrain wherever
possible, and consider the course not only from the pro's
perspective but also from the perspective of those who are
just playing for enjoyment and the love of the game."
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