GIl Hanse created his first masterpiece on the hallowed turf of the Fife coast when he launched his golf course design company back in 1993 creating Craighead Links at Crail, close to St. Andrews, Scotland, at the Home of Golf. Since then the Cornell University graduate has designed, restored and renovated numerous outstanding golf course across the United States. His design of the golf course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2016 Olympic Games won universal acclaim from players, spectators and the worldwide television audience. Now Hanse is making his mark in the Middle East with his creation of the Trump International Golf Club course in Dubai, which is set to open to the public early in 2017 within the AKOYA by Damac development.
Worldwide Golf: How did you first get involved in golf course design and where and when was the first of your golf course creations situated?
Gil Hanse: I graduated with a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University in the United States and immediately went to work with fellow Cornell graduate Tom Doak. After nearly four years of working with Tom, I decided to form my own company, Hanse Golf Course Design, in 1993. For more than 20 years, my partner Jim Wagner and I have been working in an intentionally small operation, choosing to focus on a limited number of projects and designing in the field. Our first solo golf course was situated in Crail, Scotland, a huge honour for us to build our first course close to St. Andrews at the Home of Golf.
WWG: With so many excellent and varied golf courses in Dubai and the UAE how difficult has it been to design a course that has a different ‘personality’ than anywhere else in the Emirates?
Gil Hanse: With the land plan that had been developed for Akoya, we were excited that Damac and The Trump Organisation allowed us to have enough land to build a course with some ‘core’ elements to it. Having a core to the routing allowed us to create landforms that would stretch from one hole into another and although the landscape was completely created from nothing it feels like it has a different scale than other courses we visited in the UAE. We also decided on a palette of native plants and large-scale sand features to give the course a more rustic appeal than many of its neighbours.
WWG: What were the challenges in building Trump International Golf Club Dubai?
Gil Hanse: Some of the sand storms that we encountered offered up some interesting challenges. We are used to dealing with water erosion during projects where rainfall is encountered, however, at Trump International Golf Club Dubai we allowed the wind to shape some very interesting features.
WWG: Can you see Trump International Golf Club Dubai hosting a big event when there are so many outstanding courses in the UAE already taking centre stage on the global schedule?
Gil Hanse: We designed the golf course to be capable of handling a big event, both in the layout and challenge of the course, but also in the infrastructural needs. We are hopeful that golfers in the region will find that the course is interesting and fun to play and that will, hopefully, allow the course to gain a reputation among the many outstanding courses in the area. With its history of hosting Major championships, The Trump Organisation will be a great asset in helping to secure these types of tournaments, and then operating them at the highest level.
WWG: Has the course been designed to stage a Championship tournament, which may present a daunting challenge to amateurs or have you strategically positioned tee boxes at various distances to accommodate the average club golfer?
Gil Hanse: Our belief is that the design of the course should be based on a wide playing corridor where the average golfer can focus on playability and moving the ball through the course. However, in order to score on the course, the better player is going to have to take into account the angles that will lead to scoring opportunities. In order to get into position to take advantage of the angles, a much higher degree of precision is required. If our courses allow this to occur, and the golfer plays from the appropriate tee boxes, then every level of golfer should enjoy the challenge.
WWG: From the time you made your first site visit to Trump International Golf Club Dubai three years or so ago, is the course exactly as you imagined and hoped it would be?
Gil Hanse: We are very excited about how the golf course has turned out. With the efforts of golf course superintendent Ben Griffiths and his staff, the grow-in has gone well and the level of maturity in the golf course is wonderful for a course that has not opened yet. However, the true test of the course will be how it plays and we are hopeful that we will have hit our marks on that account as well.
WWG: Are there any characteristics of the course you particularly like.
Gil Hanse: I really like the short holes on the course. As a set, the par 3 holes are very interesting and varied both in design and length. To complete the group I would also throw in the short par 4, 12th as a hole that should be a lot of fun to play. As for the overall features of the course, I think that the large, sandy expanses have evolved into very dramatic hazards and will be the defining features of the course.
WWG: You’re not known for creating, ‘signature’ holes – what is the reason for that, and is that the case with this course?
Gil Hanse: We prefer to let other people determine which holes they enjoy the most, as opposed to claiming that one particular hole is our “signature” hole. At the end of the day we hope that we have created 18 interesting golf holes that go together well, and create the pace and flow of an entire golf course. If we have done our job, then the post-round conversations about which hole is the favourite should be lively and in the hands of the golfers, instead of the designer.
WWG: You have earned the reputation of being a ‘hands on’ course designer and we can remember seeing you behind the wheel of a giant earthmover a couple of years ago. Do you prefer to add your own personal touch in creating exactly what you want with the layout?
Gil Hanse: That has always been our philosophy on building golf courses. We believe that the only way to design is to do it in the field, to adapt to the changing conditions and to capitalise on opportunities that present themselves on site, instead of working strictly to a predetermined plan. Over many years of incorporating this philosophy we have also come to the decision that the best way to achieve these goals is to shape the features ourselves as we progress. Golf course architecture is as much art as it is architecture, and if the designer can wield the paint brush as well, we feel that the end result will be better. The added benefit is that it is also a lot of fun!
