New Course Underway Next to 'Sound of Music' Castle


European Golf Design is designing a new golf course in Austria. Golfplatz Anif is being developed by a group of local investors with the intention of becoming the leading private club in the Salzburg region. The site is located in the village of Anif, five kilometers south of Salzburg on a flat, former floodplain of the Salzach River.

Towering alpine peaks overlook the property, while west of the proposed course is Schloss Anif Castle, made famous in the movie, "The Sound of Music."

The site is a mixture of commercial woodland and open pasture, with eight holes set within the forest and the remainder wandering through alpine meadows. The 18-hole, par-72 track will measure over 6,500 yards and involve minimal earth movement; several holes will be built at existing grade.

The course will be a rustic style with long fescue roughs. The site is environmentally sensitive and EGD is working with environmental consultants to ensure that the course will enhance and protect native flora and fauna habitats.

After a recent site visit, EGD designer Robin Hiseman said: "We are delighted to be involved with this project. The site is gorgeous and we will be designing an exciting and beautiful course that blends harmoniously with the environmentally sensitive alpine scenery. The routing is completed and we have many holes that will make the most of what the site has to offer. We expect it to be a very attractive course."

European Golf Design is the joint-venture of the European Tour and IMG. Formed in 1992 European Golf Design has designed over 30 courses throughout Europe, the Middle East and South Africa, with another 30 currently in the design or construction phase.

The Twenty Ten Ryder Cup Course at Celtic Manor is a European Golf Design course. Projects currently under design and construction are in Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Holland, Portugal, Russia and South Africa. For more information about the company, visit www.egd.com.