Sorenstam to Design Family-Friendly Course at Estonian G&CC


Annika Sorenstam's golf-architecture firm will design its first European course at Estonian Golf & Country Club.

Located 20 minutes outside Estonia's capital city of Tallinn, the course will be part of a seaside, family-leisure resort and spa. Sorenstam is currently drafting plans with European Golf Design (EGD), the design firm of the European Tour and IMG. Ground-breaking is scheduled for 2016; plans call for the course to open along with the resort's first 50 rooms in 2019.

The Hall of Fame member was selected both for the caliber of her design work - she has designed five courses worldwide to date - and appreciation of a project targeting families and golf tourists from Scandinavia and the rest of Europe.

"It's exciting to be designing my first golf course in Europe, especially one that is close to home," says the native Swede and 10-time major champion. "The golf industry has been talking a lot about the need to develop golf facilities that are more flexible and family-friendly, and Estonian Golf & Country Club is actually making it happen.

"My objective is to create a course that good golfers will find strategic, competitive and visually appealing, while the design will utilize a variety of forward tees to make it equally enjoyable and engaging for newer golfers and young players. Ultimately, the layout will offer great versatility, from tournament play to resort golf, giving all golfers, no matter how far they hit the ball, a world-class experience."

The new 18-hole layout will replace the club's existing nine-hole Stone Course and complement its 18-hole Sea Course. Situated on gently rolling terrain above a limestone escarpment that drops down to a pine forest and the Sea Course, the new layout will offer views of the Rebala National Heritage Area. Featuring long, native grasses and firm turf, the course will have a links-like look and feel. The layout will range in length from 7,050 to 4,375 yards.

"I first met Annika in 2011 to discuss designing our second course and she immediately understood and empathized with our vision to further develop Estonian Golf & Country Club into an international leisure resort and spa," says Hanno Kross, Estonian Golf & Country Club chief executive.

"As well as being one of the most successful golfers of all time, she is family-oriented and coaches young people, so she brings a contemporary perspective to the needs of a modern resort and the type of golf course and facilities that are required.

"When I first showed her pictures of the landscape overlooking the Gulf of Finland and the Jägala River Delta, it reminded her of where she grew up and so I think she immediately felt at home with this project."

For more information about Estonian Golf & Country Club, visit www.egcc.ee.