An all-weather solution

 

Peter Simm reports.

Whether it be in the Alps, Dolomites or Pyrenees of Europe or further afield in the great mountain ranges of North and South America, a round at altitude is likely to live long in the memory and leave you gasping (literally) for more.

Of course, there is one major drawback about opting to head for the hills in search of a game as the weather tends to dictate when golf can be played possible. A mountain resort might have the most beautiful course in the world but it’s not much use if it spends six months of the year under snow.

That has always been the big frustration about playing in the mountains, especially if you want to practice over the long winter months, but a course in Europe believes it has found a solution to the problem by creating Europe’s first nine-hole course featuring synthetic turf on the greens and double tees.

Installed by Southwest Greens, and Golf et Paysage, France’s leading golf course builder, Jiva Hill Golf Club will open officially this summer and could transform the way courses in similar locations are built in the future.

Situated in the Jura Mountains, just 15 minutes from Geneva and with Mont Blanc almost within touching distance, Jiva Hill has a location to die for and golfers will be able to enjoy a 12-month season with the opening of the innovative and forward-thinking new lay-out.

Kevin Holinaty, president of Southwest Greens EMEA, said: “Jiva Hill is a luxury hotel with a sports theme and is on a unique geographical location.

“There is everything there from equestrianism to water-ski-jumping and they have now put in golf, but because of the nature of the location, it’s virtually impossible for a hotel facility to maintain a natural golf course to an acceptable standard.

“What they wanted was to have a golf course they could play all-year round, while functioning well. We put the greens in last summer and they stood up exceptionally well to a very hard winter.

“Obviously, there will be occasions when it snows heavily when the course will be shut but that is the same as anywhere. What our greens and tees allow for is the ability to play all year round when there is no snow.

“For instance, I was there over the winter and there was a lot of snow overnight, but within 20 minutes the green and tee on one of the holes had been cleaned and the hole was playable.”While Southwest Greens have installed synthetic golf greens for some of the leading players in the world including Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, and Justin Rose, they were entering new territory when they were approached to help at Jiva Hill.

Working with an installation team of 14, Holinaty spent two months installing a total of 7,500m² synthetic surfaces at the mountain resort on a scale previously unheard of on the continent.

He explained: “What Makes Jiva Hill unique in terms of our product within the synthetic turf industry is that it’s an example of a real golf course setting embracing synthetic solutions.

“Most of the projects that have gone in the ground to date in our industry have been small pitch and putt courses with greens no bigger than 200 m2 to 300m².

“This is the first course in Europe and possibly in the world to have average-size greens of 600m² which is on a par with natural courses. Basically, the concept of this course was to create a venue that’s virtually the same that you would see in a natural course.”

Holinaty revealed that the firm has now set up a special EMEA construction department to manage large projects of a similar scale and their influence is set to spread across Europe as a result.

He said: “As a company, the grass roots of Southwest Greens was always the residential putting greens but we have grown the market considerably in Europe.

“We are one of the main pioneers of the market on the European continent. It has matured dramatically and the golf course industry has now embraced synthetic products.

“It will never happen that all natural greens are replaced by synthetic ones. But there are many situations and applications for the product and things are starting to take shape now that people realise that.

“We want to provide a professional solution and we want our customers to realise that the process is exactly the same as if you were building a natural golf course.”

As you would expect from a company that has forged an exclusive partnership with Nicklaus Design, Southwest Greens prides itself on using the best materials, designers and craftsmanship in producing an outstanding custom-made product.

And it is this reputation for attention to excellence that has led to Southwest Greens working on new large-scale projects in Caen, in France, Moscow, Russia and a move indoors, where they have been commissioned to install – once funding is finalized – 14,000m² of synthetic grass practice facilities for the Indoor Golf Arena, which is set to become the world’s biggest and most diverse golf training centre.

Holinaty said: “We believe that the product is only as good as the process administered. We make sure we use the right materials and use the right turf and our installation process is very comprehensive.

“It’s very important to us how the greens perform and we work backwards in the technical process by asking ourselves the question “What do we need to accomplish to create a product that has the same performance characteristics that you would expect to find on a natural green?’

“It’s the most comprehensive approach in our market and because of it, players can hit approach shots from any range onto our greens and we can control the speed of the putting surfaces.

Keith Haslam, managing director of Braemar Golf, who commissioned Southwest Greens to install 5,000m² of synthetic surfaces at a new nine-hole course at Pavlovo, near Moscow, said: “We looked at all the suppliers of synthetic turfs and were very impressed with Southwest Green’s proactive approach.

“Kevin came up with a great solution and we have recommended them for another couple of projects.”

Jon Standing, founder of the Indoor Golf Arena, said: “Southwest Green’s putting surfaces are of true professional calibre and unparalleled quality and that it is almost impossible to tell the difference between their turf and the real thing.

“Without any doubt, Southwest Greens will contribute to Indoor Golf Arena by providing the ability to practice golf with the same high standards experienced at the top golf clubs.”

Things are certainly moving in the right direction for Southwest Greens, who have also just completed a three-hole course for Club Med in Mauritius.

“I think it’s a great idea and means that Club Med can now promote to golfers, and because of maintenance constraints, it’s something that they would have been incapable of doing with a natural product.”

So does anyone fancy a holiday in Mauritus?