Sports

Sunday November 8, 2009

Feather in the cap for KLGCC

Out of Bounds by K.P.WARAN


Eddie Adams uses all the knowledge and skills he developed at the Home of Golf to assess golf courses and ranks the Kuala Lumpur layout highly.

IN the eyes of Eddie Adams the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club is the fifth best golf course in the world. Adams has the credentials to make such a statement having been the youngest head greenkeeper in the history of the Old Course of St. Andrews Links and is currently the Greenkeeping Consultant for the European Tour.

Having travelled all over the world checking on golf courses and recommending improvements to courses that host European Tour events, he said that the KLGCC was in perfect condition and could even host the Malaysian Open “in two weeks time”.

Adams was recently in Kuala Lumpur to inspect the KLGCC, which is hosting the Malaysian Open in March next year.

“The tee boxes and greens are in exceptional condition. There has been too much rain and a lot of traffic (players on the course) and thus some work is needed on some fairways which can be done quickly. Overall I am very happy with the course.

KLGCC has gone to great lengths to place this course among the best there is in the region.

“I am here to give some directions as to what the European Tour requires to host its event and have told the KLGCC executives to submit monthly updates on improvements being implemented on the course so that I know what is happening until I return for my next visit,” he said.

When pressed to explain his rational for picking the KLGCC as the fifth best golf course in the world after the Old Course of St. Andrews, Scotland; County Louth Golf Club, Baltray, Droheda in Ireland; Crail Golf Club, Scotland and Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA, he said, the recent investments to improve the course has made it unique.

“From the tee box the course looks inviting to blast the ball to the fairway yet it is a tight course which can easily get the players in trouble. Some holes have small greens which would make it difficult to get close to the pin. On these greens it may be tough to bump and run the ball and there is a need for lofted shots to get close to the pin,” he said.

He complimented the design of the course which offers an exciting challenge to professional golfers. He added that KLGCC had a good mixture of long and short par 4s.

“It is a great course and very challenging. The recent work to improve the course has turned it into a major competitor among golf courses in the world. Bunkers and water hazards are strategically placed and most of all its maintenance is of a very high standard,” he said.

Adams who does not believe in the use of fertilizers on golf courses and insists that proper irrigation is the most important key to creating a good golf course, said having a healthy turf and proper greenkeeping were core principles to keep the course in its prime and added that this was being implemented at the KLGCC.

Adams is no stranger to KLGCC, having visited it during the last Malaysian Open which was hosted by Saujana Golf and Country Club and had a “good look” at the course. He also had the opportunity to speak to those involved with the upkeep and maintenance of the course.

His philosophy has always been that golf courses have to have consistency from tee to green on all the holes in terms of speed (for greens), quality and firmness.

He adds that firmness of the fairways and greens is significant as the element of how much the ball bounces and rolls add to the excitement of the game. Thus soft conditions do not augur well, especially in tournaments.

He opined that golf courses should be in tip- top shape throughout the year to enable members and visitors to enjoy top class golf and not just be given special attention just before tournaments.

He believes strongly that pin positions and greens with snappy speed and subtle challenges are what make a golf course more challenging.

He said when David Garland, the director of operations of the European Tour, offered him the position of Greenkeeping Consultant for the Tour, he was sad to leave St. Andrews, where he had spent 20 years of his life but saw the opportunity for new challenges.

“The new job takes me 250,000km per year including to the Far East and this trip brought me to Singapore, Korea, China and Malaysia. I like this part of the world although it takes a long time to fly here from Europe,” he said.

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