The development of the first 18-hole golf course in the nation of Georgia is underway.

A team from Tilander Golf Design is working with Primera Residence Development and Construction on the project at a site near the country’s capital, Tbilisi.

The course will feature views of the nearby the Caucasus mountains and the Shavnabada Monastery, which dates back to medieval times.

The site features large elevation changes, with the course’s lowest and highest greens having an almost 130m difference in altitude. Architect Lassi Pekki Tilander told GCA however that golfers will move up and down the course gradually, with no large elevation change on any specific hole.

“The design has kept the young golf culture of the country in mind,” said Tilander. “Four sets of tees will offer a substantially different length challenges, starting from 4,600m and stretching up to 6,300m. There will be no forced carries, and a short driver of the ball will have no problem playing. Golf balls straying from the fairways will be found easily due to naturally low-growing grass cover.”

Tilander said that the course will pose numerous challenges to more experienced players, including the occasional narrow fairway and sloped green. He also said that the shaping of the course’s fairways will follow the existing lie of the land, meaning no large-scale cut and fill work will be required.

“Tbilisi’s climate allows almost year-round play,” Tilander added. “Only in the dead of winter, from December to February, is the average daily temperature below 10 degrees Celsius. The best time for golf is in the spring and autumn.” A driving range and short game practice area are also being built at the site.

Construction is underway and the golf course is scheduled for completion in 2017.