Grassing is almost complete on the East course at City Golf, the new club in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, that was previewed in the October 2022 issue of GCA. 

City Golf will have two eighteen-hole layouts designed by Brian Curley of Schmidt-Curley Design. The East is set to open in January 2024 and the West will follow in 2025. 

“We’re aiming to make the two courses as different as possible,” said Curley. “The East offers a much more traditional take on design with formal bunkering while the West will be more rugged and natural.” 

The project is requiring significant earthmoving, with Curley preferring massive landforms over small-scale mounding, to create a more natural golf experience. 

“The property was a floodplain, so a fairly significant dirt move has lifted the two courses up and five lakes have been excavated to create the fill,” said Curley. “Although there is a lot of water, my intention was to provide ample room for golf and to not have water constantly in play.” 

The architect is providing variety in terms of setup and strategy, with multiple teeing options and substantial contour, such as at the driveable par-four fifteenth (pictured) with various angles of attack. 

The two courses connect at the eighteenth. “The closing hole on the East is a par five with water sweeping from tee to green,” said Curley. “The hole plays from the highest point on the property, atop a huge landform that hosts both course’s eighteenth tees. This offers extended views over the large lake and the island-green nineteenth, which will be a par-three bonus hole accessible by boat.” 

This article first appeared in the July 2023 issue of Golf Course Architecture. For a printed subscription or free digital edition, please visit our subscriptions page.