The giant Polaris World development in southern Spain will open two new courses this autumn.

Polaris World’s Nicklaus Golf Trail, when complete, will consist of eight Nicklaus Design courses across the Murcia province. Four are already in operation, and two more will be complete before the end of the year.

The Mar Menor course, originally designed as a nine holer, by Dave Thomas, has been extended to 18 by Nicklaus’s firm. The new-look track, which opens on 15 October, includes two new par five and four more par four holes, stretching the original course considerably.

Polaris describes the La Torre Sur course, the first nine of which is due to open before the end of 2009, as a ‘desert links style’ course. The Condado de Alhama course, which will open fully this year, is the resort’s flagship, with Jack Nicklaus Signature Course status, the company’s top level of branding.

In the near-desert conditions of Murcia, Polaris and its designers have paid close attention to water conservation. The design of each course concentrates on minimum turfgrass areas combined with efficient irrigation. Recycled and salted water are the primary irrigation sources. Salt-tolerant paspalum grass is being used on most courses on tees, fairways and rough.