Young EIGCA golf course architects behind ‘Development of the Year 2011’

More than 30 projects in 19 countries were nominated for the world’s premier award of 2011 for golf course architects. But it was the young architect company Spogárd & VanderVaart, who surpassed illustrious names like Tom Doak, Coore & Crenshaw, Gary Player, Nick Faldo and many more.

Their project, Golfbaan Stippelberg in the Netherlands, did not only fall in the Judging Panel’s taste but also in the users. Even before its inauguration in September 2011 there were 1,200 members who impatiently fidgeted on the tees to drive the virgin fairways…

”We can hardly comprehend it. We always set our aim high but to be winners in front of so many established names and high-profiled projects is fantastic. It’s really unbelievable”, say humble partners Philip Spogárd and Michiel van der Vaart.

The business partners met while studying with EIGCA to become golf course architects in England, where Philip Spogárd was awarded TORO’s coveted award for ”Student of the Year 2008”. While Spogárd stayed in London to work for Thomson Perrett & Lobb, van der Vaart went to Holland to work for Gerard Jol in Jol Golf Design. In 2009 they established Spogárd & VanderVaart and bought Jol Golf design at a time where Project Stippelberg was just about to take off. Therefore, it was the young comets destiny to join forces, with assistance from architect Gerard Jol, on what developed into the award-winning layout.

Along with the work on Stippelberg, Spogárd & VanderVaart have worked with several other projects in Europe. One of the larger recent jobs has been in Denmark where the partners have transformed 18 out of the 45 holes at Himmerland Golf & Country Club. The owner, entrepreneur Lars Larsen, has invested more than €17.5 million Euros in a massive update of the New Course to make it the first PGA course in Denmark. The course will reopen in 2012.

To place this years performance of ”Development of the Year” in further perspective, “the quality of the nominees this year has been absolutely without comparison” according to GOLF Inc. Subsequently the Judging Panel extraordinarily extended the number of finalists to include three winners and five finalists. Winners are Golfbaan Stippelberg in the Netherlands (1st Prize), Old MacDonald in Bandon Dunes, Oregon (2nd Prize), and the Mission Hills in Hainan, China (3rd Prize). The five finalists are Barnbougle Lost Farm in Tasmania, Blackjack Crossing in Lajitas, Texas, Castiglione del Bosco in Tuscany, Italy, Eléa Golf Club in Cyprus and Gary Player signature course Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort in Bulgaria.

Link to the Stippelberg case study

Link to the Spogárd & VanderVaart website

To contact Spogárd & VanderVaart call +45 53653130 or email info@spogardvandervaart.com