GEO - What can visitors expect from the courses when they come to play?

Matthias Nemes: In our design we wanted to pay respect to the setting within the university environment. At the forefront was the idea to provide an opportunity to learn the game and to allow everyone from beginner to professional the ability to experience the fun of the game, day or night (two of the three courses are floodlit). The very generous practice facilities are purposely placed right in the centre of the property and flanked by three different types of courses. All highly entertaining. Amazing teaching and practice, a fun Par 3 course, the challenging but fair 18-hole championship course and, for the time pressed, a very competitive 6-hole course. A holistic approach to accompany the journey of a golfer. Have fun and keep learning.

GEO - For you as the designer, how important was it that this project was integrating sustainability?

José María Olazábal: There is no other way in today´s world but to act as sustainably responsible as possible. Whether it is environmentally, socially or economically, it has to come together as one. And I can say that we have never had a customer who took sustainability so seriously as Qatar Foundation (the owners of Education City Golf Club). It is not just written across their whole Education City development, but it is acted upon in all facets. Prior to this project, we always prided ourselves on interfering as little as possible with the given land and to remain in harmony with the environment. Well, Qatar Foundation challenged us to go further and they gave us the resources to do so. Material use, rootzone profile, water consumption, habitat creation, community reach out initiatives, kids programmes, and so on. It raised the bar for us and it is immensely satisfying that we were given the chance to create this space. And to be recognised for it by the likes of GEO is like an extra reward. 

GEO - Could you tell us a bit more about material use in the golf course construction, and particularly the gravel layer under fairways. What did it mean for construction and how does it impact maintenance?  

Anton Ortner: The overarching principle was to use as much recycled material as possible. Besides re-using concrete pavers, depots and shade structures on site, our most notable upcycling was the use of slag (a by-product from iron production) from the local steel furnace. We installed it as the drainage layer under all turf, not just greens and tees, but also fairways. It just made sense to use a recycled product from nearby. It came out perfectly in the lab tests in combination with the local sand and gave us the capillary break we were looking for. While it was initially a higher investment, it pays back over time because of the reduced water consumption. And it delivers a very consistent soil profile, which makes maintenance easier and offers amazing playing conditions. But let me also mention landscaping. When we restored the Wadi as well as the old well with the surrounding Wadi walls, we were able to develop abundant native flora. We managed to salvage hundreds of trees from nearby highway projects and transplant them onto site. This allowed for foraging, shelter, corridors and breeding grounds for wildlife as well as local and migrating bird populations.

GEO - Water is obviously a prominent concern in this part of the world, can you tell us more about how you found a sustainable water source for irrigation and how, if at all that source impacts design or turf choice? 

Matthias Nemes: Water is a scarce resource and always the top issue, not just in arid climates like the Gulf region, but generally for golf courses. For Education City Golf Club, there was only one way to go: irrigation with Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) – something, for example, that is already mandated by law for golf courses in countries like Spain but it was a first for the country. Qatar produces a surplus of TSE and we tapped into this and irrigated the golf course with water that otherwise would have been pumped back into the sea. We were fortunate that Qatar Foundation as the owner and investor, did not shy away from the infrastructure cost. It proved to be a win-win. The TSE irrigation also influenced our choice of turfgrass. Salt levels were a topic and we therefore went with the highly salt-tolerant Paspalum Platinum TE cultivar. We are very happy with the decision, and I believe also the Qatar World Cup 2022 organizers who followed our lead and did the same across all the football pitches used during the World Cup.

GEO - Are there any lessons from this project that you would take with you into future projects?

José María Olazábal: We certainly grew as a golf course design company and strengthened our ability to deliver a golf course. The vision is key and we never want to lose sight of that but it also takes a strong team to execute. The investors, the developer, our own team, the other planners, the contractor, the operations crew. All need to cooperate well together to achieve a result that we can be proud of. In this instance, I am happy to say it worked and I hope we were able to repay the trust Qatar Foundation put in us.

About Olazabal Design:

With his own design studio Olazabal Design, José Maria Olazábal has been involved in golf course design for more than 25 years and can offer experience and specialization at highest quality standards. High-profile professional tournaments have repeatedly been staged on some of his to-date 23 courses open for play.

olazabaldesign.com