The firm that is building the Faldo Design 18-hole championship golf course at the Lough Erne Golf Resort told the 'Herald' that, when completed, it would set a precedent for any new golf course in Northern Ireland in future.
Ollie Sutton and Michael O'Leary of SOL currently employ up to 25 people, most of whom are local and, in addition, a further ten are involved in the greenkeeping.
The firm are international golf course specialists, having undertaken contracts in Europe and America, as well as household names back home, including the K Club and Portmarnock.
"We have been at it for 18 years, all over the world,' Ollie explained, "but this was a totally new challenge, one of the most difficult I have come across and one of the most spectacular sights we have come across in those 18 years.
"Ground conditions were very difficult. The design is an excellent design but, apart from that, the drainage system is top of the range and, in fact, it's the first time we have used it. It is one of the top-range golf courses we have ever done."
He further explained that the course was partly on land and partly on the lake so that it offered views in every way, with great views of both lakes on each side all the way across the golf course.
SPECTACULAR
"That's what makes it spectacular, and some of the tees and greens are hanging off the lake edges, which makes it one of the most spectacular scenes on it. It has a kind of feel of a links course (seaside course) because you are sitting over the lake, which has this 'feel' of being on the seaside and you have the wind blowing across the lakes.
"But, the thing is, a lot of people are trying to achieve this 'feel' by building lakes whereas here we have got a natural situation."
Michael O'Leary, who admitted to 'playing a little golf', revealed that he had hit a few balls last week and was rewarded with a great run of them and the holes were maturing very well.
He said that the firm had been involved with six Irish Open venues and had just completed work at Royal Birkdale for next year's British Open, so the Lough Erne Golf Resort was its first major project in Northern Ireland.
PRECEDENT
"It's definitely going to set a precedent for any new golf courses in Northern Ireland in the future," he estimated. "This is the one everyone is going to be trying to mark up on."
Both agreed that the associated hotel/lodges development was 'absolutely fabulous'. They explained that they were working on five new 18-hole projects, all of which had houses, hotels and aparthotels connected with them.
"This one here, the standard of work is exceptionally good."
They also agreed that the summer just gone had made things very difficult and, in fact, it meant that three months' construction work had been lost on the project.
"We're trying to pull it back within the next couple of weeks because the growing period is closing in. We have two or three weeks left but we think we will still manage to keep the schedule going and finish off the remainder of the holes next year."
Both men reported that Faldo Design and the Tracey Brothers, Jim and Michael, and Jim's wife, Eileen, were very easy to work with.
"We're looking forward to doing another project with them. They're excellent in every respect, no problems or anything. A real joy to be with. Jim is an excellent owner and he and his team are great people to work with as well, very helpful, very obliging. They know what they want, they want the top level and it was a real joy to give it to them."
Michael, through the 'Herald', thanked Jim and Michael and Eileen for having the vision and the foresight to come up with the project in the early days and getting it to the stage it's presently at.
