Links Magazine | The Best Of Golf | Charting a New Course

‘She preferred weeds’
Sorenstam admittedly has a lot to learn about irrigation, grading and agronomy. But as Brian Curley, who worked with her on her first course at China’s Mission Hills Resort, puts it, you don’t have to be an architect to have a huge influence on building your home. This is one woman, however, who didn’t want her space festooned with a lot of flowers, as Mission Hills’ owners were hoping.

“She preferred weeds,” Curley recalls with a laugh. “She’s got very strong opinions. She’s an astute businesswoman. She’s got the pedigree to step right into the role. She comes off as very professional and polished, so there’s a certain comfort level that any owner/developer is going to feel with her: ‘Hey, I’m in good hands here.’”

One such developer is Bobby Ginn. In addition to sponsoring her academy and her LPGA event, he has commisioned her first U.S. project, a redesign of Patriots Point Links near Charleston, South Carolina. (Working with IMG’s internal design department, she has two courses in development, one in British Columbia and another in South Africa, with five in the “discussion phase.”)

“She’s a class act personified,” says Ginn, who scoffs at the notion that male players won’t want to play Patriots Point after Sorenstam’s name goes on it. “If men think it’s going to be an easy golf course because she designed it, they’ve got a rude awakening. She is going to design some tremendous golf courses in her career. She’s clearly not doing it for the money. She’s doing it because she’s passionate about it.”