Players and Fans Will Enjoy Solheim Cup Course Improvements
Players, media, sponsors and fans will be treated to a state-of-the-art venue for golf when they converge on Des Moines Golf and Country Club August 14-20 for the 2017 Solheim Cup. The entire golf course has undergone a four-year renovation that goes far beyond repairing bunkers, fairways and greens.
Fast Recovery from Heavy Rain
Rick Tegtmeier, Director of Grounds, says a priority was to maximize the playability of the golf course. Since the project began in 2013, Des Moines Golf and Country Club has installed nine miles of new drainage tile and approximately 400 basins throughout the property to reduce rain delays."When you get a torrential downpour, water that used to be on the golf course gets into the drain pipes and gets taken right away," Tegtmeier says. "Playability wise, that's a huge thing for us."
Improvements Offer Optimal Fan Experience
Just as significant, the club installed water lines to serve all tent locations on the course as well as a property-wide fiber-optic communication system. The system, planned in cooperation with the LPGA and Century Link, will maximize both fan and sponsor experience. High-speed internet will be accessible from all permanent buildings, as well as spectator and sponsor tent locations, commonly referred to as the villages. The extensive fiber-optic system will also support the point-of-sale system, video boards and scoring boards that will be located across the course.
"So that will really enhance the spectator side of things, the video walls out on the golf course and the up-to-date scoring walls on the golf course," Tegtmeier adds.
Yet to be completed is a bunker renovation that will take place on one of the PING Junior Solheim Cup holes early in 2017 and some final course preparations that may give Team USA and Captain Juli Inkster a leading edge.
Ever the patriot, Tegtmeier adds with a smile, "She came out and did a site visit and the golf course will definitely be set up to her advantage."
The course is ready, the captains are strategizing and the players are entering the final stretch to earn a berth on Team USA and Team Europe. Don't miss the 2017 Solheim Cup experience. Get your tickets now.
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