In Malaysia's southern-most Johor state, the Ernie Els Design team is "developing several new golf courses." The first is an 18-hole golf course at the resort Teluk Datai, on Langkawi island, which is scheduled to open in '13, and the second is a 27-hole course at Desaru Coast, a 17km beachfront destination on the west coast of Johor that features luxury resorts, hotels and golf residences. The project is scheduled for completion in '15. Additionally, the design team is providing technical services for another golf course at Desaru Coast -- an 18-hole course designed by Vijay Singh. Ernie Els Design currently has projects under development in Bahrain, N.Y., China and Namibia (GOLF INC. MAGAZINE, 12/4). ... Design firm Fry/Straka will begin work on a new project in Inner Mongolia next year. Batu Bay Golf Club will be part of a resort overlooking the Batu Bay reservoir, a three-hour drive from the regional capital of Ordos. Construction of the course is scheduled to begin in May, with a planned opening in the late summer of '14 (GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE, 12/4). ... Bundesliga club Schalke 04 "started to replace the grass surface in its arena on Tuesday." In May, Schalke already replaced the arena's surface, which had been in use since the 2006 World Cup (SID, 12/4).
