Olympic Golf Course Designer Hanse Says Rio Golf Course Will Be Ready On Time

The Rio de Janeiro golf course designer Gil Hanse said it "will be ready for the start of competition in just under 18 months' time," according to Bernie McGuire of REUTERS. Some two to two and a half years after "being handed the Rio design," Hanse, who "won acclaim" for his design of the Castle Stuart course in Scotland, has "signed off on the troublesome project." Hanse said, "Everyone who has been following the story knows the project went on a bit longer than we anticipated so to now have the design complete and turned over for growing is a huge hurdle we've negotiated." Hanse added the Olympic course was "yet to be named and he was not sure if there would be an official ribbon-cutting ceremony." Hanse: "Any Olympic Games venue, whether it be a golf course or whatever, has to be approved by the IOC. What they are going to ask for is to have the word 'Olympic' in part of the name and that is a negotiation I am not a part of" (REUTERS, 3/16).