cameron | powell

more than just classic golf course design...
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Cameron|Powell are international golf course designers and golf consultants who have been actively involved in the design, development, project management and operation of golf, hotel and leisure projects since 1981.
The Pocket Guide to Golf Courses: Spain & Portugal
"...the joint best course in all of Spain & Portugal..."
Eminent botanist &
travel writer David Sayers
"...one of the world's most intimate and exquisitely beautiful courses..."
The PGA EuroPro Tour
"...a stunning venue and the golf course is fantastic - a true test..."
PGA EuroPro Tour Managing Director Eddie Hearn
"...one of Europe's finest
golf courses..."
Top 100 Courses of the World
”You'll need to fly into the middle of the Atlantic... but to play this course only once is worth the trip in its own right"
We are probably best known for our design of the golf courses at Furnas GC and the Batalha Golf & Country Club, both of which are situated on the island of São Miguel in the Açores archipelago.

These are currently the only 2 courses on the island, and it says much for their quality and presentation that, at the 2007 International Association of Golf Travel Organisations (IAGTO) Awards, a panel of international golf journalists rated the Azores as
... one of the best undiscovered golfing destinations in the World...

However, we don't just  design very fine golf courses, we also have a very broad-based and practical hands-on experience of the entire golf & leisure development and operation process.

As well as golf design and development, we have managed a number of golf clubs, golf courses, leisure and hotel projects.

We also developed our own golf resort -- Abbey Park -- which we operated for several years. The development included hotel, conference centre, health & fitness spa, fishing lakes, golf club, leisure shop, golf driving range and 18 hole golf course.
design philosophy
Our golf course design philosophy is simple: we aim to produce the best possible golf course within the constraints of the site conditions and the project resources.
A good golf course should be...
• practical to build, play & maintain
• in harmony with its surroundings
• challenging but not punitive
• aesthetically pleasing
• playable at all levels
• ecologically sound
We think this philosophy is particularly well demonstrated at Furnas, on the Açorean island of São Miguel, where the original 9 hole course was built in 1939 by the internationally renowned golf course architect, Philip Mackenzie Ross.

Cameron|Powell extended it into its present form of a full international standard 18 hole course in 1990.

When we were planning and designing the new 9 holes we were extremely careful to try to avoid the mistake -- made on so many extended courses -- of imposing alien design characteristics onto a naturally beautiful and classic golf course. Throughout the entire design and construction process we consciously strived to retain the integrity of the original design and to faithfully reflect the aesthetics, playability and spirit of the Mackenzie Ross original.

We are inordinately proud of the fact that -- by the judgement of almost everyone who has seen or played the course -- we seem to have succeeded. The only criticism -- if it can be called that -- is maybe some of our new holes are more testing than the originals... but I think we can probably live with that.

What really gives us a buzz is when people say they can’t spot the join... that they have difficulty deciding where the old course finishes and where the new course begins.  That’s when we know we really got it right.
"Raised, bunkered and seemingly frighteningly small undulating greens are the key feature at this gem of a natural golf course, whose rolling fairways are framed by phalanxes of Japanese cedars, mystical in the mists.   But it is more forgiving than it looks and a joy for players of all standards.”
 the pocket guide to golf courses: spain & portugal
site visit  project appraisal
SITE VISIT
It is never to early to get us involved in the project development process -- and our preliminary appraisal can potentially save time, trouble and expense in the longer term. 

For details of our site visit & preliminary project appraisal service, click on the golf ball  
evaluationdesign | development | project management | operation
Cameron Powell   ·   PO Box 2696   ·   Coventry CV8 3WD   ·   United Kingdom
T    International  +44 8707 420850   UK  08707 420850
F    International  +44 2476 959697   UK  02476 959697
E    golf.design '@' cameronpowell.com 
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