Munich. For the next four years, the BMW International Open
will be back at the Golfclub München Eichenried. The renovation of
the 18 greens on the Championship Course is closely linked to the
decision on location made by tournament organiser BMW. This will
make the course fit for the future. The golf stars will compete
against one another on the new greens from June 2019. BMW and the
European Tour are monitoring the restructuring process.
“The BMW International Open has operated at the highest
standards in all areas for 30 years,” said Christian Masanz, Head of
BMW Golfsport Marketing. “The renewal of the greens on the
Championship Course ahead of next year’s tournament emphasises this
once again. Together with the GC München Eichenried, we are
providing the professionals and the European Tour with the ideal
golf course. This ensures that the BMW International Open will
continue to remain competitive and attractive when compared to new
tournament locations.”
Wolfgang Michel, Managing Director of the Golfclub München
Eichenried, adds: “We are delighted that Eichenried will be the
venue for the most prestigious international golf tournament on
German soil for the next four years. That is a great message for our
club. Our connection to BMW has represented a very long,
professional partnership since the BMW International Open took place
in Eichenried for the first time in 1989. We are very grateful to
BMW for all the support the company has provided over many years,
allowing us to continually improve the course and the facilities.”
The next improvement is already in full swing, namely the
renovation of all 30 greens on the course. “We are receiving
fantastic support from BMW. We worked together with European Tour
experts on the renovation concept. That is the main reason why the
restruction of the 18 holes on the Championship Course is
progressing more quickly than originally planned. This will be
completed in spring 2019, ensuring ideal conditions for the BMW
International Open,” said Michel.
The old turf-bearing layer barely allowed any water to
permeate, so this is being replaced to meet the requirements for
modern greens. Around half of the greens will get new drainage. This
is not required everywhere, thanks to the permeable gravelly soil at
the GC München Eichenried. From July onwards, specialist Marc van de
Looy will sow the new grass mixture, “Creeping Bent Grass”, on holes
one to nine on the Championship Course. The greens on holes ten to
18 will get new turf after the end of the 2018 season which has been
growing on special subsoil in the turf centre at Eichenried since
the summer of 2017.
Head Greenkeeper Andrew Kelly regularly meets Graeme MacNiven,
Senior Green-keeping Consultant for the European Tour and involved
in construction of the golf course back in 1988, to discuss the
renovations. For the European Tour, it is particularly important
that the undulations remain unchanged – this is what makes the
greens fast and attractive. To allow play to continue while works
are in progress on the front nine from July 2018, the GC München
Eichenried has already laid greens around 30 metres in front of the
those to be renovated. These are at almost the same distance from
the championship tees as the standard tees. The German Golf
Association has re-rated this temporary modification to ensure that
the holes continue to be suitable for tournament play. Members and
guests can carry on golfing without any loss of distance and course
operations will not be affected by the reconstruction work. The
remaining ten holes on the course will be renovated after the end of
the 2019 season.