Biography

Golf course designer Brian Curley, partner of Schmidt-Curley Design, made a significant impact on golf course development in the Asian market. Raised in the US, Curley's background includes working and playing in Pebble Beach, and working under the renowned designer Pete Dye. However, his partnership with Lee Schmidt that formed Schmidt-Curley Design in 1997 truly started his career.

Schmidt-Curley Design gained prominence as golf's popularity soared in Asian countries. The firm established more than 40 golf courses across Thailand, Japan, and China, becoming the region's foremost course developers. Of particular note is the Mission Hills Haikou project developed one hour from Hong Kong that comprises ten golf courses.

The Mission Hills is often referred to as the "World's Largest Golf Club," with its Lava Fields Course recognized as the "Best New Course" globally by GOLF Magazine in 2011. The Blackstone course, another creation by Schmidt-Curley, was named the "No. 1 course in China" in 2012 by Asian Golf Monthly. Instead of courses developed in the US like Southern Dunes and Crosby National Golf Club, Curley takes more pride in the ones they created in China.

Curley speaks highly of their projects in China, which were executed on challenging and severe lands. He believes transforming such difficult properties into high-standard golf courses is an immense achievement. Even though these courses may not get as much recognition as more natural golf courses, for Curley, such challenging projects are a mark of professional accomplishment.