1. TRUMP GOLF COURSE: Contract awarded to SOL

See Donald Trump's plan is to create the 'world's greatest' resort at Menie in Scotland.

Despite the financial downturn affecting property prices and construction projects around the world, bullish American billionaire Donald Trump remains committed to building what he has dubbed the "world's greatest golf course" in Scotland after unveiling designs for the new complex.

Trump's proposal includes 950 holiday homes, a hotel, an equestrian center, tennis courts and a residential village, on top of the championship
golf course.

See link below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8491391.stm

or visit
www.trumpgolfscotland.com


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2. OUR WORK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF:

ROYAL LYTHAM &
ST. ANNES GOLF CLUB

Links Gate, Lytham St. Anne's,
FY8 3LQ

Telephone: (01253) 724206
Fax No.: (01253) 780946

Website: www.royallytham.org
Email: bookings@royallytham.org

Secretary:
Graham Cochrane, MA (Cantab)


Tuesday, March 02, 2010


SOL Golf UK Ltd
Ballinahulla
Ballydesmond
Co. Cork
Ireland


For the attention of Michael O'Leary.


Dear Michael,

I have been asked to write to you by the Council of the Club to congratulate you, your Company and in particular Oliver Sutton and his men on the excellent work carried out on the Course over the last couple of years.

Not only has the work been carried out to a high standard but in a very good spirit. We have enjoyed working with you all, and hope that you have all enjoyed working with us.

It will be very interesting to see how the Course improvements are greeted by the Professionals when they return for the Open Championship in 2012 and how they stand the test of time.


Many thanks to you all, again.


Best wishes


Yours sincereIy,

Graham Cochrane
Secretary

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3. EIGCA

EIGCA - Sponsorship

S.O.L. Golf Construction Limited sponsored the European Institute of Golf Course Architects AGM and Study Tour.

This event was held in Girona, Spain and was attended by Mr. Michael O'Leary MD and Mr Esie O'Mahoney of S.O.L. Golf Construction Limited.


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4. KILLEEN COURSE GETS UP TO SCRATCH... BUT AT A PRICE!

At the signing of the redevolopment were Niall Reddy Chairman (right) Killarney Golf Club Ltd at the signing of the Killeen Golf Course redevelopment contract with Club Captain Arthur Hanley, Club President Louise Langan, Michael O'Leary SOL Contractor(centre) and Cannel Fitzgerald Lady Captain at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club

By Kathy O'Sullivan of The Kerryman News Paper

A €2 Millon investment by Killarney Golf and Fishing Club into its Killeen Golf Course will bring it tip to the highest internationally recognised standard - but at a very high cost to the club's income as the course will he closed until August 2006.

The greens and tees of the Killeen Golf Course are being upgraded to the US Golfing Association's standards. It is the first time major reconstruction work has been carried out on the course since it opened in 1970.

Chairman of Killarney Golf and Fishing Club Mall Reddy signed a contract thr the work to he carried out with the Ballydesmond based company Sol Golf Construction Ltd.

Funding for the work was raised through new membership fees and contributions from existing members.

Killeen Golf Course is one of Killarney Golf and Fishing Club's three courses. In the early 1990s Killeen hosted the Irish Open in two consecutive years and in 1996 the Curtis Cup was played there.

The club's secretary/manager Tom Prendergast admitted this week that the closure of the course for such a lengthy period would be a major blow to the clubs income, but said it had huge long term benefits for both the club and Killarney's tourism industry

The Killarney Club is the only golf club in Ireland with three 18-hole championship courses. Obviously the closure of Killeen will mean we can now only offer 36 holes and this will affect our income from green fees. However the work will bring the course up to USGA specifications and this will be a very good thing for the club and the entire tourism industry in Killarney" he said.

This is a very big financial commitment by the club and we are very gratefully for the support we have received from our members," he added.

Killarney Golf and Fishing Club has over 2,000 members. It opened its third course at Lackabane in 2000.


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5. AN EXTRACT FROM AN ARTICLE IN THE KINGDOM NEWS PAPER

Minister Speaks out about Killarney Golf & Fishing Club

SOL Golf Construction implemented the design of the €2.1m redevelopment of Killarney Golf & Fishing Club and has now been described as "an even more sparkling jewel in the the crown of Irish Golf" by the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism John O'Donoghue thanks to the work carried out by S.O.L.


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6. THE SUN CONTINUES TO SHINE ON SOL - ROYAL BIRKDALE

Royal Birkdale pictured above

SOL Golf Construction have for many years maintained their reputation as the greatest golf course builder on this Island. Their fame has spread dramatically of late as other designers are choosing SOL over local and International developers. SOL golf have worked on two Ryder Cup venue's, two British Open venues as well as a host of World class courses. Domestically Sol Golf has completed work's on seven Irish Open venues; Adare Manor, Ballybunion (Old), Balltray Fota Island, Killarney (Killeen), Portmarnock (Old), Royal Dublin and of course for the Seve Trophy course; at the beautiful Heritage, Killenard.

The following discusses the changes SOL constructed on a hole by hole basis at the host course for this years British Open at Birkdale.

CHANGES TO THE COURSE
All but two of Royal Birkdale's holes have been altered in the preparations for the staging of the 2008 Open Championship. These alterations are focused on tightening rather than lengthening: at 7,173 yards, the course will he playing just 155 yards longer than it did when Mark O'Meara won in 1998.

The key to this tightening is the addition of twenty new bunkers - 16 fairway arid four green side - and the significant mounding that has been added to seven of the greens, calling for a greater variety of imaginative recovery shots.

In addition, new strategic options have been introduced by changes to the lines of play on five holes: 3,9,11,16 and 17. The greatest of these changes come into play on the 9th and 17th holes the 9th fairway has been moved 25 yards to the left; and the par-5 17th has an entirely new green, which is both 25 yards further hack and raised above the fairway to create a more challenging approach shot, particularly for those who attempt to get home in two.

Once again, the hope is that the Open venue will present a traditional links test, with hard, fast fairways and plenty of roll, though as The R&A's Chief Executive Peter Dawson explained at the recent Open Championship media conference, "we're always in the lap of the gods with the weather."

No matter what the conditions are, however, visitors to The Open will enjoy a superb spectator experience: Royal Birkdale's sand dunes have always provided many natural vantage points, and further new mounds have been added on five holes to provide even better views of the action.

HOLE 1.
Tough opening hole that requires a good tee shot. The closer the drive is to the fairway bunker, the better the player's view of the green and angle of attack.

SOL-CHANGES:
The Bunkering has been tightened into the green arid new greenside mounding and contouring reward the more accurate second shot. With the designer Martin Hawtree we felt that this would capture all the essence of this great event. Its the 9th time The Open has been played here and we wanted the viewers at home to get feel as much of the excitement of the Tee-off as possible.

HOLE 2.
A straight hole that plays into the prevailing wind, and demands a good approach shot to a green that is well protected by half a dozen bunkers and rough-covered banks.

SOL-CHANGES:
This used to be just a straightforward hole which would allow golfers get into their stride for what awaited them. Described by the R&A as an almost bland drive has been made very challenging and visually testing. We added two bunkers on the right in the 300 yard drive zone, and about 45 yards of mounding up the left in the 250-290 yard zone. This hole can no longer be considered 'bland' as it will take careful planning in the approach.

HOLE 3.
The angle of the green makes it important to keep the tee shot down the left-hand side of the fairway to open up the best approaches to the well-protected green, but with three bunkers at driving distance anything in the fairway is a good shot.

SOL-CHANGES:
We placed a new tee set back in the dunes which has made this hole play more as a dogleg. With the new bunkers on the left side of the fairway, a very hard and tough drive awaits. The area around the green, previously flat, has had mounds and swabs added to create run-off areas for the second shot, and a new front-right greenside bunker opens up more pin positions. This hole should generate heart stopping excitement if the wind blows up.

HOLE 4.
The first and longest of the par-3s typically plays over 200 yards in a crosswind to a green that does not gather the hall.

SOL-CHANGES:
Tightened bunkering into the green. New mounding introduced to the right of the hole will kick an errant shot away from the green, presenting a difficult up-sod-down to the player.

HOLE 5.
A short, dogleg par-4 that might theoretically be drivable in the right conditions, but one which plays almost into the prevailing wind and has a narrow, two-tier green which is protected by no fewer than seven bunkers.

SOL-CHANGES:
Tightened bunkering around the green calls for an even more accurate approach, and the green has been extended a little on the right to open up a wider variety of hole locations.

HOLE 6.
A magnificent long par-4 that demands a lot of thought from the tee, with a fairway bunker on the right at 280 yards and another on the left at 300 yards. Either way, the player is left needing to thread a long approach shot to an elevated green which is well-contoured and surrounded by dunes.

SOL-CHANGES:
A new tee 20 yards further back makes the drive even more challenging, particularly with the new fairway bunker on the left, and a new bunker has been set into the hill on the left side of the green.

HOLE 7.
An outstanding par-3 which demands a shot over rough land to an upturned-saucer green that is protected by seven bunkers.

SOL-CHANGES:
This hole is one of two that are unchanged.

HOLE 8.
The tee shot needs to be highly accurate to thread its way between the four fairway bunkers between 250 and 33° yards. Two deep pot bunkers guard the large, deceptively tricky green.

SOL-CHANGES:
The challenge of the tee shot is increased dramatically by the new fairway bunkering on the left at 267 yards and on the right at 307 yards. The green has been extended to provide a greater variety of pin positions.

HOLE 9.
A left-to-right dogleg hole that, unusually for Royal Birkdale, has a blind tee shot. The lack of fairway bunkers makes it tempting to cut the corner, but extensive mounds down the right hand side will catch anything less than perfectly struck. The raised green has two bunkers set into hill.

SOL-CHANGES:
Extensive changes have been made to this hole: the fairway has been moved 25 yards left to make it a more accentuated dogleg, and both the mounding down the right hand side and the front left greenside bunker are new.

HOLE 10.
Though relatively short, this sharp right-to-left dogleg demands a pinpoint drive to find the space between the five fairway bunkers. Anything wayward from the tee makes the second shot extremely tricky.

SOL-CHANGES:
The tee has been moved further right, the fairway bunkers on the left have been moved forward and a new fairway bunker has been added on the right.

HOLE 11.
Playing into the prevailing wind turns this straightforward hole into a very difficult one, demanding a very straight tee shot. The variety of difficult pin locations on along, angled green demand spot-on club selection with the approach.

SOL-CHANGES:
A new back tee has lengthened the hole by almost 30 yards, and the fairway has been both tightened and protected with a new bunker on the left.

HOLE 12.
One of the most famous par-3s at any of the Open venues, this stunning short hole demands an approach to a green that's nestled deep into the dunes and protected by tour bunkers.

SOL-CHANGES:
This is the second of two holes which are unchanged.

HOLE 13.
A big, strong par-4 which, like the 6th, plays at 499 yards, The kFeA's unofficial maximum length for a par-4 hole. Five fairway bunkers mean that sand is in play no matter where the wind is coming from, though the prevailing wind helps the player. Long second shot required to a beautiful green framed by dunes.

SOL-CHANGES:
Fairway bunkering changes have moved one hazard. We raised the profile of another and added a third that is totally new. Those used to playing the course again have to use careful planning to avoid the new trap's.

HOLE 14.
The elevated tee on the last of the par-3s is sheltered from the prevailing wind, making club selection difficult. Deep pot bunkers and a run-off to the rear protect the puffing surface.

SOL-CHANGES:
The bunkering has been tightened into the green, making it more aggressive. This hole will prove difficult for the best players in the world. The swale at the back is new to allow for a challenging rear pin position. Accuracy will be rewarded and if the weather does what it wants, watch out for some serious frustration from this elevated Tee.

HOLE 15.
The first of the course's two par-5s is also the hole on which the four-hole play-off would start in the event of a tie. 15 bunkers protect what is a long, narrow hole that plays almost into the prevailing wind.

SOL-CHANGES:
The tee has been moved slightly left, though no further back, and new fairway bunkers have been added at driving distance. Mounding at the green approach has been added, and trees on the left have been removed to open up the links aspect of the hole. Again, this picturesque hole will entice the brave and suit the traditional links players more.

HOLE 16.
A long carry into the prevailing wind over rough ground makes this a fearsome tee shot. There are run-off areas to either side and behind the green, making an accurate approach of vital importance.

SOL-CHANGES: The new back tee adds 23 yards on this scary golf hole. The changes have meant that turning what was a relatively short par-4 is now a seriously tough hole. Contouring around the green is new, and trees behind the green have been removed to create an open appearance and a less defined target.

HOLE 17.
The famous 17th, the second of the par-5s, is the longest hole on the course, yet the prevailing wind means that it will still be reachable in two. Not that taking it on is for the faint-hearted: after avoiding the two bunkers at driving distance, the green is a tiny) two-tier target with extreme undulations and three deep pot bunkers cutting into its sides.

SOL-CHANGES:
When its calm, this hole has been made to reward arid reduce score's. Once you could drive it in two. We put in new fairway bunkers on the right side of the fairway, at 316 and 320 yards meaning this hole is no longer a sojourn from the rest of the course. The approach has been tightened to the brand new green, which is 30 yards further back than before. This famous hole could be a heart-breaker.

HOLE 18.
This classic, tough finishing hole is a long par-4 with out-of-hounds down the right hand side and three bunkers coming into play off the tee, depending on the wind. The green, which sits immediately below the famous clubhouse, has a narrow entrance that's protected by three bunkers.

SOL-CHANGES:
New fairway bunkering is added at just over 300 yards on the left side of the fairway, snaking for a tougher the tee shot and we believe Martin has designed one of the most exciting and picturesque holes in golf. As an Irish owned and Managed Company, I can't wait to see the eventual winner walk down the eighteenth hole to history. The fact that there was an Irish winner has meant so much to Sol Golf Construction. We are so proud of Padraig and our dedicated staff.


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10. GOLF DIGEST SURVEY.

The Royal Dublin Golf Club pictured above is one of 7 Irish Open Golf Courses that S.O.L. Golf Construction have worked on.

This extract article was taken from a 'Golf Digest Survey' that was in The Irish Independent on 20th May 2008.

S.O.L. Golf Construction have worked on 6 of the top 10 & 30 out of the top 100 clubs.

We have also worked on:

2 Ryder Cup venues,
• Royal Birkdale & Royal Portrush.

2 British Open venues:
• Royal Birkdale & Royal Portrush, & also Ladies Open on both of these courses.

7 Irish Open venues:
• Adare Manor
• Ballybunion (Old)
• Balltray
• Fota Island
• Killarney (Killeen)
• Portmarnock (Old)
• Royal Dublin (shown),

1 Seve Trophy course:
• The Heritage, Killenard,


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13. Halmstad Golf Arena AB (Sweden)

Europe:
May 2010: SOL has been awarded the contract to build a new golfing academy that is being developed in Halmstad, near Gothenburg in Sweden.