Last Sunday I reported that Mike DeVries, an architect whose career has so far flown under the average golfer’s radar, may be on the cusp of design stardom.
What I didn’t know until just days ago is that, in order to keep his wits about him as he oversees the construction of King Island Links, he’s engaged in what will henceforth be known in the design business as “a Gil Hanse”: He’s not only relocated to a far-away place, but he’s taken his family with him.
“I’m super excited to be here,” DeVries said from King Island in Tasmania. “This is an amazing opportunity.”
Construction is set to begin any day now, and the course is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014. DeVries says that the track will be “a true links” on “the most dynamic, diverse site” he’s ever seen. It doesn’t sound as though he’s allowing the pressure to create a genuine world-class, destination-worthy venue get to him, however.
“There’s always pressure,” he says. “Every project brings its own special opportunities.” The DeVries family moved to King Island last month and expects to stay there through the end of the year.
