Schmidt-Curley Design

Schmidt-Curley Design is a golf course design company founded in the United States in 1997 by Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley, with its base in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its early work was centered on the American Southwest, but the practice soon moved its weight to Asia and went on to build a great many courses in China and Southeast Asia.

Lee Schmidt was born on September 14, 1947 in Carmel, Indiana. He graduated from the school of agriculture at Purdue University in 1970 and spent seven years in Pete Dye’s office, working on sites including Kingsmill Resort in Virginia and Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. He then spent twelve years at Landmark Land Company as vice president of design and construction, leading the design teams for courses such as the PGA West Stadium Course, followed by seven years as senior design associate at Nicklaus Design, the firm of Jack Nicklaus. Brian Curley, born November 12, 1959, grew up in Pebble Beach, California and came to the game working at the famous courses on his doorstep. He graduated from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1982 and joined the same Landmark Land Company. Between 1984 and 1992 he worked with Pete Dye on PGA West and the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, among others. It was during those Landmark years that the two men met.

Once the firm was established, the pair expanded their Asian work quickly, above all in China. They designed 20 courses at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen and 10 at Mission Hills Haikou on Hainan Island, building what has been called the largest golf club in the world. Their work also reached Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico and the Middle East. In 2011 they were named Architect of the Year by GOLF magazine, and they took Asian Golf Monthly’s Best Golf Course Architect – Asia-Pacific award in 2011 and again in 2012. Lee Schmidt dissolved the partnership and retired in 2019, after which Brian Curley carried the company on. In 2024 Curley founded a new firm, Curley-Wagner Golf Design, with Jim Wagner.

Among the courses listed on GoGolf, nine in Thailand are the work of Schmidt-Curley Design. The firm has a particularly long association with Siam Country Club in Pattaya: it rebuilt the Old Course, which opened in 1971, between 2006 and 2007, added the Plantation course over the same period, and opened Rolling Hills in 2020. The Old Course renovation was timed to be ready for the Honda LPGA Thailand, the LPGA Tour event that began in 2007. Amata Spring Country Club outside Bangkok is known for its 17th, whose floating island green is said to be the only one of its kind in Asia.

Schmidt-Curley courses you can book on GoGolf

• Chiang Mai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort (Chiang Mai, Thailand) — 27 holes opened in 2005, designed by Lee Schmidt
• Amata Spring Country Club (Chonburi, Thailand) — opened 2005. A Lee Schmidt design, known for the floating island green at the 17th
• Muang Kaew Golf Course (Samut Prakan, Thailand) — a course from 1993, renovated by Schmidt and Curley in 2003
• Royal Bang Pa-in Golf Club (Ayutthaya, Thailand) — built in 2017 on former rice fields and wetland. Large greens are its signature
• Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course (Chonburi, Thailand) — Thailand’s first privately owned course, opened in 1971 and completely rebuilt in 2006–2007
• Siam Country Club Pattaya Plantation (Chonburi, Thailand) — 27 holes opened in 2008, designed by Lee Schmidt
• Siam Country Club Pattaya Rolling Hills (Chonburi, Thailand) — opened 2020. The newest course at the club, laid out by Brian Curley
• Gassan Legacy Golf Club (Lamphun, Thailand) — closed in 2013 for a complete rebuild and reopened under its present name in 2014
• Best Ocean Golf Club (Samut Sakhon, Thailand) — built in 2005. A links-style layout that makes the most of its position near the sea

Tee times and rates for a given day can be checked on each course page or in the GoGolf app.

See the other golf course architects here.