Fontana Golf Club
Oberwaltersdorf, Austria

Client: Magna International

Working in collaboration with Hans Erhardt of Austria, Carrick Design was faced with the challenge of creating interesting landform features in what was essentially a flat, open site. The job involved the task of excavating a 20 acre lake beneath the groundwater level in order to obtain the sizable amount of fill necessary to create the landforms. Careful planning allowed the elaborate feat of earth moving to proceed without a hitch.

In the preliminary stage of the procedure a 40 foot deep clay-filled trench was installed around the perimeter of the lake in order to seal off groundwater seepage into the lake excavation. Several de-watering trenches were excavated while high volume pumps drained the water from the massive lake. Excavators and rock trucks hauled earth out of the lake to a depth of 35 feet in completely dry soil. Finally, the clay trench was removed and the groundwater seeped back in to refill the lake, taking 8 months to recover to its full capacity. Looking at the site now, you would never know where the soil came from to build it while the restored lake serves as one of the course's most dominant natural features.

                   
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