Construction Finished at Rio Olympic Golf Course

(ATR) The grass has finally been laid at the Rio 2016 Olympic golf course.

Course designer Gil Hanse said in an interview with the Golf Channel that "thankfully" construction has finished at the Olympic course in Barra de Tijuica.

"The last tees were sprigged the first week of December, so they just need to grass the driving range," Hanse said.

"We’re now in full growing mode."

The course will take two full growing seasons to be finished, which puts the course on target to be ready by early 2016, the conclusion of the South American summer.

Rio City Hall estimates the course will be fully delivered in the second trimester of 2016.A test event is scheduled for November 2015.

"The project has obviously had some setbacks, but we’re all enthused," Hanse added.

"We are proud of what’s being built. It’s all behind us and is full steam ahead.

The golf course was subject to delays by a lawsuit brought forth by the state of Rio de Janeiro on environmental grounds. The state argued that the course infringed on a nearby wildlife preserved and sought a halting of construction to make changes to the course design.

Judge Eduardo Antonio Klausener ruled in favor of not halting construction on Nov. 27, and said that the changes made to the course had done enough to preserve the environmental integrity of the area.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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