Golf course design practice Thomson Perrett & Lobb, is to commence work on the new golf academy at Moscow’s Luzhniki Olympic Complex in the spring.

The golf academy will feature a 9-hole par-3 golf course design, with six of the holes sharing two large splash-shaped greens; a driving range and a practice putting area; plus a spacious clubhouse with indoor golf simulators. TPL principal Tim Lobb said: "To be working on a project that will add another dimension to an already huge sporting complex, and at a venue that could also host some of the games during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, is hugely exciting.

"We’ve concentrated on creating a golf facility that will be fun for all the family, and enable the people of Moscow to experience and learn to play golf in a relaxed environment that everyone can enjoy." The academy is an important development for both Russia and Moscow. It is the closest golf facility to the city centre and further enhances the Luzhniki Complex, which played host to the Olympics in 1980.

It already boasts facilities for more than 40 different sports and attracts five million visits per year.