The Week That Was: July 18, 2010

I'm sorry that the weekly news post is late this week. Here in suburban Washington, DC -- just for reminders, it's the capital of the free world and arguably the most powerful city in the nation -- we lost electrical power on Sunday afternoon and, at least in my neighborhood, didn't get it restored until just after six o'clock this morning.

That's nearly 90 hours. In late July.

But I'm back online now. What's a little misery between friends?

spain Norman's Next Conquest?

The Great White Shark has meaty prey in his sights.

The Daily Mail reports that Greg Norman wants to buy Valderrama Golf Club, arguably Europe's most delectable golf property. To acquire the club, Norman has joined forces with David Spencer, the former CEO of Leisurecorp, the company that's built a pair of Norman-designed courses at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

china Seeing Red Over 'Green Opium'

The golf boom on Hainan Island has ticked off some Chinese environmental groups.

According to CNN, the groups have mostly trained their ire on Mission Hills Hainan, which has three recently opened courses and could eventually have seven more. (Also in the master plan are three shopping malls, a spa, and meeting space, all to complement the existing 525-room hotel.)

Like environmentalists everywhere, those on Hainan worry that the slew of planned golf courses will damage the island's natural attributes, in particular its famous rain forests, and eradicate some of its 300 endangered species.

"Where does this begin, and where does it end?" asked the CEO of a group that promotes sustainable golf.

Perhaps it was a rhetorical question.

Nonetheless, an answer came from Ken Chu, one of the principals of the group developing Mission Hills. Via e-mail to CNN, Chu said, in part, "Our current project in Haikou has transformed a barren, lava-rock landscape into an economically productive community."

Take that, you tree-loving pinkos!

philippines A Golf Course for Bataan Island

The recently established Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan is creating a master plan for its future, and it appears to be taking some cues from Las Vegas.

AFAB hopes the master plan will attract private-sector developers willing to build all the usual attractions on the former 4,375-acre Bataan economic zone, including port facilities, business parks, and a duty-free shopping area. But what caught our eye were the tourist traps, which include a casino, some hotels, a resort area, an "eco-park," and a golf course.

“We’re not out to compete with Subic or Clark,” AFAB's chairman told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “We're looking at what they already have so that we can complement the businesses that are already there.”

australia Is Ashlar Golf Club Ready to Relocate?

Last week, the members of Ashlar Golf Club were scheduled to vote on what amounts to a land swap that will give them ownership of the soon-to-open Stonecutters Ridge Golf Course in suburban Sydney.

The deal has been orchestrated by Urban Pacific, a developer affiliated with Medallist Developments. Medallist, which is owned in part by Greg Norman's Great White Shark Enterprises, is eager to build on Ashlar's coveted home.

If Ashlar's members approve the move, they'll take over the Norman-designed course at Stonecutters Ridge in 2011. They've been told that the Stonecutters Ridge property is valued at $30 million.

australia Gainsborough Greens Will Get a Makeover


Mirvac, a big Australian residential developer, plans to completely overhaul Gainsborough Greens Golf Course in suburban Brisbane.

Mirvac will make the 20-year-old course the centerpiece of a 2,300-house development. It hopes to start selling lots in the community this fall.

The company has hired Ross Watson to oversee the renovation, which will include the construction of six new holes. When he's finished, Watson told Gold Coast Business, the course will offer golfers "a unique Australian bushland golfing experience that is both pleasurable and challenging."

georgia Player Makes Sea Island's Cut

A investment group led by Gary Player is on the short list of bidders likely to buy the tony Sea Island resort in Georgia. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the property "will likely be sold at a steep discount."

Player's competition for the resort, which has a pair of 18-hole golf courses, includes:

-- Anschutz Entertainment Group, a California-based firm that owns the Los Angeles Kings and other sports-related assets, including the Kingsmill golf resort in Williamsburg, Virginia;


-- Starwood Capital Group, which owns Starwood Hotels & Resorts (it controls the Sheraton, St. Regis, Westin, and W brands) and is said to "covet" Sea Island; and

-- Huizenga Holdings, a company run by H. Wayne Huizenga, who at one time or another owned Waste Management, Blockbuster, AutoNation, the Miami Dolphins, the Florida Panthers, and several golf properties in Florida.

Player, you may remember, controls a recently created billion-dollar investment fund, funded mostly by Middle Eastern interests, that aims to buy “iconic resorts where there are existing hotel, residential, [and] golf amenities that have been over-capitalized.”