When a South Korean family thinks about taking a vacation, it often thinks about the Philippines.
That’s why M Castle Company, Ltd., a Korean developer, plans to build a 1,500-acre resort community along Subic Bay in Morong, about 12 miles south of Olongapo City. The project was recently approved by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, which oversees the development that takes place on property controlled by the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
M Castle has developed some well-regarded resort communities in South Korea, including Ocean Castle Resort on Anmyeondo Island and Duksan Spa Castle in Yesan Chungnam. Both resorts have lodging, meeting space, spas, and other attractions, but no golf courses.
The company has been working on its venture in the Philippines for several years. It believes it can market its to-be-named community not just to vacationers but also to retirees who wish to spend their golden years playing golf in a tropical setting.
The community in Morong will include a to-be-determined number of villas and condos, a 2,400-room waterfront hotel, a marina with berths for 50 boats, a medical center, a wellness center, a water park, a shopping mall, classrooms for English-language training, and a 36-hole golf complex.
It’ll be the first major development to be built on what’s known as the expanded Freeport Zone.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Week That Was: August 22, 2010
cuba Making a Play for Golf
With what it called "the aim of amplifying and facilitating" foreign investment in its tourism industry, Cuba has agreed to allow foreign investors to lease government-owned property for as long as 99 years.
Investors from all over the planet -- with the exception of the United States, of course -- have been begging Cuba to offer such extended leases for years, contending that the mere 50-year leases it had been offering were a major impediment to development. Now we'll see if those investors are willing to put their money where their mouths were.
Golf developers, you're on the clock. Cuba is rolling out the proverbial red carpet, inviting the development of the whole gamut of resort amenities: hotels, condos, time-share units, and, yes, golf courses.
Here's the mostly predictable reaction:
"I think this is huge," the CEO of Leisure Canada told the Associated Press. "This is probably one of the most significant moves in recent years relative to attracting foreign investment."
"It's exceedingly good news," said the CEO of Esencia Hotels and Resorts. "It's been a long road. But having said that, it's very important for the country that they get each step right, and this is a very big step for them."
As you probably know, both Leisure Canada and Esencia have a vested interest in policies related to tourism in Cuba. For what seems like forever, Leisure Canada has wanted to build a resort community with two "championship" golf courses on beachfront property in Jibacoa. For a slightly shorter time, Esencia has wanted to build a golf course as part of Carbonera Country Club in Varadero.
Outside the development community, the response to the news wasn't quite so enthusiastic.
"I don't think it's going to open a floodgate. I think it may turn on a tap so that people know there's water," said a senior policy adviser for the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. "Making one change isn't a panacea to solving the issues that companies have in evaluating their opportunities in Cuba."
Maybe not, but give Cuba credit for cracking open the development door. The question now is, how long do we have to wait for the U.S. government to lift its trade embargo and allow people like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Doak, and Robert Trent Jones, Jr. to design some of Cuba's golf courses?
scotland A New Nine for Ballumbie Castle?
A Scottish home builder wants to add nine holes to Ballumbie Castle Golf Club, if it can get permission to build some houses on adjacent property.
Stewart Milne Homes is working with the club's owner, Stuart Harrod, on the proposal, which calls for 150 houses and an unspecified upgrade to the club's 10-year-old, 18-hole golf course.
To make their dreams come true, however, it appears that the partners will have to change some hearts and minds. At the plan's unveiling, several local residents didn't hesitate to share their objections with a reporter from the Courier.
"It seems to be they are just doing whatever they like," a neighbor griped. "Big business is walking over a few residents."
Oh, well, opinions can change.
Incidentally, Ballumbie Castle is in Dundee, just down the road from Carnoustie. The golf course was built in the shadow of an actual historic castle -- now mostly in ruins -- that dates from the 14th century.
wisconsin Golf's Value: $2.4 Billion
A team of economic researchers has determined that golf was worth $2.4 billion to the state of Wisconsin in 2008.
According to the Wisconsin Golf Economy Report, a study prepared by SRI International, golf generates more than 38,000 jobs in the state and provides $771.5 million worth of wages. Wisconsin's s nearly 500 golf facilities serve as the main drivers of the golf economy.
The results of the study were made public during a press conference held in conjunction with the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
“The impact of major tournaments like the 92nd PGA is great, but the impact of the thousands of golfers who come to play all of the other courses is even greater,” said the managing editor of Key Milwaukee Magazine in comments reported by BizTimes.
south sudan ... And the Golf Course Is a Real Beast
From the Department of Now We've Heard It All: The government of Southern Sudan has unveiled plans to rebuild all 10 of its state capitals in the shape of animals.
According to CNN, one of the cities will take the shape of a giraffe "with a golf course on its chest and a sewage treatment plant on its tail."
You won't be surprised to learn that the gambit is designed to draw attention to one of the poorest places on earth. Never mind that the money for the multibillion-dollar project will be difficult, probably impossible, to find. Heck, most of Southern Sudan doesn't yet have paved roads.
"The reaction has been very good," said the plan's creator, an undersecretary in the nation's ministry of housing and physical planning. "We have been getting calls from everywhere."
california Sherwood Country Club Gets an Upgrade
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Antony -- described by ShowBizSpy as "her runt of a husband" -- are eager to join Sherwood Country Club, the tony, star-filled digs in Thousand Oaks, California.
The couple, who have a nice new house in Hidden Hills, recently interviewed at the member-owned club. (David Murdock sold it to them in 2007.)
“Jennifer did all the talk. Marc barely said anything,” said a source. “It seemed clear that he didn’t want to mess up, like it was really important to her.”
News of the couple's interest in the club was first reported by In Touch Weekly. The Weekly also reported that Lopez hopes to join the board of Hidden Hills' homeowners’ association.
Will wonders never cease?
If I was telling this story through one of J Lo's songs, would it be "In a Fantasy" or "It's Not That Serious"?
With what it called "the aim of amplifying and facilitating" foreign investment in its tourism industry, Cuba has agreed to allow foreign investors to lease government-owned property for as long as 99 years.
Investors from all over the planet -- with the exception of the United States, of course -- have been begging Cuba to offer such extended leases for years, contending that the mere 50-year leases it had been offering were a major impediment to development. Now we'll see if those investors are willing to put their money where their mouths were.
Golf developers, you're on the clock. Cuba is rolling out the proverbial red carpet, inviting the development of the whole gamut of resort amenities: hotels, condos, time-share units, and, yes, golf courses.
Here's the mostly predictable reaction:
"I think this is huge," the CEO of Leisure Canada told the Associated Press. "This is probably one of the most significant moves in recent years relative to attracting foreign investment."
"It's exceedingly good news," said the CEO of Esencia Hotels and Resorts. "It's been a long road. But having said that, it's very important for the country that they get each step right, and this is a very big step for them."
As you probably know, both Leisure Canada and Esencia have a vested interest in policies related to tourism in Cuba. For what seems like forever, Leisure Canada has wanted to build a resort community with two "championship" golf courses on beachfront property in Jibacoa. For a slightly shorter time, Esencia has wanted to build a golf course as part of Carbonera Country Club in Varadero.
Outside the development community, the response to the news wasn't quite so enthusiastic.
"I don't think it's going to open a floodgate. I think it may turn on a tap so that people know there's water," said a senior policy adviser for the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. "Making one change isn't a panacea to solving the issues that companies have in evaluating their opportunities in Cuba."
Maybe not, but give Cuba credit for cracking open the development door. The question now is, how long do we have to wait for the U.S. government to lift its trade embargo and allow people like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Doak, and Robert Trent Jones, Jr. to design some of Cuba's golf courses?
scotland A New Nine for Ballumbie Castle?
A Scottish home builder wants to add nine holes to Ballumbie Castle Golf Club, if it can get permission to build some houses on adjacent property.
Stewart Milne Homes is working with the club's owner, Stuart Harrod, on the proposal, which calls for 150 houses and an unspecified upgrade to the club's 10-year-old, 18-hole golf course.
To make their dreams come true, however, it appears that the partners will have to change some hearts and minds. At the plan's unveiling, several local residents didn't hesitate to share their objections with a reporter from the Courier.
"It seems to be they are just doing whatever they like," a neighbor griped. "Big business is walking over a few residents."
Oh, well, opinions can change.
Incidentally, Ballumbie Castle is in Dundee, just down the road from Carnoustie. The golf course was built in the shadow of an actual historic castle -- now mostly in ruins -- that dates from the 14th century.
wisconsin Golf's Value: $2.4 Billion
A team of economic researchers has determined that golf was worth $2.4 billion to the state of Wisconsin in 2008.
According to the Wisconsin Golf Economy Report, a study prepared by SRI International, golf generates more than 38,000 jobs in the state and provides $771.5 million worth of wages. Wisconsin's s nearly 500 golf facilities serve as the main drivers of the golf economy.
The results of the study were made public during a press conference held in conjunction with the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
“The impact of major tournaments like the 92nd PGA is great, but the impact of the thousands of golfers who come to play all of the other courses is even greater,” said the managing editor of Key Milwaukee Magazine in comments reported by BizTimes.
south sudan ... And the Golf Course Is a Real Beast
From the Department of Now We've Heard It All: The government of Southern Sudan has unveiled plans to rebuild all 10 of its state capitals in the shape of animals.
According to CNN, one of the cities will take the shape of a giraffe "with a golf course on its chest and a sewage treatment plant on its tail."
You won't be surprised to learn that the gambit is designed to draw attention to one of the poorest places on earth. Never mind that the money for the multibillion-dollar project will be difficult, probably impossible, to find. Heck, most of Southern Sudan doesn't yet have paved roads.
"The reaction has been very good," said the plan's creator, an undersecretary in the nation's ministry of housing and physical planning. "We have been getting calls from everywhere."
california Sherwood Country Club Gets an Upgrade
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Antony -- described by ShowBizSpy as "her runt of a husband" -- are eager to join Sherwood Country Club, the tony, star-filled digs in Thousand Oaks, California.
The couple, who have a nice new house in Hidden Hills, recently interviewed at the member-owned club. (David Murdock sold it to them in 2007.)
“Jennifer did all the talk. Marc barely said anything,” said a source. “It seemed clear that he didn’t want to mess up, like it was really important to her.”
News of the couple's interest in the club was first reported by In Touch Weekly. The Weekly also reported that Lopez hopes to join the board of Hidden Hills' homeowners’ association.
Will wonders never cease?
If I was telling this story through one of J Lo's songs, would it be "In a Fantasy" or "It's Not That Serious"?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
brazil Is This the Inevitable?
The greatest male and female golfers who ever lived, Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam, have formally petitioned to co-design the golf venue for Brazil’s Olympic games in 2016.
The ying and yang of their pairing may be irresistible to the International Golf Federation, which has so far received expressions of interest from about a dozen design firms but none with such zing.
Nicklaus, who discussed the project with reporters during the Memorial Tournament last spring, said a site for the course has been identified, presumably somewhere in suburban Rio de Janiero. He said, “I think this is a very functional partnership” and “I’ll be surprised if they don’t select us.”
Various reports say that the IGF won’t name a designer until it finds an executive director, which may not happen until the end of 2010. Ty Votaw, the PGA Tour’s P.R. man, is running the group for the time being.
Don’t expect the designer, whoever he or she may be, to cut any corners, because Brazil’s deep-pocketed Olympic committee is going to foot the bill for the construction costs.
InternationalGolfFederation.org
The ying and yang of their pairing may be irresistible to the International Golf Federation, which has so far received expressions of interest from about a dozen design firms but none with such zing.
Nicklaus, who discussed the project with reporters during the Memorial Tournament last spring, said a site for the course has been identified, presumably somewhere in suburban Rio de Janiero. He said, “I think this is a very functional partnership” and “I’ll be surprised if they don’t select us.”
Various reports say that the IGF won’t name a designer until it finds an executive director, which may not happen until the end of 2010. Ty Votaw, the PGA Tour’s P.R. man, is running the group for the time being.
Don’t expect the designer, whoever he or she may be, to cut any corners, because Brazil’s deep-pocketed Olympic committee is going to foot the bill for the construction costs.
InternationalGolfFederation.org
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
talking points Hot Spots for Golf Travel
The folks at KPMG's Golf Advisory Service recently discussed the current state of golf travel with Andrew Stanley, the CEO of Golfbreaks.com. Stanley, who's based in England, weighed in on a variety of topics, and you can read the complete interview at the Golf Business Community's website.
For this post, I've selected comments Stanley made about the hot-spots for golf travelers. Since his company books golf holidays in both established and up-and-coming golf destinations, he knows where they are.
Demand in Spain and Portugal, generally speaking, is down, although Golfbreaks’ business is tracking on a 30 percent increase this year to both destinations. However, Spain and Portugal both dropped their prices to stimulate demand, followed by France and, latterly, Ireland. Demand for the USA and South Africa also diminished, although the rest of the world and the top end of the market have been less affected. . . .
The U.K. is still our number one market, both by volume and price. Interestingly, Wales, which is hosting the Ryder Cup, has had a very strong year, driven by some high-profile marketing. As I said, Spain and Portugal have been strong for us, although this may not be reflected in the wider market. France has also bounced back for us after a quiet year in 2009. . . .
There is very strong demand for Turkey now, which is benefitting from word-of-mouth recommendations. It’s one of the fastest-growing destinations, albeit starting from a low base. We are 50 percent up, year-on-year, for Turkey. . . .
We are keeping a close eye on the United Arab Emirates, too, which is looking promising. . . .
The long-haul destinations have been worst hit -– the USA in particular. Airlines have cut back the number of flights, so prices have increased, putting people off. Ireland and France also suffered, largely because they were very slow to react to price reductions and tactics to stimulate demand. . . .
Demand for South Africa, before and during the World Cup, took a knock, which we anticipated because of the cost of flights and people wanting to avoid the area. But we are surprised not to have seen any uplift subsequently. We thought people would have been more interested in going, but there is no evidence to support this. . . .
Inbound and outbound, Asia is a tough nut to crack. Tour operators need to ask, ‘Are we selling golf holidays, or holidays with golf?’ Thailand is not on our radar at the moment because the number of people going over there to play golf is small. Of course, there are golfers going there, but they are going for a holiday and maybe playing a couple of rounds of golf while there.
Over the next couple of years, we’ll start to see airline capacity to the USA and the Caribbean increase again, and I think we’ll see resurgence in these two regions. These will be the future hot spots, in my opinion. . . .
I believe the outlook is actually extremely positive. Despite the economic uncertainty, golfers have shown they want their fix of golf and are willing to travel. Golfbreaks.com is predicting significant growth in its business this year, possibly double-digit growth.
For this post, I've selected comments Stanley made about the hot-spots for golf travelers. Since his company books golf holidays in both established and up-and-coming golf destinations, he knows where they are.
Demand in Spain and Portugal, generally speaking, is down, although Golfbreaks’ business is tracking on a 30 percent increase this year to both destinations. However, Spain and Portugal both dropped their prices to stimulate demand, followed by France and, latterly, Ireland. Demand for the USA and South Africa also diminished, although the rest of the world and the top end of the market have been less affected. . . .
The U.K. is still our number one market, both by volume and price. Interestingly, Wales, which is hosting the Ryder Cup, has had a very strong year, driven by some high-profile marketing. As I said, Spain and Portugal have been strong for us, although this may not be reflected in the wider market. France has also bounced back for us after a quiet year in 2009. . . .
There is very strong demand for Turkey now, which is benefitting from word-of-mouth recommendations. It’s one of the fastest-growing destinations, albeit starting from a low base. We are 50 percent up, year-on-year, for Turkey. . . .
We are keeping a close eye on the United Arab Emirates, too, which is looking promising. . . .
The long-haul destinations have been worst hit -– the USA in particular. Airlines have cut back the number of flights, so prices have increased, putting people off. Ireland and France also suffered, largely because they were very slow to react to price reductions and tactics to stimulate demand. . . .
Demand for South Africa, before and during the World Cup, took a knock, which we anticipated because of the cost of flights and people wanting to avoid the area. But we are surprised not to have seen any uplift subsequently. We thought people would have been more interested in going, but there is no evidence to support this. . . .
Inbound and outbound, Asia is a tough nut to crack. Tour operators need to ask, ‘Are we selling golf holidays, or holidays with golf?’ Thailand is not on our radar at the moment because the number of people going over there to play golf is small. Of course, there are golfers going there, but they are going for a holiday and maybe playing a couple of rounds of golf while there.
Over the next couple of years, we’ll start to see airline capacity to the USA and the Caribbean increase again, and I think we’ll see resurgence in these two regions. These will be the future hot spots, in my opinion. . . .
I believe the outlook is actually extremely positive. Despite the economic uncertainty, golfers have shown they want their fix of golf and are willing to travel. Golfbreaks.com is predicting significant growth in its business this year, possibly double-digit growth.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Week That Was: August 15, 2010
france A Modest Proposal To "Grow the Game"
The 2018 Ryder Cup will be played somewhere in continental Europe, and the competition for the prized international golf event is heating up.
Five nations remain in the hunt, as Sweden recently dropped out due to a lack of corporate and government support. Based on a reading of a recent story in the Irish Times, the odds-on favorites appear to be France and Germany, as the other contenders -- Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands -- have deficiencies that may be difficult to overcome.
What intrigues me is France's proposal. Unlike its competitors, which plan to build new courses for the Ryder Cup, France would stage the event at an existing course, the Albatross track at Le Golf National in suburban Paris. With the money it could have spent on a new course, France proposes to create what amounts to a golf legacy, in the form of 100 golf facilities -- driving ranges and par-3 or pitch-'n'-putt courses -- that would be built in cities across the nation.
The idea -- or at least the hope -- is to create legions of new golfers who'd sustain the game for generations. France currently has 410,000 "registered" golfers, and the nation's golf federation believes it can, with the Ryder Cup's promotional help, increase the number to 700,000 by 2020.
Chinese officials proposed a similar idea earlier this year. When they did, golf organizations from every nook and cranny of the planet offered praise, and many of the world's most prominent architects pledged to help China "grow the game" in any way they could.
Curiously, I haven't heard even one important voice in golf utter a single word of support for France's plan to do essentially the same thing China wants to do. Why not? Is it more important to grow the game in Beijing than in Bordeaux?
australia Greg Norman Steps Back in Time
Later this year, Greg Norman will oversee a redesign of the East course at Grange Golf Club in suburban Adelaide.
It's a return to where it all started to Norman, who won his first professional tournament on the course way back in 1976.
“I continually say that winning the West Lakes Classic in ‘76 has always been the highlight of my career, because that tournament is what started my career,” Norman told the Weekly Times Messenger.
The course opened in 1967, and it's never been upgraded. The scope of the renovation won't be determined for several months, but the course will almost certainly require a thorough overhaul.
“Our problem is going to be that there are so many options,” said one of Norman's associates. “It’s now about finding the best option.”
The construction is expected to begin sometime in 2011 and conclude in 2014.
costa rica The Zero Sum Solution
Costa Rica: It's not just for health care anymore.
No, these days Costa Rica is also for real estate investment. Unfortunately, hardly anybody is buying.
The latest evidence comes from Guanacaste Country Club, a gated golf community in suburban Liberia. To move its lots, the club is offering a mighty sweet deal: No down payment, 100 percent seller financing.
More important, the developers are dealing. A press release from the club, whose featured attraction will be a Jack Nicklaus "signature" golf course, says that "prices are currently being offered at discounts to entice early investment."
In other words, get 'em while they're cold!
Craig Williamson, the community's developer, says his offer “presents a rare and extraordinary opportunity to invest in an excellent wealth protection program as Americans and the world in general recover from the financial crisis.”
new england The Sun Puts a Shine on Golf
Although the U.S. golf business remains in the dumps, golf courses in New England are posting increases in play this year.
The Patriot Ledger reports that rounds played at courses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island this year have increased by 4.4 percent from 2009, while play at courses in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont is up by nearly 25 percent.
The course operators attribute the increase in part to an improving economy, in part to good weather.
“The economy was obviously part of the problem [in 2009], but it was also unusually rainy last year,” a course operator told the paper. “This year, with better weather, our rounds are up substantially over 2009 and even ahead of 2008 through July.”
china No Actual Reporting Required
This week, the website of China International Business blew sweet kisses to Mission Hills Haikou, the emerging golf resort on Hainan Island.
China International Business' untitled article masqueraded as a profile of the resort's three recently opened golf courses. In fact, it was little more than a re-write of a press release issued by the course's designers, Scottsdale, Arizona-based Schmidt-Curley Design. For comparison purposes, here's Cybergolf's version of the press release.
I don't ordinarily care to waste any time talking about stuff like this. I bring it up now because, all too often these days, people read stories in newspapers and magazines and assume that they're reading independently produced, "factual" material. Sadly, nowadays publications are so desperate for what they call "content" that they increasingly rely on the work of publicists to fill their pages.
Of course, they do it at the expense of their credibility. They don't think anyone will call them out on it.
Well, I'm calling out China International Business. I'm saying that it should invest in real reporting by real reporters. I'm saying that it should care more about its readers and less about its advertisers.
And I'm saying it's too bad that golf journalism in particular is littered with such nonsense.
The 2018 Ryder Cup will be played somewhere in continental Europe, and the competition for the prized international golf event is heating up.
Five nations remain in the hunt, as Sweden recently dropped out due to a lack of corporate and government support. Based on a reading of a recent story in the Irish Times, the odds-on favorites appear to be France and Germany, as the other contenders -- Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands -- have deficiencies that may be difficult to overcome.
What intrigues me is France's proposal. Unlike its competitors, which plan to build new courses for the Ryder Cup, France would stage the event at an existing course, the Albatross track at Le Golf National in suburban Paris. With the money it could have spent on a new course, France proposes to create what amounts to a golf legacy, in the form of 100 golf facilities -- driving ranges and par-3 or pitch-'n'-putt courses -- that would be built in cities across the nation.
The idea -- or at least the hope -- is to create legions of new golfers who'd sustain the game for generations. France currently has 410,000 "registered" golfers, and the nation's golf federation believes it can, with the Ryder Cup's promotional help, increase the number to 700,000 by 2020.
Chinese officials proposed a similar idea earlier this year. When they did, golf organizations from every nook and cranny of the planet offered praise, and many of the world's most prominent architects pledged to help China "grow the game" in any way they could.
Curiously, I haven't heard even one important voice in golf utter a single word of support for France's plan to do essentially the same thing China wants to do. Why not? Is it more important to grow the game in Beijing than in Bordeaux?
australia Greg Norman Steps Back in Time
Later this year, Greg Norman will oversee a redesign of the East course at Grange Golf Club in suburban Adelaide.
It's a return to where it all started to Norman, who won his first professional tournament on the course way back in 1976.
“I continually say that winning the West Lakes Classic in ‘76 has always been the highlight of my career, because that tournament is what started my career,” Norman told the Weekly Times Messenger.
The course opened in 1967, and it's never been upgraded. The scope of the renovation won't be determined for several months, but the course will almost certainly require a thorough overhaul.
“Our problem is going to be that there are so many options,” said one of Norman's associates. “It’s now about finding the best option.”
The construction is expected to begin sometime in 2011 and conclude in 2014.
costa rica The Zero Sum Solution
Costa Rica: It's not just for health care anymore.
No, these days Costa Rica is also for real estate investment. Unfortunately, hardly anybody is buying.
The latest evidence comes from Guanacaste Country Club, a gated golf community in suburban Liberia. To move its lots, the club is offering a mighty sweet deal: No down payment, 100 percent seller financing.
More important, the developers are dealing. A press release from the club, whose featured attraction will be a Jack Nicklaus "signature" golf course, says that "prices are currently being offered at discounts to entice early investment."
In other words, get 'em while they're cold!
Craig Williamson, the community's developer, says his offer “presents a rare and extraordinary opportunity to invest in an excellent wealth protection program as Americans and the world in general recover from the financial crisis.”
new england The Sun Puts a Shine on Golf
Although the U.S. golf business remains in the dumps, golf courses in New England are posting increases in play this year.
The Patriot Ledger reports that rounds played at courses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island this year have increased by 4.4 percent from 2009, while play at courses in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont is up by nearly 25 percent.
The course operators attribute the increase in part to an improving economy, in part to good weather.
“The economy was obviously part of the problem [in 2009], but it was also unusually rainy last year,” a course operator told the paper. “This year, with better weather, our rounds are up substantially over 2009 and even ahead of 2008 through July.”
china No Actual Reporting Required
This week, the website of China International Business blew sweet kisses to Mission Hills Haikou, the emerging golf resort on Hainan Island.
China International Business' untitled article masqueraded as a profile of the resort's three recently opened golf courses. In fact, it was little more than a re-write of a press release issued by the course's designers, Scottsdale, Arizona-based Schmidt-Curley Design. For comparison purposes, here's Cybergolf's version of the press release.
I don't ordinarily care to waste any time talking about stuff like this. I bring it up now because, all too often these days, people read stories in newspapers and magazines and assume that they're reading independently produced, "factual" material. Sadly, nowadays publications are so desperate for what they call "content" that they increasingly rely on the work of publicists to fill their pages.
Of course, they do it at the expense of their credibility. They don't think anyone will call them out on it.
Well, I'm calling out China International Business. I'm saying that it should invest in real reporting by real reporters. I'm saying that it should care more about its readers and less about its advertisers.
And I'm saying it's too bad that golf journalism in particular is littered with such nonsense.
Friday, August 20, 2010
mexico A First for Gary Player
Gary Player has designed hundreds of golf courses in 35 countries, but none of them are in Mexico. That will change this summer, when Player opens a “world-class” course at CostaBaja Resort & Marina, a 550-acre resort community that’s taking shape along the Sea of Cortez just north of La Paz, the capital of Baja Sur.
CostaBaja is already home to a few dozen houses, a 120-room hotel, a marina with slips for 250 boats, and a marina village. At build-out, it’ll have up to 1,800 housing units, a private beach club, and as many as three other 18-hole courses.
Grupo Concord, the community’s developer, says that Player’s 6,800-yard track will be “the first golf course of its kind in Mexico,” although it doesn't explain what makes it so special.
For his part, Player said in a press statement, “I look forward to experiencing the well-known Mexican hospitality during my visits to CostaBaja.”
CostaBajaResort.com
CostaBaja is already home to a few dozen houses, a 120-room hotel, a marina with slips for 250 boats, and a marina village. At build-out, it’ll have up to 1,800 housing units, a private beach club, and as many as three other 18-hole courses.
Grupo Concord, the community’s developer, says that Player’s 6,800-yard track will be “the first golf course of its kind in Mexico,” although it doesn't explain what makes it so special.
For his part, Player said in a press statement, “I look forward to experiencing the well-known Mexican hospitality during my visits to CostaBaja.”
CostaBajaResort.com
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
montenegro Up from Zero
A U.S. golf designer has been selected to create a golf development master plan for the country of Montenegro.
Igor Noveljic of the nation’s Ministry of Spatial Planning & Environment recently said the plan, which will be completed later this year, is “the best way to show potential in our country.”
That potential will be evaluated by Hurdzan Fry Environmental Golf Design of Columbus, Ohio, which has also been asked to identify 10 to 12 locations for golf courses.
At this time Montenegro has no golf courses, although three are in the works. Orascom HD plans to build a waterfront resort in Lustica; Peter Munk, a Canadian billionaire, wants to build a Jose Maria Olazabal-designed course at Porto Montenegro in Tivat; and a British firm, Cubus Lux, has secured a lease on a former military base near Uncinj where it aims to build a resort featuring a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course.
Mike Hurdzan, one of Hurdzan Fry’s principals, said Montenegro “has great potential for the development of golf.”
Did you expect him to say anything else?
Igor Noveljic of the nation’s Ministry of Spatial Planning & Environment recently said the plan, which will be completed later this year, is “the best way to show potential in our country.”
That potential will be evaluated by Hurdzan Fry Environmental Golf Design of Columbus, Ohio, which has also been asked to identify 10 to 12 locations for golf courses.
At this time Montenegro has no golf courses, although three are in the works. Orascom HD plans to build a waterfront resort in Lustica; Peter Munk, a Canadian billionaire, wants to build a Jose Maria Olazabal-designed course at Porto Montenegro in Tivat; and a British firm, Cubus Lux, has secured a lease on a former military base near Uncinj where it aims to build a resort featuring a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course.
Mike Hurdzan, one of Hurdzan Fry’s principals, said Montenegro “has great potential for the development of golf.”
Did you expect him to say anything else?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
talking points Feeling the Pinch
If the people at KPMG’s recent Golf Business Forum are to be believed, the golf business is going to face hard times for at least another year or two.
According to an electronic poll taken during the event’s opening session, 40 percent of the attendees said an economic turnaround won’t begin until 2011, and a whopping 44 percent don’t expect the hard times to end until 2012 or -– gulp -– later.
Those opinions were echoed by Giovanni Gregoratti, an investment banker for Citigroup, who opined during the event that golf “has been hit badly, and it may take longer than most industries to return to where it was.”
According to an electronic poll taken during the event’s opening session, 40 percent of the attendees said an economic turnaround won’t begin until 2011, and a whopping 44 percent don’t expect the hard times to end until 2012 or -– gulp -– later.
Those opinions were echoed by Giovanni Gregoratti, an investment banker for Citigroup, who opined during the event that golf “has been hit badly, and it may take longer than most industries to return to where it was.”
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Week That Was: August 8, 2010
canada Out of Bankruptcy, Royal Oaks Is Sold
The people who've been running Royal Oaks Golf Club in Moncton, New Brunswick now own the place.
Jamie Van Wart and his father, Jim, have purchased the 10-year-old club, which features Rees Jones' first golf course in Canada. Jamie has worked at the club since it opened, most recently as its general manager, and his father has worked there for seven years.
"We're in for the long haul," Jamie told the Moncton Times & Transcript.
The Van Warts purchased the property with Curtis Foote, a train engineer who lives in the surrounding community.
In July 2009, Robert Thompson of CanadianGolfer.com described Royal Oaks as "average and dull" and "built on lousy land."
Thompson continued: Jones has not exactly demonstrated much when it comes to designs in this country. Royal Oaks was average and cracked the Top 100 in Canada on Score's list only briefly. Grand Niagara, another Jones design, this one in Ontario, has been badly received and garners almost no attention. Then there's the reno work to Royal Montreal, which most of the pros (and club members alike) think is poor and one-dimensional.
Ouch!
china Down and Out in Zhejiang Province
The cackle of internet chatter has cost some city officials in Zhejiang Province their memberships in a private golf club.
The city officials -- as many as 30 of them, according to one news account -- were members of the Wenzhou Golf Association in Wenzhou. The association's club reportedly charges $58,600 (U.S. dollars) for a membership, along with an annual fee of $1,050. The initiation fee is said to be 40 times the amount that an average farmer in the province earns annually.
The names of the club's members appeared in a local newspaper, and the news rubbed some local residents the wrong way. Particularly in the hinterlands of the People's Republic, golf is still viewed as a decadent bourgeois pastime, and an expensive private club is no place for those entrusted to oversee the workers' paradise.
So a slew of local residents took to the internet with their complaints, and the province's top party leaders heard them. The city officials -- some of whom swore they didn't even realize they were members -- were ordered to toe the Party line.
new jersey Are Happy Days Here Again?
The golf business may still be on life support in many of the United States, but it could be coming back to life in New Jersey.
Citing statistics provided by Golf Datatech, the Star-Ledger reports that in June 2010 New Jersey's private and public courses saw a 10.7 percent increase in rounds played from the number recorded in June 2009. For the year as a whole, play at the state's courses is up by 5.7 percent.
"Maybe people are more cautious with their leisure time, but [the decline] seems to be flattening out," said the director of the state's golf association.
The association credits the uptick to warm, sunny weather, reduced greens fees, and an improving economy. It's important to note, however, that the number of rounds played nationally is down by 3 percent so far this year.
michigan Change We Can Believe In
Maybe you heard that a quartet of golf legends -- Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Johnny Miller -- played a ceremonial round at Golf Club at Harbor Shores this week. The event was what Hollywood used to call a publicity stunt, designed to spotlight the recently opened golf course in southwestern Michigan and the golf community that rides on its shoulders.
The community, which features a Nicklaus "signature" design, was controversial from the start, so the club is eager to deliver a message about its value to Harbor Shores. The community, the publicists say, is a "revitalization" project designed to put people to work in the decaying town, to offset the jobs lost when the local factories shut down.
As Nicklaus said to Golfweek, “It’s more than just a golf course. It’s a community revitalization project that I deeply believe in.”
Of course, only time will tell who really benefits most from the development. But clearly, the developers -- a group led by Whirlpool Corporation -- know how to sell golf in a state that's hurting worse than most others.
The people who've been running Royal Oaks Golf Club in Moncton, New Brunswick now own the place.
Jamie Van Wart and his father, Jim, have purchased the 10-year-old club, which features Rees Jones' first golf course in Canada. Jamie has worked at the club since it opened, most recently as its general manager, and his father has worked there for seven years.
"We're in for the long haul," Jamie told the Moncton Times & Transcript.
The Van Warts purchased the property with Curtis Foote, a train engineer who lives in the surrounding community.
In July 2009, Robert Thompson of CanadianGolfer.com described Royal Oaks as "average and dull" and "built on lousy land."
Thompson continued: Jones has not exactly demonstrated much when it comes to designs in this country. Royal Oaks was average and cracked the Top 100 in Canada on Score's list only briefly. Grand Niagara, another Jones design, this one in Ontario, has been badly received and garners almost no attention. Then there's the reno work to Royal Montreal, which most of the pros (and club members alike) think is poor and one-dimensional.
Ouch!
china Down and Out in Zhejiang Province
The cackle of internet chatter has cost some city officials in Zhejiang Province their memberships in a private golf club.
The city officials -- as many as 30 of them, according to one news account -- were members of the Wenzhou Golf Association in Wenzhou. The association's club reportedly charges $58,600 (U.S. dollars) for a membership, along with an annual fee of $1,050. The initiation fee is said to be 40 times the amount that an average farmer in the province earns annually.
The names of the club's members appeared in a local newspaper, and the news rubbed some local residents the wrong way. Particularly in the hinterlands of the People's Republic, golf is still viewed as a decadent bourgeois pastime, and an expensive private club is no place for those entrusted to oversee the workers' paradise.
So a slew of local residents took to the internet with their complaints, and the province's top party leaders heard them. The city officials -- some of whom swore they didn't even realize they were members -- were ordered to toe the Party line.
new jersey Are Happy Days Here Again?
The golf business may still be on life support in many of the United States, but it could be coming back to life in New Jersey.
Citing statistics provided by Golf Datatech, the Star-Ledger reports that in June 2010 New Jersey's private and public courses saw a 10.7 percent increase in rounds played from the number recorded in June 2009. For the year as a whole, play at the state's courses is up by 5.7 percent.
"Maybe people are more cautious with their leisure time, but [the decline] seems to be flattening out," said the director of the state's golf association.
The association credits the uptick to warm, sunny weather, reduced greens fees, and an improving economy. It's important to note, however, that the number of rounds played nationally is down by 3 percent so far this year.
michigan Change We Can Believe In
Maybe you heard that a quartet of golf legends -- Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Johnny Miller -- played a ceremonial round at Golf Club at Harbor Shores this week. The event was what Hollywood used to call a publicity stunt, designed to spotlight the recently opened golf course in southwestern Michigan and the golf community that rides on its shoulders.
The community, which features a Nicklaus "signature" design, was controversial from the start, so the club is eager to deliver a message about its value to Harbor Shores. The community, the publicists say, is a "revitalization" project designed to put people to work in the decaying town, to offset the jobs lost when the local factories shut down.
As Nicklaus said to Golfweek, “It’s more than just a golf course. It’s a community revitalization project that I deeply believe in.”
Of course, only time will tell who really benefits most from the development. But clearly, the developers -- a group led by Whirlpool Corporation -- know how to sell golf in a state that's hurting worse than most others.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Shameless Self-Promotion, August 2010
Right now, instead of reading this half-baked blog, you should be reading August's World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
I know, you'd rather be chillin' at your favorite beach, like my family is doing this week. But take it from me: the August issue is chock-full of useful information, including reports on current activities by Tom Doak (the second course at St. Andrews Beach in Australia), Les Furber (an 18-hole track in Alberta), and Robert Trent Jones, Jr. (new courses in Vietnam, Costa Rica, and Oman).
We've also got the scoop on a multi-course project in China, two planned golf resorts in Cuba, two resort communities on the island of Crete, and a potential 27-hole complex in Alberta, Canada.
Finally, the new issue has stories about Greg Norman's attempt to buy Valderrama Golf Club, the opening of Gary Player's course at the CostaBaja resort community in Mexico, and planned renovations in Canada, Australia, and the Philippines.
There's more, but it's way too hot out here to concentrate. And I don't want to get burned.
If you're interested in taking a look at the World Edition, give us a call (301/680-9460) or write to us at WorldEdition@aol.com.
I know, you'd rather be chillin' at your favorite beach, like my family is doing this week. But take it from me: the August issue is chock-full of useful information, including reports on current activities by Tom Doak (the second course at St. Andrews Beach in Australia), Les Furber (an 18-hole track in Alberta), and Robert Trent Jones, Jr. (new courses in Vietnam, Costa Rica, and Oman).
We've also got the scoop on a multi-course project in China, two planned golf resorts in Cuba, two resort communities on the island of Crete, and a potential 27-hole complex in Alberta, Canada.
Finally, the new issue has stories about Greg Norman's attempt to buy Valderrama Golf Club, the opening of Gary Player's course at the CostaBaja resort community in Mexico, and planned renovations in Canada, Australia, and the Philippines.
There's more, but it's way too hot out here to concentrate. And I don't want to get burned.
If you're interested in taking a look at the World Edition, give us a call (301/680-9460) or write to us at WorldEdition@aol.com.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
italy Castelfalfi's First 18 Opens
The 18-hole Mountain course at Castelfalfi Golf & Country Club in Montaione, Italy is scheduled to open this summer, and the club’s 18-hole Lake course may open as early as the spring of 2011.
The golf complex will anchor Toscana Resort Castelfalfi, a 2,750-acre spread in the heart of Tuscany that will eventually be able to accommodate 3,200 tourists a day.
The property constitutes all four square miles of what used to be a quaint but crumbling Italian village that included a failing golf course (Castelfalfi Golf & Country Club) designed by the late Pier Luigi Mancinelli. TUI Hotels & Resorts, a German tour operator and hotelier, bought the village with the idea of making it a modern, professionally designed holiday destination. TUI junked the existing golf course and brought in Wilfried Moroder and Rainer Preissmann to design the new ones.
Moroder is based in Bolzano, Italy, and Preissmann hails from Essen, Germany.
Incidentally, the Nazi army used the village as a staging area during World War II.
Castelfalfi.it
The golf complex will anchor Toscana Resort Castelfalfi, a 2,750-acre spread in the heart of Tuscany that will eventually be able to accommodate 3,200 tourists a day.
The property constitutes all four square miles of what used to be a quaint but crumbling Italian village that included a failing golf course (Castelfalfi Golf & Country Club) designed by the late Pier Luigi Mancinelli. TUI Hotels & Resorts, a German tour operator and hotelier, bought the village with the idea of making it a modern, professionally designed holiday destination. TUI junked the existing golf course and brought in Wilfried Moroder and Rainer Preissmann to design the new ones.
Moroder is based in Bolzano, Italy, and Preissmann hails from Essen, Germany.
Incidentally, the Nazi army used the village as a staging area during World War II.
Castelfalfi.it
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Week That Was: August 1, 2010
india Drawing a Bead on the Japanese
The laid-back, chilled-out state of Goa, to which U.S. hippies flocked during the 1960s, is eager to attract Japanese vacationers. So the state is promoting its Buddhist cultural and religious attractions, in the hope of finding new tourist dollars.
But wait. What else interests Japanese people?
That's right, golf. And that's why Goa also plans to build an 18-hole golf course.
"The golf course could be a big draw to Japanese tourists wanting to relax here after a long pilgrimage," the state's tourism director tells the Times of India. "We have a couple of parties interested in setting up golf courses."
cuba Finally Ready To Talk Golf?
Mark your calendars: Beginning in January, the Cuban government will entertain offers for the construction of as many as 16 golf courses.
Cuba's tourism minister reports that negotiations on four proposals are "very advanced." Assuming that the negotiations go somewhere, the courses would be built in Holguín Province, in Pinar del Río Province, in the village of Jibacoa, and in an unspecified location between Havana and Varadero.
As for the remaining projects, well, the Cuba Standard reports that roughly 80 sites in Cuba have been designated as suitable for golf course development.
china Greg Norman: Doing It for the Kids
Greg Norman and Mission Hills Group are teaming up to develop the next generation of Chinese golfers.
The inaugural session of the Greg Norman Mission Hills Junior Development Program was scheduled to take place at Mission Hills Shenzhen last month. More than 40 golfers, aged 11 to 15, were expected to participate.
"We share Mission Hills' commitment to growing golf in China," said Norman, who opened a design office in China earlier this year. "Its unrivaled combination of world-class resources and a globally recognized brand make it the ideal partner to tap the country's vast potential."
According to a press release, the program aims to train "China's first Olympic golfers in time to compete in Rio de Janeiro in 2016."
Good luck with that idea. In 2016, the kids participating in this year's session will be 17 to 22 and aren't likely to have much professional tournament experience.
canada In the Soo, Heading for the Hills
Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest & Associates has opened its first golf course in Canada.
It's called Silver Creek Golf Club, and it's located about 10 miles east of Sault Ste. Marie, the twin cities on either side of the locks that connect Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Silver Creek is on the Ontario side of the Soo.
The course was developed by a Canadian tribe, the Garden River First Nation, and built by Lepanto Golf Construction of Pomona Park, Florida. The course's first nine opened last fall, and the second nine opened in May.
Incidentally, a press release about the opening says that Hills/Forrest will break ground on its first course in China, Yellow Dragon Golf Course in Chengdu, this fall.
The laid-back, chilled-out state of Goa, to which U.S. hippies flocked during the 1960s, is eager to attract Japanese vacationers. So the state is promoting its Buddhist cultural and religious attractions, in the hope of finding new tourist dollars.
But wait. What else interests Japanese people?
That's right, golf. And that's why Goa also plans to build an 18-hole golf course.
"The golf course could be a big draw to Japanese tourists wanting to relax here after a long pilgrimage," the state's tourism director tells the Times of India. "We have a couple of parties interested in setting up golf courses."
cuba Finally Ready To Talk Golf?
Mark your calendars: Beginning in January, the Cuban government will entertain offers for the construction of as many as 16 golf courses.
Cuba's tourism minister reports that negotiations on four proposals are "very advanced." Assuming that the negotiations go somewhere, the courses would be built in Holguín Province, in Pinar del Río Province, in the village of Jibacoa, and in an unspecified location between Havana and Varadero.
As for the remaining projects, well, the Cuba Standard reports that roughly 80 sites in Cuba have been designated as suitable for golf course development.
china Greg Norman: Doing It for the Kids
Greg Norman and Mission Hills Group are teaming up to develop the next generation of Chinese golfers.
The inaugural session of the Greg Norman Mission Hills Junior Development Program was scheduled to take place at Mission Hills Shenzhen last month. More than 40 golfers, aged 11 to 15, were expected to participate.
"We share Mission Hills' commitment to growing golf in China," said Norman, who opened a design office in China earlier this year. "Its unrivaled combination of world-class resources and a globally recognized brand make it the ideal partner to tap the country's vast potential."
According to a press release, the program aims to train "China's first Olympic golfers in time to compete in Rio de Janeiro in 2016."
Good luck with that idea. In 2016, the kids participating in this year's session will be 17 to 22 and aren't likely to have much professional tournament experience.
canada In the Soo, Heading for the Hills
Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest & Associates has opened its first golf course in Canada.
It's called Silver Creek Golf Club, and it's located about 10 miles east of Sault Ste. Marie, the twin cities on either side of the locks that connect Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Silver Creek is on the Ontario side of the Soo.
The course was developed by a Canadian tribe, the Garden River First Nation, and built by Lepanto Golf Construction of Pomona Park, Florida. The course's first nine opened last fall, and the second nine opened in May.
Incidentally, a press release about the opening says that Hills/Forrest will break ground on its first course in China, Yellow Dragon Golf Course in Chengdu, this fall.
Friday, August 6, 2010
worth reading From Bad To Worse
In the newspaper business, there's nothing quite like kicking an industry when it's down. Of course, it hurts a little when it's your industry that's getting kicked.
The latest newspaper writer to do a-bruisin' on golf is Jon Swartz of USA Today, who contends, in a story called "Golf Clubs Suffer in Recession as Membership Dwindles," that "the business of golf faces an economic outlook that is sinking like a downhill putt."
Oh, those clever newspaper writers! They really known how to turn a phrase!
To be fair, Swartz has the broad outlines of the story right. Golf's popularity, as he notes, has been in a slow but steady decline pretty much since the bombing of the World Trade Center.
And Swartz knows why.
"Most people just can't afford the luxury of a $100 to $400 round of golf," he writes, although he could have mentioned that the vast majority of golf courses charge less. He's also on target when he notes that "businesses are cutting back on golf-related expenses for executives," although that's been happening for the better part of a decade, and that "travelers who once plunked down gobs of cash to golf in exotic locales are passing up golf vacations."
Actually, those "exotic locales" started seeing fewer customers right after 9/11, when most everyone in America became afraid to get on an airplane. Although the resort business has improved over the years, it's never fully recovered.
From there, Swartz lays a few demoralizing facts on the table. Among them:
-- The total number of memberships at private clubs currently stands at 2.1 million, 900,000 below the number recorded when the business peaked in the early 1990s.
-- Citing a statistic provided by Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid, Swartz notes that private clubs in the United States lost between 5 percent and 15 percent of their members last year. The losses cost the average club $187,000 in dues. Even worse, Koppenhaver believes that as many as 1,000 private clubs must close, convert to public play, or merge with healthier clubs before "some semblance of balance returns to the private club market."
-- The number of golfers in the United States has fallen to 27.1 million, according to the often unreliable National Golf Foundation, down from 30 million in 2005.
-- So far this year, rounds played at U.S. golf courses are down 3 percent, according to Golf Datatech.
Nothing like a few kicks in the teeth to get a golf executive moving in the morning!
It should be noted, however, that some of the "evidence" Swartz uses to support his arguments -- particularly the anecdotes he uses to add color to his story -- is specious. I don't know why, for example, Swartz starts with a report about a consultant from California who quit his club in New Jersey, as if that's supposed to illustrate a typical problem that private clubs face these days. Are clubs in the Northeast full of dues-paying members from the Left Coast?
And what's the point of telling us about the young woman in Los Angeles who didn't take up golf because the price of a local club membership -- said to be $100,000 a year -- was too expensive? Couldn't anybody in Southern California suggest some alternatives for this directionless young woman, like maybe learning to play at one of the area's many municipal courses or joining a somewhat less pricey club?
You can read the story for yourself by clicking on this phrase.
The latest newspaper writer to do a-bruisin' on golf is Jon Swartz of USA Today, who contends, in a story called "Golf Clubs Suffer in Recession as Membership Dwindles," that "the business of golf faces an economic outlook that is sinking like a downhill putt."
Oh, those clever newspaper writers! They really known how to turn a phrase!
To be fair, Swartz has the broad outlines of the story right. Golf's popularity, as he notes, has been in a slow but steady decline pretty much since the bombing of the World Trade Center.
And Swartz knows why.
"Most people just can't afford the luxury of a $100 to $400 round of golf," he writes, although he could have mentioned that the vast majority of golf courses charge less. He's also on target when he notes that "businesses are cutting back on golf-related expenses for executives," although that's been happening for the better part of a decade, and that "travelers who once plunked down gobs of cash to golf in exotic locales are passing up golf vacations."
Actually, those "exotic locales" started seeing fewer customers right after 9/11, when most everyone in America became afraid to get on an airplane. Although the resort business has improved over the years, it's never fully recovered.
From there, Swartz lays a few demoralizing facts on the table. Among them:
-- The total number of memberships at private clubs currently stands at 2.1 million, 900,000 below the number recorded when the business peaked in the early 1990s.
-- Citing a statistic provided by Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid, Swartz notes that private clubs in the United States lost between 5 percent and 15 percent of their members last year. The losses cost the average club $187,000 in dues. Even worse, Koppenhaver believes that as many as 1,000 private clubs must close, convert to public play, or merge with healthier clubs before "some semblance of balance returns to the private club market."
-- The number of golfers in the United States has fallen to 27.1 million, according to the often unreliable National Golf Foundation, down from 30 million in 2005.
-- So far this year, rounds played at U.S. golf courses are down 3 percent, according to Golf Datatech.
Nothing like a few kicks in the teeth to get a golf executive moving in the morning!
It should be noted, however, that some of the "evidence" Swartz uses to support his arguments -- particularly the anecdotes he uses to add color to his story -- is specious. I don't know why, for example, Swartz starts with a report about a consultant from California who quit his club in New Jersey, as if that's supposed to illustrate a typical problem that private clubs face these days. Are clubs in the Northeast full of dues-paying members from the Left Coast?
And what's the point of telling us about the young woman in Los Angeles who didn't take up golf because the price of a local club membership -- said to be $100,000 a year -- was too expensive? Couldn't anybody in Southern California suggest some alternatives for this directionless young woman, like maybe learning to play at one of the area's many municipal courses or joining a somewhat less pricey club?
You can read the story for yourself by clicking on this phrase.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
china Tom Weiskopf, Seeing Red
Now that his 36-hole complex on Hainan Island (Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula) is well under construction, Tom Weiskopf is lining up more work in the People’s Republic.
The Scottsdale, Arizona-based architect expects to break ground on a 36-hole complex outside Shanghai this summer, and he hopes to secure a project in South Korea sometime soon. He recently told China International Business that he’s discussing projects in China with “several other developers,” and he’s apparently become a convert to the Chinese faith in golf.
“Those who do not personally visit China to see first-hand how the game of golf is growing there,” he told CIB, “will have a difficult time comprehending what its potential could be over the next 10 years.”
The Scottsdale, Arizona-based architect expects to break ground on a 36-hole complex outside Shanghai this summer, and he hopes to secure a project in South Korea sometime soon. He recently told China International Business that he’s discussing projects in China with “several other developers,” and he’s apparently become a convert to the Chinese faith in golf.
“Those who do not personally visit China to see first-hand how the game of golf is growing there,” he told CIB, “will have a difficult time comprehending what its potential could be over the next 10 years.”
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Week That Was: July 25, 2010
canada ClubLink May Buy Glendale G&CC
Glendale Golf & Country Club may have lost more than 30 percent of its membership in recent months, but it's apparently found a suitor.
The Hamilton Spectator reports that the club is talking take-over with ClubLink, Canada's largest golf course operator. ClubLink currently controls just one golf property in the Hamilton area, Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, and it would like a stronger presence in Canada's ninth-largest metropolitan area.
"We have not put an offer in yet, but we are talking with them and I suspect they have other interested parties outside of ClubLink," said ClubLink's vice president of sales and marketing. "It's a wonderful golf club, and it would fit in nicely for us."
Glendale, which was founded in 1919, is rumored to be facing bankruptcy.
england "Metal God" Designs a Golf Course
K. K. Downing, the lead guitarist of the heavy-metal band Judas Priest, will officially open his 18-hole golf course in September.
The course is located at Astbury Hall, Downing's estate in Shropshire, England. Thanks to all those world tours that the band has headlined since the late 1960s, Downing has had the opportunity to play many of the planet's finest golf courses.
“I have been lucky to work in two industries that have allowed me to be so creative, especially golf course architecture, which has enabled the visions in my head to be transformed beautifully into a reality,” the "Metal God" told the Shropshire Star.
The daily-fee course will be managed by Troon Golf, which is looking to generate business in the U.K.
north carolina Trump Aims To Make a Point
Over the past year, Donald Trump broken ground on a golf course in Scotland and purchased golf properties in New York and New Jersey. Now he's looking to buy a golf course in North Carolina.
Trump's latest target is Point Lake & Golf Club in suburban Charlotte. The private club, which is located on Lake Norman, features a Greg Norman-designed golf course.
According to a report by Ron Green, Jr., a reporter for the Charlotte Observer, club officials recently talked things over with Trump's son, Eric, and other company representatives.
"Discussions continue," a member of the club's advisory committee told Green. "It's an option we're looking at, but it's not imminent."
A sale would have to be approved by the club's 1,100 members.
mexico Schmidt Curley Touts its New Course
Amanali, a master-planned community Tepeji del Rio, Mexico, has opened the first nine holes of its Schmidt Curley-designed golf course.
According to a press release that provides virtually no useful information, the back nine of Amanali Country Club is under construction.
The press release says that Schmidt-Curley has designed three courses in Mexico. As best I can determine, the firm has designed one, Maravia Golf Club in La Paz. It's co-designed (or "ghost-designed") two with Nick Faldo, Ventanas de San Miguel in San Miguel de Allende and Kanai Golf Resort in Playa del Carmen.
Brian Curley, the lead designer on the Amanali project, said in the press release, "We have several exciting ongoing projects in Mexico, a country poised for future growth and easily accessible from our Scottsdale headquarters."
Do you think he really made such a bland and meaningless statement? Or did a well-intentioned publicity person put those silly words into his mouth?
Glendale Golf & Country Club may have lost more than 30 percent of its membership in recent months, but it's apparently found a suitor.
The Hamilton Spectator reports that the club is talking take-over with ClubLink, Canada's largest golf course operator. ClubLink currently controls just one golf property in the Hamilton area, Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, and it would like a stronger presence in Canada's ninth-largest metropolitan area.
"We have not put an offer in yet, but we are talking with them and I suspect they have other interested parties outside of ClubLink," said ClubLink's vice president of sales and marketing. "It's a wonderful golf club, and it would fit in nicely for us."
Glendale, which was founded in 1919, is rumored to be facing bankruptcy.
england "Metal God" Designs a Golf Course
K. K. Downing, the lead guitarist of the heavy-metal band Judas Priest, will officially open his 18-hole golf course in September.
The course is located at Astbury Hall, Downing's estate in Shropshire, England. Thanks to all those world tours that the band has headlined since the late 1960s, Downing has had the opportunity to play many of the planet's finest golf courses.
“I have been lucky to work in two industries that have allowed me to be so creative, especially golf course architecture, which has enabled the visions in my head to be transformed beautifully into a reality,” the "Metal God" told the Shropshire Star.
The daily-fee course will be managed by Troon Golf, which is looking to generate business in the U.K.
north carolina Trump Aims To Make a Point
Over the past year, Donald Trump broken ground on a golf course in Scotland and purchased golf properties in New York and New Jersey. Now he's looking to buy a golf course in North Carolina.
Trump's latest target is Point Lake & Golf Club in suburban Charlotte. The private club, which is located on Lake Norman, features a Greg Norman-designed golf course.
According to a report by Ron Green, Jr., a reporter for the Charlotte Observer, club officials recently talked things over with Trump's son, Eric, and other company representatives.
"Discussions continue," a member of the club's advisory committee told Green. "It's an option we're looking at, but it's not imminent."
A sale would have to be approved by the club's 1,100 members.
mexico Schmidt Curley Touts its New Course
Amanali, a master-planned community Tepeji del Rio, Mexico, has opened the first nine holes of its Schmidt Curley-designed golf course.
According to a press release that provides virtually no useful information, the back nine of Amanali Country Club is under construction.
The press release says that Schmidt-Curley has designed three courses in Mexico. As best I can determine, the firm has designed one, Maravia Golf Club in La Paz. It's co-designed (or "ghost-designed") two with Nick Faldo, Ventanas de San Miguel in San Miguel de Allende and Kanai Golf Resort in Playa del Carmen.
Brian Curley, the lead designer on the Amanali project, said in the press release, "We have several exciting ongoing projects in Mexico, a country poised for future growth and easily accessible from our Scottsdale headquarters."
Do you think he really made such a bland and meaningless statement? Or did a well-intentioned publicity person put those silly words into his mouth?