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.