australia Getting into the Swim of Things

Would it be too corny to build a shark-shaped golf course in “the fresh seafood capital of Australia”?

Dean Lukin, Jr. doesn’t think so. He wants to build an 18-hole course on part of a 375-acre coastal parcel in Port Lincoln, a town that’s known for the great white sharks that live in its waters. Heck, parts of Jaws were filmed not far way.

“It will be the biggest tourist attraction,” Lukin told the Adelaide Advertiser earlier this year. “And because it has never been done in the world, it should help draw a lot of international visitors to Port Lincoln.”

I’ll leave the debate on that topic for another day. For now, I’m happy that a golf course, no matter what shape it comes in, is floating Lukin’s boat.

Lukin is well-known in Port Lincoln, a town located about 150 miles (as the crow flies) west of Adelaide, in South Australia. His father, one of the local tuna fishermen, became a champion weightlifter, a gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics. After the games, despite his fame, he returned home and has been running the family’s fishing business ever since.

Besides the golf course, Lukin aims to build 500 or more houses, a hotel, a shopping center, and a new wharf for local fishermen. His s proposal is supported by the area’s economic-development groups as well as Port Lincoln Golf Club, which is thinking about relocating to the new course. The club’s existing 6,348-yard track, which dates from 1968, suffers, somewhat ironically, from a lack of water. Despite its location, Port Lincoln gets only 19 inches of rain annually, and over the years the club has drained all the quality water out of its wells.

“Without doubt,” the club remarks on its website, “the cost, supply, and management of water is the single biggest issue facing the Port Lincoln Golf Club over the next decade and beyond.”

Lukin hasn’t yet selected an architect for his course, but the Port Lincoln Times says that he aims “to get a big player on board” to create a destination-worthy track. Of course, if he really wants to build a shark-shaped layout, there seems to be an obvious choice. 

The original version of this story first appeared in the August 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.