The Pipeline, february 22, 2013

     Frank Casey, Sr., the owner of Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort in County Donegal, Ireland, is on the verge of creating what could be the second-largest links destination in Europe, after St. Andrews in Scotland. Late last year, Casey acquired Rosapenna’s next-door neighbor, St. Patrick’s Golf Links, giving him control of four 18-hole tracks, a nine-hole course, and a practice course on nearly 1,200 acres overlooking Sheephaven Bay. Although the 36 holes at St. Patrick’s have been closed for years, these days Casey is shopping for an architect to oversee their rebirth. His son John has suggested that the St. Patrick’s complex might be reduced to 27 holes, with the construction to begin in 2014. An architect hasn’t yet been hired, but some observers believe that Tom Doak, who’s done renovations at Rosapenna, will be tapped for the job. More importantly, John Casey acknowledged as much in a recent conversation with Travel Golf. “We’ve had a lot of contact from architects,” he said. “Tom is high on the list.”
     Some information in this post first appeared in the December 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     The entrepreneur who conceived Barnbougle Dunes has secured permission to completely make over a golf course in suburban Hobart, on Tasmania. Greg Ramsay, who’s doing more to turn the island into a golf destination than any other individual, aims to turn the 6,196-yard track at Claremont Golf Club into “one of Australia’s best public-access courses.” To do so, he’s going to redesign as many as 14 of the course’s holes and to give some sizzle to the remaining holes. A concept plan for the redesigned golf course has been produced by Neil Crafter and Paul Mogford, who operate out of an office in Adelaide. In an e-mail, Ramsay told me that he hopes “to create more drama through risk-and-reward holes that make better use of the site’s dramatic coastline.” Claremont, which opened in 1973, also plans to build a sports complex, 64 housing units for retirees, a 75-room hotel with meeting space, and other attractions.
     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the September 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     A group led by Elmon Henry has secured permission to build a resort community along Lake Hartwell in Fair Play, South Carolina. The 325-acre community, called Sanctuary Pointe, will include a pair of hotels, a conference center, a lodge, cabins, restaurants, and an 18-hole golf course that will be designed by a “celebrity” or “signature” architect. The developers haven’t yet hired the architect, but Henry recently told me that he’s discussed the venture with at least four likely prospects. And though it pains me to say it, the hotel operator will have a say in who designs the course.
     Some information in this post originally appeared in the December 2012 issue of the U.S. Golf Course Report.

     With one golf course in the Mediterranean about to wrap up construction, Dolphin Capital Investors is now turning its attention to a second. In a recent financial filing, Dolphin reported that it’s received permission to build at least part of the planned housing at Sitia Bay Golf Resort, on the northeastern coast of Crete. “This represents a major milestone,” the company told investors, “as it is expected to lead to additional zoning approvals in other areas of the site.” Sitia Bay will spread over 750 acres, including nearly two miles’ worth of beachfront, in the village of Papadiokampos, just a 15-minute drive west of Sitia International Airport. At build-out, it’ll include villas and condos, a 177-room Waldorf-Astoria hotel, meeting space, a small marina, and a golf course created by Nicklaus Design. In the same filing, Dolphin announced that its first course at Venus Rock, on the island of Cyprus, is close to being completed.
     The original version of this post first appeared in the September 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Firm in the conviction that visitors to this blog can never read too much about Subrata Roy, I’m happy to note that the Lucknow, India-based billionaire believes his forthcoming resort in Macedonia will be one of the world’s great vacation destinations. “This is not going to be an average tourist complex but a destination that will be one of the world’s top five or 10 in this industry,” Roy vowed during a recent visit. The to-be-named resort, which will take shape near Prespa Lake, will include what a government official described as “a floating hotel with a casino,” a marina, a spa, meeting space, shopping areas, and “a top-level golf course.” Back in December, I reported that construction is supposed to begin next year.

     Higher learning in India may soon be redefined, as a school in Uttar Pradesh has set out to become the nation’s first university with its own golf course. The track will take shape at Aligarh Muslim University, which has a 1,170-acre campus in Aligarh, roughly 70 miles southeast of New Delhi. No details about the golf course have been revealed, but its construction will be part of a series of “green” initiatives that the university’s vice chancellor, Lt. General Zameer Uddin Shah, plans to implement. Shah’s goal, he said in comments published by TwoCircles.net, is to “move forward this university to the top in the country.” He doesn’t have far to go, as India Today ranks AMU as number five.
     The original version of this post originally appeared in the October 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     The members of Raffeen Creek Golf Club in County Cork, Ireland are thinking about adding nine holes to their nine-hole golf course. The club’s chairman told the Irish Examiner that an 18-hole layout would be “a massive boost for our existing members and in attracting new members.” Raffeen Creek currently features a 2,597-yard track that was designed by Eddie Hackett and opened in 1989. The new nine, which has been designed by Martin Hawtree, will take shape on property owned by Pfizer, the giant pharmaceuticals company. If the club’s 475 members agree to Pfizer’s price, they could be playing on an 18-hole track by 2015.
     The original version of this post first appeared in the November 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Tom Jackson, and Ben Wright -– those are the architects who’ve designed the golf courses at the six Cliffs communities in the Carolinas. This fall, the Cliffs’ new owners expect to add another “signature” layout to their collection, a Gary Player-designed track at the 5,000-acre Mountain Park spread in Traveler’s Rest, South Carolina. As is fashionable these days, the course will be firm and fast. “In designing the Mountain Park golf course, we paid close attention to making the fairways firmer, not use as much water, not use as much fertilizer, and take full advantage of the natural characteristics of the land,” Scott Ferrell, the firm’s president, said in a press release. If he ever wants to squeeze in a quick round, Ferrell won’t have far to go. Player’s firm is headquartered in Mountain Park.

     After being abandoned for something like three years, the first Jack Nicklaus “signature” course in metropolitan Washington, DC is scheduled to open this summer. The 7,156-yard track will be the centerpiece of Potomac Shores, a financially troubled community outside Dumfries, Virginia that’s been rescued by SunCal. The course has been designed in “a European style,” according to a spokesman for SunCal, and the community’s forthcoming clubhouse will resemble “a stately Virginia manor.” Just the way our forefathers intended, no?