The Week That Was, august 4, 2013

     Bloomberg not only wants us to believe that golf is a leading economic indicator but that our industry “has turned the corner.” The news service’s debatable conclusion rests, at least in part, on the National Golf Foundation’s contention that the number of U.S. golfers will reach 30 million by 2020. What Bloomberg doesn’t say is that the nation had about 27 million golfers in 2010, when the NGF made its prediction, and that the number today is somewhere between 24 and 25 million. It’s possible that the golf business has indeed turned the corner, but that doesn’t mean it’s out of the woods.

     If courses inspired by British links can find happy homes in Nebraska, Oregon, and Wisconsin, could one also be built in Tennessee? Gary Roger Baird believes it’s possible, and he’s got the blueprints to prove it. “I want to create something that nobody has seen,” the Nashville-based course designer told the Tennessean. Baird has identified property along the Harpeth River in Williamson County that he believes is ideal for what the newspaper calls “the truest rendition of a British Isles links course in the South.” Although Baird has given the 27-hole field of dreams a name -- Tennessee Golf Links & Club -- he hasn’t as yet been able to persuade a developer to purchase the site and fund the construction. And that’s always the acid test, isn’t it?

     Developers haven’t completely closed the book on golf’s prospects in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. The area may be among the nation’s most over-built golf markets, but a revised master plan for Grand Vista, a nearly forgotten 5,500-acre community in Surprise, still reserves space for an 18-hole layout. Of course, Toll Brothers’ original concept called for a pair of 18-hole courses, but that was in the mid 2000s, before the divorce between golf and residential development was finalized. So let’s be thankful for small favors.

     The city of Phoenix appears to have found an operator for its flagship golf property. The Arizona Republic reports that Arizona State University, the owner of Karsten Golf Course, is seeking a 30-year contract to manage Papago Golf Course. “In terms of successfully operating a golf course and knowing what the hell they’re doing, ASU’s got the track record,” a city official told the newspaper. “They’ve been doing it for 20 years.” If an agreement can be reached, Papago will become the home of ASU’s men’s and women’s golf teams, which need to relocate because the university has decided to close Karsten and offer its acreage to developers. The city council is expected to vote on the matter later this month or early next month.

     It didn’t take the new president of Wichita State University long to lay out the future of the school’s golf course: He’s going to close it. John Bardo hasn’t yet announced exactly when Braeburn Golf Course will host its final rounds, but it’s eventually going to be replaced by a business and technology park.

     The best deal going for female golfers these days is a two-for-one promotion offered by Eagle Golf. The Dallas, Texas-based firm rolled out the program earlier this year, intending to shut it down after a couple of months, but it’s now decided to keep it in place through the end of the year. “The response from our customers and general managers has been fantastic,” Joe Munsch of Eagle Golf said in a press release. “Our company has a responsibility to help grow the game of golf, and we see this program as an important part of our efforts moving forward.” The promotion is available at 26 of Eagle’s 31 golf properties.

     Donald Trump hasn’t yet been linked to a golf venture in India, but he’s entered into a marketing relationship with a Mumbai-based firm that presumably has its eyes open for one. Tribeca Creators, a group led by Kalpesh Mehta and Nitin Bansal, indicates that Trump aims to do “residential, hotel, mixed-use, and golf course projects” in India, with the initial focus being in the metropolitan areas of Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Venture number one is Trump Towers Pune, a condo building that Trump says “will epitomize inspired living and timeless elegance.” It’s scheduled to open in 2015.

     Troon Golf has begun tending to the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout at Cimarron Hills Golf & Country Club in suburban Austin, Texas. The 7,302-yard “signature” course curls its way through several hundred houses at Cimarron Hills, a 1,000-acre community owned by Desert Troon Companies. Cimarron Hills is one of two Desert Troon-owned properties managed by Troon, the other being Torreon Golf Club in Show Low, Arizona. Desert Troon also owns Red Mountain Resort & Spa outside St. George, Utah, however. Might it soon become part of Troon’s portfolio?

     What’s Herb Kohler charging for the 26 residences he’s building along the 18th hole at St. Andrews’ Old Course? Answer: If you have to ask, you can’t afford one. The units, which are located in a former University of St. Andrews dormitory, range in price from £1.6 million ($2.46 million) to £7.58 million ($11.6 million). The Scotsman says they’re Scotland’s “most expensive residential accommodation.” Kohler bought the building in 2009, reportedly £11.5 million ($17.6 million). He started selling the units in June, and by mid July, according to the newspaper, half of them had either been sold or reserved. Heck, by now they’re probably all gone.