The Week That Was, may 18, 2014

     Things have gone from bad to worse at Sagebrush Golf & Sporting Club, as Calvin Payne, the owner of the critically acclaimed golf venue outside Merritt, British Columbia, has sued Dick Zokol, one of the club’s founders, for more than $42 million. Payne’s filing comes just weeks after an expected sale of Sagebrush failed to materialize. In his lawsuit, Payne contends that Zokol deliberately undermined the sale, failed to complete the club’s construction on time or on budget, fell far short in selling memberships, and “mismanaged the project in every respect.” Golf Digest currently ranks Sagebrush as one of Canada’s top 100, and the club is often cited as a premier example of sustainable design and construction. But it’s also been a financial catastrophe, and money troubles usually bring out the worst in people.

     The seemingly well-laid plan to open the doors of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews to women may not be a slam dunk after all. Peter Dawson and his colleagues at the world’s most marvelous golf club have been counting votes, and the numbers have made them a little queasy. As a result, the Royal & Ancient will likely change the bylaw that restricts voting to members who actually show up at the club’s annual get-together. “There could be a ‘no’ vote if they restrict the vote to only those who turn up at the business meeting,” a club member told Golfweek. “You could have a scenario where those against could marshal enough people to defeat the motion.” Of course, that’s not how the club explains the action it plans to take. Here’s Dawson’s version: “There is a view in the club, and quite a strong one, that postal voting should be allowed.” To be sure, Dawson is just being prudent. After all, the outcome of such an historic, transformative vote can’t be left to chance.

     Could golf development in China, already in the midst of a worrisome decline, slow to a veritable crawl? It’s a distinct possibility, seeing as how the nation’s long-running real estate bull market “finally seems to be stalling,” according to the New York Times. If real estate sales continue to weaken, golf courses tied to residential development -- and in the People’s Republic, there’s really no other kind -- will become white elephants, just as so many have become in the United States. And then what?

     The son of a deceased Pittsburgh-area superintendent has filed lawsuits against some of the golf industry’s major chemical suppliers, alleging that their products killed his father. Rich Walsh, a former television sportscaster in the city, has reportedly named companies including Monsanto, Bayer, John Deere Landscapes, and Syngenta as culprits, alleging that their pesticides contributed to his father’s leukemia. In response, the companies contend that Walsh has no evidence to support his claims. It’s difficult to determine exactly what Walsh is trying to achieve, but he’s certainly raising awareness about the dangers that superintendents face in their jobs. According to a report by WTAE-TV, former golf course superintendents have a higher incidence of four types of cancer -- brain, lymphoma, prostate, and large intestine -- than the rest of the U.S. population. Tom Walsh died in February 2009, at the age of 56. He’d worked at golf courses in metropolitan Pittsburgh for 38 years.

     Herb Kohler doesn’t intend to cut any corners on his forthcoming golf course in Wisconsin. Kohler’s fifth Pete Dye-designed course in suburban Sheboygan, a complement to the highly regarded tracks at Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run, “could one day rank as one of the top 50 in the world,” according to the Sheboygan Press. “We believe it can be as good or better than the Straits course,” Destination Kohler’s general manager said at a recent public meeting. Kohler aims to open the 18-hole layout in the summer of 2017. If you’re wondering, Golf Digest currently ranks the Straits track at #16 on its list of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

     The 17th golf property in Escalante Golf’s fast-growing portfolio is a pricey, old-timey, financially suspect golf club in the wine country of northern California. Escalante has purchased Sonoma Golf Club, which was established in 1928 and has been available for several years. The seller, Crescent Real Estate Equities, had owned the 177-acre property since 1998. “The veil of uncertainty has been lifted, and the club can now move forward,” said an Escalante spokesman. Sonoma charges an initiation fee of $150,000, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, an amount that appears to be more than the market can currently bear. Nearly 100 members are said to be on the club’s quit list, an issue that Escalante plans to address by offering new membership options. The club features an 18-hole, classic-style course designed by Sam Whiting. Sam Snead once said it was his favorite course.

     Donald Trump is bucking for another legal battle over an off-shore wind farm in Scotland, like the one that led him to abandon his development plans in Aberdeenshire. During his first visit to Turnberry, the historic resort he recently purchased, he vowed to block a wind farm that a government agency wants to build off the Ayrshire coast. “If they did allow it, I would fight very hard to make sure it doesn’t happen,” Trump said in a comment published by the Daily Record. “I would certainly bring a lawsuit and try to stop it. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I will fight it.” And here’s the kicker: Trump has acknowledged that he was aware of plans to build the wind farm before he bought Turnberry.