The Pipeline, january 30, 2015

     Canada. Mike Keiser made his reputation by turning a remote stretch of waterfront in Bandon, Oregon into the world’s top-rated golf destination, and now he’s found an equally remote parcel in central Alberta that he believes is made to order for another one of his build-it-and-they-will-come venues. “If done right, it would be the Sand Hills of Canada,” he says, referring to the renowned minimalist layout in Nebraska. “We have it on our to-do list for the future.” The Chicago-based developer has already made several visits to Alberta, to a site that he says is located on “rolling tundra” southeast of Edmonton. The property is all sand, perfect for the style of golf he adores, and he says he’s “in love” with it. Of course, the top entry on Keiser’s to-do list these days is the second course at Cabot Links, in Inverness, Nova Scotia. The Coore & Crenshaw-designed layout, hailed by Golf magazine as “the most eagerly anticipated course of 2015,” will open for preview play this summer.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the November 2014 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Australia. King Island is set to debut a pair of destination-worthy golf courses in 2015, and its era of “celebrity” golf may not be far beind. Last year, Inside Golf reported that Greg Norman “has visited King Island on multiple occasions to investigate the potential” for another crème de la crème course, and a reporter for Advocate heard that “a third world-class golf course on the island was being considered.” Norman’s involvement indicates the level of interest that golf developers currently have in King Island. The small island, officially part of Tasmania, is extremely hard to get to, but everyone who’s been there comes away convinced that its sandy, windswept coasts are made to order for pure, links-style golf, the kind that made Barnbougle Dunes a must-visit venue. Today, King Island has just one course, a modest nine-hole track in Currie. Soon, however, two much-anticipated new layouts -- Cape Wickham Golf Course and Ocean Dunes Golf Course -- will be unveiled, each of them hoping to secure a spot among the world’s top 100. If they succeed, Norman won’t be the only starchitect looking to make his mark on the island’s golf scene.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the December 2014 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.  

     United States. A never-built golf community in Indio, California, a victim of the Great Recession, may get a new lease on life. Saxony Group, a Palm Desert-based firm, has acquired Indio Citrus Ranch, a 1,200-acre spread that had been master-planned for more than 3,000 houses, a hotel, and a golf course. The property has been given a new name, Grand Valley, and the Desert Sun reports that the new owners intend to “move forward with the planned golf course.” Saxony hasn’t announced any details regarding the course, but Suncal, the previous developer, had selected Scottsdale, Arizona-based Schmidt Curley for the design.

      Cuba. A Chinese conglomerate has taken the place of the British group that had planned to build an oceanfront golf resort outside Havana, Cuba. Hong Kong-based Beijing Enterprises Holdings, Ltd. has signed an agreement to build Bellomonte Golf & Country Club, which will spread across 625 acres in Guanabo, a fishing village located a half-hour’s drive east of Havana. Bellomonte was initiated nearly a decade ago by Coral Capital, whose fortunes took a nose dive in 2011, when its two top executives were accused of being spies and then, when the accusations didn’t stick, charged with financial crimes. They were held in prisons until 2013, when they were permitted to return to the United Kingdom. BEH hasn’t announced its plans for Bellomonte, but Coral Capital wanted to build 1,100 villas and apartments, a 160-room waterfront hotel, a beach club, a spa, a retail/commercial area, and an 18-hole, championship-quality golf course. It reportedly had a course designer in mind, but it never revealed his (or her) identity.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the October 2014 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Japan. Now that Gil Hanse’s Brazilian nightmare appears to have ended, the golf industry’s Olympics torch is being passed to Tom Fazio. The North Carolina-based architect will oversee what Golf magazine describes as “both short-term and long-term alterations” to the golf venue for the 2020 Summer Games, the 86-year-old, C. H. Alison-designed East track at Kasumigaseki Country Club in suburban Tokyo. The overhaul is expected to begin in this fall. Fazio, who’s responsible for 15 tracks on Golf Digest’s list of the 100 greatest U.S. courses, has been directed to maintain the character of Alison’s “classic” design while modernizing the layout and toughening it up for high-caliber competition. In addition, Kasumigaseki plans to convert the course from a dual-green system (its holes have separate greens for warm and cool weather) to a one-green system, with a species of grass suitable for year-round play. Darius Oliver of Planet Golf considers Alison’s track to be “a true Japanese gem.” To polish it, the International Golf Federation will pick up part of the tab that Fazio runs up.

     Czech Republic. A Prague-based development group has secured permission to build a small resort community outside a ski town in the Krkonoše Mountains. The community, likely to be named Černý Důl, will consist of 18 cottages, 78 condos or apartments, a hotel, a wellness center, a recreation center, and an 18-hole golf course. It’ll occupy 210 acres just west of Černý Důl, a village that’s about 80 miles northeast of Prague. Černý Důl’s golf course will be designed by Jakub Červenka, an architect based in suburban Prague who’s also working on a new course in Slovakia and a nine-hole addition in Serbia. The track in Černý Důl won’t be the area’s only course. There’s a 36-hole complex in nearby Jaroměř (at Nova Amerika Golf & Country Club) and nine-hole layouts in Prosečné, Semily, and Mýtiny.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the November 2014 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.  

     Kenya. With its house sales booming, Kenya’s most exclusive private golf community may soon break ground on its long-planned second course. Vipingo Ridge Golf Club, part of a 2,800-acre refuge in suburban Mombasa, opened its first 18-hole track in 2009, sparking a thirst for golf-course living throughout Kenya that has yet to be quenched. The community’s David Jones-designed layout has helped to sell virtually all 256 lots in phase one of construction, so today preparations are being made for phase two, which will likewise feature an 18-hole, Jones-designed course. Vipingo Ridge, which is gated and surrounded by a 25-foot wall, offers both security and luxury, prized commodities among Kenya’s moneyed elites. In addition to its existing course, it features a game conservancy and a private air strip.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the December 2014 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.  

     United Arab Emirates. Sometimes it seems that every comatose residential venture in Dubai is being revived. The latest to get back on its feet is Living Legends, a gated community in Dubailand that will feature a nine-hole, Peter Harradine-designed golf course. Tanmiyat Investment Group, a Saudi company, has master-planned Living Legends to include 500 villas, 1,800 condos in a dozen high-rise buildings, a shopping center, and other attractions. Harradine, a Swiss architect with an office in Dubai, reports that it’ll hire a builder and break ground on the golf course sometime this year.