The Week That Was, march 1, 2015

     A manufacturer of camouflage apparel and knives, scents, and gear for hunters has enlisted Gil Hanse to design a “premier golf destination experience” in West Point, Mississippi. Mossy Oak, a company that professes to have “an obsession” with the “hunting and outdoors lifestyle,” aims to build Mossy Oak Golf Club on property adjacent to Old Waverly Golf Club, whose owners are partnering in the venture. “Our goal is to create a truly unique golf experience and to develop it into not only one of the finest golf courses in the country but in the world,” said Toxey Haas, the founder of Mossy Oak. The golf course and a group of cabins tailored to golf travelers are scheduled to open in 2017. “We believe that the outdoor enthusiast and avid golf traveler share a common love of nature,” said Hanse, one of golf architecture’s foremost naturalizers. Sadly, the love of nature to which Hanse refers doesn’t extend to the deer and other wildlife slaughtered by Mossy Oak’s customers.

     Increased government scrutiny has clearly put a crimp on golf development in China, and now it appears that the operations side of the business may be suffering as well. According to a columnist for the Shenzhen Daily, many golf courses in the People’s Republic are “on the brink of bankruptcy” because “wealthy people’s golf expenditures [are] shrinking sharply.” Unfortunately, Lei Xiangping offers no evidence to support his contention, and no other news sources have thus far made a similar claim. One other thing: Citing a report by the Xinhua news agency, Lei writes that “hardly any courses in Hainan are making a profit” and that greens fees at some golf properties in the popular Chinese vacation spot “have been cut by half” to attract more play.

     The king of the One Percent Solution wants to make another move into municipal golf operations. Donald Trump, who’ll soon begin operating New York City’s new “signature” golf course in Ferry Point Park, has made a behind-the-curtain move to take over the city of Miami’s golf course in Crandon Park and make it, in the words of the Miami Herald, “a world-class venue.” Trump apparently believes that the 18-hole track, located on a waterfront site in Key Biscayne, can become Florida’s version of Pebble Beach Golf Links. “I would like to make it great!” he wrote to the city’s mayor early last year. The greatness will come at a price, however, for Trump’s pro forma suggests that local golfers will lose their discounted rates just three years after the takeover. A public hearing on Trump’s proposal is expected to be held this spring.

     Donald Trump is also making headlines again in Scotland, as the on-again/off-again second course at his golf resort in Aberdeenshire is -- for the time being, at least -- on again. “I will build a second course in Aberdeen,” the New York City-based reality-TV star reportedly vowed in the forthcoming issue of Today’s Golfer. Trump put course number two on the back burner roughly a year ago, after he lost a court battle in his continuing war against Scotland’s alternative-energy industry. It’s worth noting, however, that although the Martin Hawtree-designed track may once again be on the table, Trump hasn’t yet announced a construction schedule.

     Gifts of Gab: Some of Florida’s home builders have once again warmed up to golf, but a housing-industry consultant recently gave our business the cold shoulder. “If I was building a family-oriented community today,” Lewis Goodkin told the Orlando Sun Sentinel, “I wouldn’t even think about putting in golf.” Instead, Goodkin advises his clients to create what the newspaper calls “a country club setting without golf and its pricey fees and mandatory memberships.”

     $25 million -- that’s roughly how much Hirakawa Shoji Group paid for Hoalalei Country Club, according to Pacific Business News. Haseko Hawaii, Inc. sold the club and its Ernie Els-designed golf course last fall, but at the time neither the buyer nor the seller was unwilling to announce the price.

     If you love this country as much as Rudy Giuliani does, at one time or another you’ve probably said to yourself, “Geez, I wish Jack Nicklaus sold his own brand of low-priced ice cream.” Well, your wish has been granted.