The Week That Was, august 23, 2015

     Greg Nash, a prolific but relatively unknown U.S. golf architect, has died in the Phoenix, Arizona area, where his practice was based. As best I can determine, an obituary hasn’t been published. Nash credits himself with more than 80 course designs for a variety of clients, but his work was best known among retirees in the West and Southwest, for he produced dozens of tracks (some of them collaborations with Billy Casper) for Del Webb-developed communities in Arizona (Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand, Anthem), California (Sun City Palm Desert, Sun City Lincoln Hills, Sun City Roseville), Nevada (Sun City Summerlin, Revere Golf Club), and other states. Unlike most “signature,” celebrity, and brand-name architects, Nash didn’t view himself primarily as an artist, stylist, or pioneer. He took pride in delivering what he called “a quality golf experience,” with courses that satisfy “the owner’s perception and project economics,” have “a high resale value,” and “maximize real estate values.” He got his start as an architect in Red Lawrence’s firm and later became a member of the Golf Course Architects Association of America. He was 66.

     The European and Asian professional golf tours have agreed to the framework of a merger that will become official once they work out the details of the arrangement and win the approval of the players who participate in their events. “This is the first step on the journey,” said Keith Pelley, the CEO of the struggling European Tour, who noted that “Asia is a very important market for us.” The tours are longtime partners -- they’ve been co-sanctioning events since the late 1990s -- and they’re justifying their seemingly inevitable association by emphasizing the benefits that will accrue to all the beneficiaries involved, particularly to their corporate and television sponsors and the touring pros. In Pelley’s words, “There is no question that combining the business entities of these respective tours will see global commercial opportunities significantly increase, and for elite players that will translate into higher prize purses.” The tours haven’t set a time line for the remaining steps in the merger process.

     One of Australia’s richest individuals has sold one of the nation’s most prominent golf properties to what’s been described as “a consortium of Chinese and Chinese-Australian businessmen.” Paddy Handbury has reportedly accepted $18.5 million (U.S. $13.4 million) for Moonah Links, a nearly 600-acre resort community on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula that bills itself as “the home of Australian golf.” Jeff Blunden, Australia’s most prominent golf-industry consultant, considers Moonah Links to be “the highest-profile golf asset on the peninsula.” The buyers, operating as Peninsula International Group, expect to capitalize on further development opportunities at Moonah Links, which has existing vacation houses and condos, an 88-room Peppers-operated hotel, a conference center, and a pair of 18-hole, Thomson Perrett-designed golf courses. The property’s flagship track, the Open course, was designed to host the Australian Open (it’s had the pleasure just twice, however, the last time in 2005), while the Legends track is said to be “a friendly and inviting course for players of all levels of abilities and ages.” Handbury, a nephew of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has owned Moonah Links since 2004. He owns one other golf property, Sands Torquay on Victoria’s southwestern coast, a venue that he’s also trying to sell.