The Pipeline, february 5, 2016

     Miches, Dominican Republic. Sometime this year, Tom Doak may finally break ground on his first golf course in the Caribbean. The delayed, destination-worthy track will be the centerpiece of Tropicalia, a 6,000-acre resort community outside Miches, along the southern coast of Samaná Bay. Tropicalia is being developed by entities controlled by Gustavo Cisneros, one of Latin America’s richest and most powerful businessmen (Forbes estimates that the Cisneros family is worth $3.6 billion), and it aims to become “an emblem of sustainable luxury tourism throughout the world.” Tropicalia was set in motion close to a decade ago, but Cisneros put it on the back burner in the wake of the Great Recession. Along with Doak’s 18-hole course, the community will feature vacation housing, hotels (the first two will be operated by the Four Seasons and Auberge chains), places to eat and drink, and other attractions.

     Camiguin Island, Philippines. The biggest development group in the Philippines will locate its third golf course on a small island off the northern coast of Mindanao. Ayala Land, Inc. intends to build the to-be-named track on Camiguin Island, a place that Lonely Planet says is still “uncorrupted by large-scale tourism.” Camiguin’s tranquility doesn’t figure to last for long, because Ayala’s resort communities have proved to be popular with well-to-do buyers. Today, the publicly traded company owns a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed layout at Ayala Greenfield Golf & Leisure Club in suburban Manila and a Kevin Ramsey-designed layout at Anvaya Cove Golf & Sports Club near Subic Bay Freeport. Ayala hasn’t identified a site for the course on Camiguin, but the island doesn’t appear to offer a lot of options, as it’s said to be the second-smallest island in the Philippines. It reportedly has one major claim to fame: It has more volcanoes per square kilometer than any other island on earth.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in October 2015 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. By 2019, a Japanese management company hopes to open a golf course on a remote island near Taiwan. Unimat Precious Company intends to build the to-be-named 18-hole track on Ishigaki Island, which is located just 120 miles east of Taiwan and a long distance from Japan’s major cities. (Tokyo, for example, is a three-hour flight away.) But Unimat Precious and its parent company, Unimat Group, appear to know what they’re doing when it comes to golf. Various affiliates of Unimat Group have built resorts with golf courses on Miyako Island, northeast of Ishigaki, and Kohama Island, west of Ishigaki, and Unimat Precious operates several golf properties, among them Tokyo Birdie Club in Tokyo, Unimat Okinawa Golf Club on Okinawa Island, and Unimat Yamaguchi Golf Club in suburban Hiroshima. The company’s course on Ishigaki will take shape on 245 acres in Maesedake, a suburb of Ishigaki City, and it’ll be accompanied by a resort-style hotel.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the December 2015 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Education City, Qatar. The government-sponsored foundation that created Qatar’s Education City wants to teach the world a thing or two about golf. The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science & Community Development has identified a site in Education City for Qatar International Golf Club, a “world-class” facility that will feature an 18-hole, José María Olazábal-designed layout that promises to be “one of the most technologically advanced, innovative, and sustainable golf courses in the world.” Olazábal’s track will be complemented by a lighted 6-hole championship-quality course, a lighted nine-hole, par-3 track, a practice center, and “female-centric practice facilities.” The foundation believes that Qatar International will revolutionize the way golf is taught -- it’ll offer what’s said to be “an entirely new way to learn, enjoy, and share the game” -- and, in the words of a Middle Eastern newspaper, provide “a blueprint for growing levels of golf participation globally.” Golf magazine reports that Qatar International will open “in phases” beginning later this year.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the November 2015 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Zielona Góra, Poland. When the weather warms up, Hans-Georg Erhardt expects to officially unveil his third golf course in Poland, a nine-hole, links-like track at Przytok Golf & Resort, in Lubusz Province (Lubusz Voivodeship). Erhardt, an architect based in Steyr, Austria, has said that the track will have “holes with water and lots of sand, fescue roughs, and stunning greens,” and he hopes that it will help to turn Poland into “a high-standard golf destination.” Elsewhere in Poland, Erhardt has created Amber Baltic Golf Course in Międzyzdroje, along the nation’s northern coast, and Rosa Private Golf Club in suburban Czestochowa. He’s also designed courses in Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and other nations, and he serves as the “ghost” architect for José Maria Olazábal.

     Safaga, Egypt. This year, a popular resort along the Red Sea coast expects to break ground on its second golf course. The 18-hole, Tim Lobb-designed track will join Somabay Resort’s Gary Player-designed Cascades layout, a venue that currently checks in at #2 on Golf Digest’s list of Egypt’s top courses. When it opened, in 1998, Player called it “the next Pebble Beach,” and Somabay’s owner, Abu Soma Development Company, believes it’s “the ultimate course for a comprehensive golfing experience.” Somabay is located on a peninsula roughly 40 miles south of Hurghada. It reportedly draws most of its customers from the United Kingdom and mainland Europe, with attractions that include five hotels, a spa, and a variety of recreational activities including scuba diving, kite surfing, and sailing. Lobb, a principal of Thomson Perrett & Lobb, has set out to create a course that “focuses on strategic and fun play, has family-friendly options, and is accessible to all.” It’ll anchor a forthcoming community that includes vacation houses and a hotel.

     Andhra Pradesh, India. The people who control India’s largest privately owned seaport have broken ground on the nation’s fourth David Hemstock-designed golf course. The 18-hole layout, CVR Links, figures to play a prominent role in the marketing of Krishnapatnam Port, a 4,550-acre facility outside Nellore, along India’s eastern coast. The port’s majority owner, Hyderabad-based CVR Group, already sponsors an annual amateur golf tournament, and it’s signed Sharmila Nicollet, the only Indian on the Ladies European Tour, to serve as the port’s “brand ambassador.” Nicollet, who’s 24, writes on her website that she’s “potentially the most exciting woman athlete in the country.” Hemstock, a Derbyshire, England-based architect, has operations on four continents. Previously in India, he created Aamby Valley Golf Club in Pune, Kovai Hills Golf & Country Club in Coimbatore, and Palace Greens Golf Course in Chennai.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the December 2015 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Motherwell, South Africa. If all goes according to plan, South Africa’s largest planned community will begin welcoming its first residents in 2018. Nu-Way Housing hopes to break ground on Coega Ridge, which is to include an “eco-estate” with an equestrian center and a golf course, in 2017. The community, to take shape on 8,000 acres just northeast of Port Elizabeth, will be the biggest and most ambitious development venture that Nu-Way has undertaken. It’s been master-planned to include roughly 40,000 houses of various types as well as an industrial park, office and commercial space, a hotel, a regional mall, shopping areas, a railway station, a university and other schools, a hospital, and recreation areas. Though it hasn’t yet been approved and permitted, it’s won the support of virtually every local elected official. The reason: The Port Elizabeth area needs almost 85,000 houses to satisfy near-term demand.

     The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the November 2015 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Buckinghamshire, England. In an effort to spark economic development, a member of Buckinghamshire County Council is trying to drum up support for a recreation and commercial center that would include an 18-hole golf course. The Aquatic & Sports Leisure Park, to take shape on 250 acres of farm land north of Aylesbury, has been master-planned to include recreational amenities, a soccer stadium that might serve as a home for Aylesbury United Football Club, two hotels, meeting space, a medical center, a shopping area, and places to eat and drink. It’s being promoted by an elected official named Phil Gomm, who’s working with a private-sector development partner. The proposal has been “broadly welcomed,” according to the Buckingham Advertiser & Review, in large part because the alternative, proposed by a home builder, is a subdivision with 200 houses.