The Week That Was, april 23, 2017

     When it comes to golf construction, Vietnam continues to put the pedal to the metal. According to a count by its Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment, the socialist republic currently has 58 golf courses in 24 cities and provinces. The national goal for golf – 96 courses by 2020 – is now plainly in sight, but there’s one major question still unanswered: What happens when the government reaches its goal?

     Jack Nicklaus’ design group has secured a contract for its fourth golf course in Malaysia. The commission comes courtesy of a Chinese developer, Country Garden Pacificview Sdn. Bhd., which aims to build three “international-standard” golf courses at Forest City, a 2,000-acre community in Johor Bahru, just across the Johor Strait from Singapore. If all goes as planned, the community expects to wrap up construction on the golf course before the end of the year. Forest City has been described as “the city of the future” and “a new growth point for Malaysia's economy.” The Nicklaus-branded course will be the community’s first, but the Star and other Southeast Asian news services don’t say whether it’ll be a “signature” layout or a product of Nicklaus Design. (The project hasn’t yet appeared on the empire’s website.) What’s more, nobody seems to know if Nicklaus is creating just the first course or all three in the master plan. Here’s what is known: Nicklaus’s existing courses in Malaysia are “signature” tracks at Sungai Long Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Borneo Golf & Country Club in Sabah, and Legends Golf & Country Club in Johor. Also, Country Garden Pacificview is an affiliate of Country Garden Holdings Company, Ltd., a Foshan-based, publicly traded conglomerate that’s said to have built 20 golf courses in the People’s Republic. And, finally, Country Garden has several projects in the works in and around Johor Bahru, a place it believes will be the next Shenzhen.

     Pipeline Overflow – The folks who brought you Cape Wickham Links, the top-25 track on Tasmania’s King Island, are proceeding with plans to build an equally destination-worthy layout on Australia’s Kangaroo Island. Andrew Purchase and his partners expect their Cliffs Kangaroo Island to be “a world-class, world-ranked course,” according to the Advertiser (sorry, no link available), and they’ve enlisted Darius Oliver of Planet Golf and Golf Digest Australia to provide a routing for it. Oliver hasn’t been hired to design the course, but he’s slowly building a formidable resume. He co-designed Cape Wickham with Mike DeVries. . . . A long-delayed resort community on Oman’s southern coast is showing signs of life. Mirbat Beach has been kicking around since 2009, and today it basically consists of one hotel, the Salalah Marriott. There’s much more to come, however, as Dhofar Tourism Company’s master plan calls for up to 1,500 villas and apartments, a 300-room hotel, a marina, a shopping mall, an amusement zone, and a nine-hole golf course. Dhofar, a publicly traded group, plans to submit its latest development proposal to tourism authorities later this year. . . . After nearly a decade of fits and starts, the 18-hole track at NewGiza, in suburban Cairo, Egypt, is finally expected to open later this year. “It has been a long and difficult build due to the conditions on site, but we are getting there and the results are stunning,” said British architect Tim Lobb, who co-designed the course with former partner Ross Perrett. “I believe it will be a strong candidate for the title of Egypt’s best course.” NewGiza was initiated by Qatari Diar Real Estate Company, an entity created by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.

     The distress in ClubCorp’s boardroom hasn’t prevented “the world leader in private clubs” from adding to its golf portfolio. The Dallas, Texas-based owner/operator has purchased Oakhurst Golf & Country Club, a nearly 20-year-old venue that serves as the centerpiece of an upscale community in suburban Detroit, Michigan. Oakhurst features an 18-hole, Arthur Hills-designed golf course, and its best-known member is said to be Kid Rock. The club is ClubCorp’s fourth golf acquisition of the year. The company has two other golf properties in the area, Oak Pointe Country Club in Brighton and TPC Michigan in Dearborn.

     Cuba welcomed just over 4 million international travelers last year, a 13 percent increase in the number it attracted in 2015. And if Raúl Castro’s government makes good on its forecast, the socialist republic will lure 4.7 million visitors this year.

     Would it surprise you to learn that the most expensive round of golf in Scotland can be found at a Trump-branded venue? Didn’t think so. The honor goes to the Ailsa Course at still Open-less Trump Turnberry, where recent upgrades apparently justify a charge of £350 ($448). Number two on a list compiled by Business Insider is an American-made venue, Kingsbarns (£240), followed by Royal Troon’s Old Course (£230), Prestwick (£195), and, in a tie for fifth, Carnoustie’s Championship layout and the Old Course at St. Andrews (£175). The rest of the top 10 consists of Royal Aberdeen (£172), Western Gailes (£165), the Championship track at Mike Keiser fave Royal Dornoch (£145), and Nairn (£135). If you’re wondering, nine of the tracks (all but Prestwick) have a place on Golf Digest’s ranking of Scotland’s best. The total to play all 10: £2,012 ($2,579).