The Week That Was, august 6, 2017

     As we count down the days to this year’s Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship, Tony Jacklin has lots of wonderful things to say about par-3 golf. The British golf legend justifiably maintains that shorter holes lend themselves to a “more accessible” version of golf, one that can equally engage “golfers at all levels” and make the game “fun for the whole family.” In fact, he believes that par-3 golf can “give new life to the game.” Regrettably, however, Jacklin may not be a credible witness. He’s the host of the Farmfoods championship, and he serves as an “ambassador” to the event, so he’s being paid to promote par-3 golf. It would have been nice if Golf Punk, which published Jacklin’s comments, had acknowledged Jacklin’s role. And it also would have been nice if Golf Punk had mentioned that it’s the event’s “official media partner.”

     Golf Canada has enlisted Jack Nicklaus to help it find a property that can serve as the home of the Canadian Open. Canada’s national golf championship has been played 29 times at Glen Abbey Golf Club, a Nicklaus-designed venue in suburban Toronto, but Glen Abbey’s days as a golf venue are numbered. The Hamilton Spectator reports that Golf Canada is considering three replacement sites in the Toronto area and gave Nicklaus a look-see while this year’s Canadian Open was being contested. Nicklaus hasn’t commented on the quality of the properties and hasn’t officially been offered a design contract, but Golf Canada officials consider him to be “a valued opinion” and “a very valued and trusted sounding board.” Given the sensitivities that inevitably affect such high-profile projects, however, one would think that a Canadian designer should also be considered for the job. Is it possible that Nicklaus would consider doing a co-design, perhaps with a Canadian professional golfer? Hey, Mike Weir: Are you still itching to become a “signature” architect?

     Pipeline Overflow – A British group has announced plans to build a 1,250-acre resort community, including a golf course, in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province, an area of Vietnam known for its unspoiled beaches. The community doesn’t yet have a name, but London, England-based WCG Worldwide Holdings has master-planned it to include villas and apartments, a pair of hotels, a convention center, a marina, a terminal for cruise ships, indoor and outdoor water parks, a safari park, a shopping mall, a medical center, an ice-skating rink, a spa, and other attractions. The province is already home to one of the nation’s best-known courses, the Greg Norman-designed track at the Bluffs Hồ Tràm Strip. . . . Bauchi State, in northeastern Nigeria, is building an 18-hole golf course in Yankari National Park, the nation’s most popular vacation destination. “We want to showcase the tourism potential of Bauchi State through golf,” one of the project’s organizers recently said. Yankari, which occupies roughly 866 square miles, has been described as “the country’s richest wildlife oasis,” with large populations of elephants, lions, hippos, and other big game. . . . Mike Keiser is expected to file his development plans for Coul Links soon, perhaps by sometime next month. It doesn’t appear that Keiser and his development partner, Todd Warnock, have won over conservationists in the Scottish Highlands, but the application was supposed to have been submitted earlier this year and it’s apparently now time to fish or cut bait. Bill Coore anxiously awaits, as he believes the site “might be the best ever.”

     A Chicago-based merchant bank has acquired Jon Huntsman, Sr.’s golf community outside Jackson Hole, Wyoming. BDT Capital Partners has paid an undisclosed price for Huntsman Springs, a 1,350-acre spread that the Jackson Hole News & Guide says “was built on the eve of the Great Recession and has suffered the effects of the crash ever since.” Huntsman Springs, which has an address in Driggs, Idaho, features an 18-hole, David McLay Kidd-designed golf course, hundreds of undeveloped lots, a restaurant, a spa, and sites for a hotel and a clubhouse, both of which are forthcoming. Huntsman, a billionaire who made his money in chemical manufacturing (he’s also the father of the future ambassador to Russia), has said that the sale was “required” due to “challenging” health issues. He’s 80, and he’s said to be a four-time cancer survivor.

     Surplus Transactions – Regarding John McConnell’s prospective purchase of Southern Pines Golf Club, outside Pinehurst, North Carolina: It’s off, at least for the time being. McConnell reportedly “walked away from the deal” when he and the club’s owner couldn’t agree on terms. Let’s be clear, however: Just because a fellow takes a walk doesn’t mean he’s taking a hike. . . . Regarding the expected sale of Las Vegas Country Club: It’s off, apparently definitely. Discovery Land Company and its purchasing partner, Wolff Company, have reportedly told the club’s members that they’re “backing out of the deal” for financial and water-related reasons. The club isn’t likely to be left high and dry, though, as other prospective buyers are said to be “waiting in the wings.” . . . The owner of Double JJ Resort, in Rothbury, Michigan, has acquired a second golf property. Antler Bar Amusements, a group led by Matthew Halbower, now owns Grand View Golf Course, a 23-year-old track in nearby New Era. Grand View’s 18-hole layout will complement Double JJ’s Arthur Hills-designed course.

     In Kalamazoo, Michigan, a golf venue founded by marijuana traffickers is about to go under. John Brussee has agreed to sell Thornapple Creek Golf Club to Daniel Scheffers, the president of a local construction company, for an undisclosed amount. “I had an offer and I took it,” Brussee told the Kalamazoo Gazette, adding: “People don't play golf as much as they used to.” Brussee, who acquired Thornapple Creek in 1998, is reportedly the property’s fourth owner. The club was established in 1979, by a trio who were, according to the Gazette, “linked to a multimillion-dollar drug trafficking network.” Following convictions, the U.S. Department of Justice took possession of the property in 1986 and sold it the following year. Scheffers hasn’t announced his intentions for the 194-acre club, but it appears that he’s going to use it for hunting and fishing.

     Desolation Row Extended – Just four years short of celebrating its 100th birthday, Hillcrest Golf Club is about to go belly up. The club, in St. Paul, Minnesota, will close at the end of the current golf season, as it no longer has enough members to make ends meet. Hillcrest’s owner, Steamfitters Pipefitters Local 455, has described the club’s continuing annual losses “untenable.” . . . On the third of July, Legacy Golf Club, in suburban Las Vegas, Nevada, was sold and immediately closed. A group called Par Excellence Drive Trust LLC reportedly offered $5.6 million for the club and its 18-hole, Arthur Hills-designed golf course, and an entity related to Pacific Life Insurance Company accepted. The new owners aim to build what they call “a planned use development” on the club’s 177 acres, but residents in the area intend to fight the proposal. . . . A nine-hole golf course in Westcliffe, Colorado didn’t open this year, and it may be closed for good. A lender has reportedly foreclosed on St. Andrews Golf Course, a venue that opened in 1990, and a public auction will likely be held.

     Only 26 new golf facilities have opened in Canada since 2010, and these days our northern neighbor has just 22 of those awkwardly designated “18-hole equivalent facilities” in the pipeline. So there’s no reason to expect a near-term increase in the supply of golf venues in Canada, which trails only the United States when it comes to a total count of golf courses. (If you’re wondering, the United States wins in a blowout, 15,014 to 2,298. Japan comes in third, with 2,290.) Those who are intrigued by such factoids are advised to check out “Golf Facilities in Canada 2017,” which has been published jointly by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada and claims to be “a comprehensive snapshot of the Canadian golf landscape.” For those whose thirst for such knowledge hasn’t yet been quenched, the report also points out that 90 percent of Canada’s courses are open to the public and that 36 percent of them are nine-hole tracks.