The Week That Was, july 31, 2018

     Are the houses flanking the Trump Organization’s course in Dubai being sold to money launderers? It’s entirely possible, seeing as how a non-profit that studies global criminal networks has identified $100 million worth of “suspicious purchases” of real estate in the emirate. Citing a report by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, the Associated Press says that Dubai’s real-estate boom, which in turn created its golf boom, was fueled by “war profiteers, terror financiers, and drug traffickers.”

     A columnist for the Irish Times believes that “Ireland has too many golf clubs,” and he provides some evidence to support his opinion. Here it is: Since 1980, according to data provided by the Golfing Union of Ireland, the number of “affiliated clubs” in the nation has increased by 81 percent, from 248 to 450, while golf membership has increased by only 22 percent, from 123,000 to 150,000. Not surprisingly, the discrepancy leads to fairways that are sometimes “entirely empty.”

     Hilltop Valley Golf Club, a venue that Asian Golf Travel Nation thinks will be “another welcome addition to the Hanoi golf scene,” is expected to debut later this year. The club will anchor an 1,150-acre community that its developers have said will include environmentally friendly houses, a trade center with office space, a resort-style hotel, sports and entertainment areas, an enclave for “hi-tech agricultural production,” and a pair of 18-hole courses that have been designed by Brit Stenson of IMG Design. Hilltop Valley is located roughly 40 miles west of the capital city and is said to be “accessible by paved road in less than two hours.”

     Some information in the preceding post first appeared in the August 2011 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report. 

    Pipeline Overflow – Fred Couples’ first golf course in Mexico, the featured attraction of a conservation-minded private community that’s emerging on property outside Cabo San Lucas, is scheduled to open before the end of the year. Couples co-designed the 18-hole layout at Twin Dolphin Golf Club with Todd Eckenrode, and Golfweek reports that the partners will deliver a “playable” track where “everybody can have a good time.” . . . Nicklaus Design’s second golf course in Morocco, the centerpiece of a 300-acre community in Ifrane, is scheduled to open sometime this summer. Recently retired Jack Nicklaus says that the 18-hole layout at Michlifen Golf & Country Club has been laid out on “one of the most scenic, beautiful vistas you will find for a golf experience,” but it’s one that will soon be dotted with villas and apartments. Nicklaus’ North Palm Beach, Florida-based firm opened Samanah Country Club, in Marrakech, in 2008. . . . The city of Alameda, California and Greenway Golf have taken the wraps off the South Course at the Chuck Corica Golf Complex, a track whose design was influenced by the links-like Sandbelt courses outside Melbourne. Rees Jones, the designer, believes that “the Australian style is really good for the public,” in part because it makes for layouts that are “easier to play on the ground.”

     Donald Garrett has reportedly paid $5 million for Gateway Golf & Country Club, a member-hungry property in Fort Myers, Florida, Garrett, who owns a local construction company, bought the nearly 30-year-old venue from its members, who support his plans to make it what the Fort Myers News-Press calls “a more social, family environment.” Garrett expects to add modern “lifestyle” amenities that he believes will appeal to a younger demographic, and in 2021 he’ll overhaul the club’s 18-hole, Tom Fazio-designed golf course. His initial change, however, relates to marketing: He’s rebranded the property as the Club at Gateway.

     Surplus Transactions – A investment group led by Jamie Miller has reportedly paid $2.3 million for Legendary Run Golf Course, a 22-year-old venue that promises “country-club-caliber golf conditions” and “the friendliest service in the world.” Legendary Run’s 18-hole, Arthur Hills-designed layout is said to be “one of the toughest public golf courses in Greater Cincinnati.” . . . An entity affiliated with DMB Associates has turned over ownership of Glenwild Golf Club, a 17-year-old venue in Park City, Utah, to the property’s more than 300 members. Golf Digest ranks the club’s Tom Fazio-designed golf course as the state’s best. DMB says that Glenwild has “a healthy balance sheet and no debt” and will be capable of offering “a best-in-class golf experience for members and their guests.” . . . Marty and Connie Panning have agreed to accept $365,000 for their Shady Acres Golf Course, a nine-hole track in McComb, Ohio that’s been in business since 1931. The prospective purchaser is the McComb school board, which plans to close the course and build school facilities on its roughly 70 acres.

    At the end of last year’s golf season, Robert Hardaway pulled the plug on Hunter’s Run Golf Course, his nine-hole, 60-acre layout outside Durango, Colorado. “I just got too old to keep it up,” Hardaway, the course’s designer and builder, confessed to the Durango Herald. He hopes to find a buyer for the course, which had operated since 1995.

     Desolation Row Extended – As expected, Robert Heath of Western Golf Properties and a partner, Michael Schlesinger, have drawn the curtains on Vellano Golf Course, their 11-year-old, Greg Norman-designed layout in Chino Hills, California. The developers, who’ve shuttered other courses, blamed the closure on obstinate homeowners in the accompanying community. . . . Elected officials in Johnson City, Tennessee turned out the lights at Buffalo Valley Golf Course late last year. Their counterparts in nearby Unicoi want to revive the course and are willing to pay $400,000 for it, but their offer has so far fallen on deaf ears. . . . Just a year short of its 80th anniversary, the 18-hole track at Texas Woman’s University has gone belly up. The course, in Denton, Texas, occupies a prime site for campus expansion.

     Duly Noted – Phil “the Gambler” Mickelson is making a bet on frozen yogurt dispensed by robots. He views the absence of human interaction at the Reis & Irvy’s chain as a “transformative industry change” and says that he’s “thrilled” to be part of it. . . . Never mind the poverty, the overpopulation, the social distress, and the water scarcity: If current economic trends hold, by 2027 India will become the world’s fourth-largest “wealth market,” according to a research group. As it climbs to #4, it’ll pass the United Kingdom and Germany. . . . Topgolf’s slow takeover of the traditional golf business continues: ClubCorp has unveiled its first “next generation” driving range, powered by Topgolf technology, at one of its properties in suburban Dallas, Texas. In a press release, the self-described “world leader in private clubs” called the new facility “a fun, unique hangout” that offers “a little friendly competition for everyone.”

     Are you wondering how much of a week’s golf news I cover in this blog? The answer, unfortunately, is just a fraction of what passes my way. The golf business, particularly the development side of the golf business, has unquestionably perked up over the past year or two, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if your business requires a more comprehensive news digest, contact me via e-mail at golfcoursereport@aol.com. I’ll send you a sample issue of either U.S. or International Construction Clips, depending on your needs.