The Week That Was, february 17, 2019

     The truth can hurt. So, especially in times of stress, people occasionally try to dull the pain by stretching the facts or telling half-truths or putting a happy face on a situation. They try, in other words, to make things seem to be better than they actually are.
     A recent example of such embroidery comes from Golf Advisor, in an article headlined “17 New Golf Courses Opening in 2019.” In the article, Golf Advisor not only contends that the collapse of golf development is “not necessarily a bad thing” (echoes of the National Golf Foundation!) but blissfully attempts to redefine the word new, which has been with us, according to Merriam-Webster, since before the 12th century.
     Clearly, the ground beneath our feet has shifted. When the NGF and golf’s other opinion-makers feel compelled to change definitions that have stood for eons, it’s because those definitions measure performance in ways that are too troubling.
     Did Golf Advisor actually find 17 new courses that will open this year? Absolutely not. It found 11 courses that, by the customary definition of the word new, are expected to open. And of those 11, only seven are in the United States.
     Regarding the six other courses on Golf Advisor’s list, they’re what we used to call major remodelings. In most cases, no doubt, the remodelings are dramatic. Still, back when developers were opening hundreds of courses a year, they wouldn’t have been considered new.
     Golf Advisor doesn’t want to deep-dive into the distinctions between traditionally defined new courses and newish courses that take shape atop existing courses. “There are some cases,” it acknowledges, “where one could potentially argue whether some of the ‘new golf courses’ on this list are actually heavy renovations.”
     You don’t say.
     Make no mistake: A broader definition of new, as originally championed by the NGF, doesn’t benefit the golf industry. It’s just a phony, transparent attempt to gloss over the truth about the current state of U.S. golf development. It doesn’t clarify. It doesn’t make people smarter. In fact, by muddying the facts, it clouds the issues.
     If we expect to solve golf’s problems, we have to be honest about the dimensions of those problems. I know many people in the golf business, and they can all handle the truth. Seven is an honest number. Seventeen is not.

     What’s been described as “the first major smart sustainable city” in Europe and “a place where you want to work, live, and play” could soon take shape in Castilblanco, a city in Badajoz, Spain. Eco- and family-friendly Elysium City has been master-planned to include houses, hotels, casinos, a Formula One race track, a “Disney-level” theme park, a waterpark, a 40,000-seat sports stadium, shopping areas, a high-speed train station, and an 18-hole golf course. A developer hasn’t been identified, but government officials hope to complete the city’s first phase of construction in 2023.

     Pipeline Overflow – A pair of South Korean companies may build resorts, complete with golf courses, in Primorye, Russia’s dedicated gambling zone. The companies are Ramid Hotels & Resorts and K International, and the quality of Ramid’s venue will reportedly be “at the level of recognized world entertainment centers Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Dubai.” . . . What’s said to be “a large-scale golf course development” is expected to take shape in Paralimni, a vacation spot on the eastern coast of Cyprus. A site hasn’t yet been chosen, and environmental concerns will have to be addressed, but the Mediterranean island has been angling to become a golf destination for many years. . . . Planning officials in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India, are looking for a private-sector group that’s willing to build the city’s first 18-hole golf course. The city has two nine-hole tracks, but the Lucknow Development Authority believes a regulation-sized layout is necessary to satisfy a “growing population.”

     Here’s a rundown of significant course closing that have occurred over the past month or so:
     – Sable Oaks Golf Club, a 30-year-old venue that features what’s been described as “probably the most significant 18-hole [course] that’s ever gone away in the state of Maine, without a doubt.” The course, in suburban Portland, was co-designed by Geoffrey Cornish and Brian Silva, and its 179 acres are slated for residential development.
     – White Hawk Golf Club, the centerpiece of a golf community in Bixby, Oklahoma. Roger Rodich, who bought the 25-year-old club last year, hopes to build houses on the property’s 18-hole, Randy Heckenkemper-designed golf course.
     – Possum Trot Golf Club, which has operated on South Carolina’s Grand Strand since 1968, the year that the Smithsonian says “shattered America.” Possum Trot is operated on a lease that expires this fall, and it appears that the owners of the nearly 170-acre property are intent on residential development.
     – Woodland Meadows Golf & Event Center, in suburban Sacramento, California, which “just doesn’t have the community support anymore,” according to its owner. The 40-acre property, featuring a nine-hole course that opened in 1996, is slated for redevelopment.
     – Hawthorne Valley Golf Club, a 95-year-old facility in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, isn’t expected to reopen in 2019. The club, which has been living on borrowed time for several years, features an 18-hole, Donald Ross-designed course.
     – Badin Inn Golf Club, a venue outside Albemarle, North Carolina that’s operated since 1924. The 145-acre property has been sold to Newport Landowners Services, which told the Stanly News & Press that the inn’s an 18-hole, Ed Seay-designed track is “done as a golf course.”
     – Blackhawk Run Golf Course, an 18-hole track in Stockton, Illinois. The owners of the 55-year-old property reportedly hope to find a buyer.
     – Little River Resort’s golf course, an 18-hole, Dan Maples-designed track outside Pinehurst, North Carolina that’s in need of upgrades that might cost $1 million or more. The course reportedly lost its greens last summer, when its irrigation system failed, and Oceanico Group USA isn’t eager to spring for the repairs. It’s looking to sell.

     Duly Noted – What do Portugal’s top golf courses have in common? Well, no surprise here: None of them were created by Portuguese architects. What’s mildly surprising, though, is that every one of the top five, according to Sports Daily, were created by Americans: Jack Nicklaus, Cynthia Dye McGarey, Arthur Hills, Robert Trent Jones, and Joe Lee. . . . Hard numbers can’t be found, but the BBC has wondered why “so few people” attended the European Tour’s recent tournament in Saudi Arabia. “The inaugural and lavish Saudi International,” the British news service noted, “was most certainly not funded by gate receipts.” . . . After he did some minor damage to a few golf greens during the Saudi International, it was said that Sergio Garcia had “made a fool of himself” and was “not in a well-balanced state of mind.” It was said that his actions constituted “an offense that deserves a suspension.” Sadly, similar outrage wasn’t expressed when Garcia spewed a racist joke about serving fried chicken to Tiger Woods.

     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.