A dormant golf complex on Ireland’s northern coast is finally going to get its much-anticipated second life. In a venture that’s been percolating since 2012, Tom Doak has officially been commissioned to design a new 18-hole track on property currently occupied by the defunct, 36-hole St. Patrick’s Golf Links, in County Donegal. Frank Casey, Jr., whose family owns St. Patrick’s as well as the adjacent Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort, thinks Doak will be working on “one of, if not the last, truly great undeveloped links site in Ireland.” The parties know each other well, for Doak has been doing renovations at Rosapenna for years. Now Doak will shift his attention to the 370-acre St. Patrick’s property, which dates from the mid 1990s and consists of courses designed by Eddie Hackett and Joanne O’Haire. In the mid 2000s, before financial problems forced it to close, St. Patrick’s was being prepared for an overhaul by Jack Nicklaus. One of Nicklaus Design’s officials said the property was “what Ireland golf is supposed to be – raw, natural, wild, windy, with bunkers carved and created by Mother Nature.”
Some information in the preceding post first appeared in the December 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
Pipeline Overflow – Speaking of Nicklaus Design, the empire has broken ground on an 18-hole layout in suburban Phoenix, Arizona. The course, designed to “showcase features from the golden age of golf architecture,” will be the centerpiece of a 2,200-house “lifestyle” community called Sterling Grove. Barring setbacks, it’ll open late next year. . . . In an attempt to pump some air into the slowly deflating, Tiger Woods-spotlighted municipal re-do on Chicago’s waterfront, Mike Keiser and his fellow promoters may build part of the project’s Beau Welling-designed, beginner-friendly five-hole track. Keiser, who hopes to break ground this year, thinks Welling’s holes are “stunning.” . . .
Vinpearl, one of Vietnam’s top resort developers, has secured permission to build an 18-hole track in Cần Thơ, which Wikipedia helpfully notes is the fourth-largest city in the Mekong Delta. The course, which is scheduled to open in 2021, will be part of a network of Vinpearl-owned golf properties in Hải Phòng, Hội An, Nha Trang, and Phú Quốc.
Pipeline Overflow Overflow – Phil “the Gambler” Mickelson’s first golf course in Canada has opened a few holes for preview play, and the full 18-hole layout is expected to debut next year. Mickelson National Golf Club, the centerpiece of a family-oriented community in suburban Calgary, promises to “set new standards in providing a vibrant and exciting golfing experience.” . . . Clive Clark’s first course in Scotland is set to open in the spring of 2020, and the La Quinta, California-based designer says there’s already “a palpable energy about how great this genuine links golf course is going to be.” The Scotsman thinks the 18-hole track, just south of St. Andrews, will be “another jewel in the Kingdom’s golfing crown.” . . . Phil Smith is reportedly wrapping up construction on his first solo design, an 18-hole course at the Club at Flying Horse in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The track, which is scheduled to open next summer, will be the second at Flying Horse, a 1,700-acre community that’s been master-planned for 1,500 houses.
Duly Noted – Trump International Scotland has inflicted so much damage to its dunes that the property is likely to lose its status as a site of special scientific interest. The proposed action may have dire consequences for Mike Keiser’s Coul Links, for an elected official contends that the government made “a terrible decision” to approve Trump’s golf construction and warns that “we must learn lessons for the future.” . . . Last year’s Ryder Cup competition was worth €235.7 million ($26.8 million) to the French economy, according to a study by a prominent British university. The Irish Times reports that the tally is double what the Ryder Cup in Scotland (at Gleneagles) generated in 2014. . . . An estimated 180 million Chinese will travel to foreign countries this year, and increasing numbers of them are booking trips to Africa, particularly to Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. They’re particularly interested in viewing big game, and a travel agent told China Daily that “they request to stay in hotels with golf courses.”
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 its development side, has unquestionably perked up lately, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if your business requires a more comprehensive news digest – a weekly compendium of stories collected from newspapers, magazines, and other sources – 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.
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Sunday, June 23, 2019
The Week That Was, june 23, 2019
Mike Keiser has found what’s said to be a “spectacular property for golf” on Saint Lucia, and he’s going to ruin it by flanking his forthcoming layout with dozens of vacation houses, some of which will cost as much as $10 million. Keiser, who’s become internationally famous for developing stripped-down, stand-alone, destination-worthy golf venues, has hired Coore & Crenshaw to design the golf course for Cabot Point, which will take shape on a 375-acre tract along the island’s northern coast. Bill Coore has said that he and Ben Crenshaw will produce what “could become one of the Caribbean’s most sought-out courses,” but their challenge is to create a track isn’t too negatively impacted by the estate-style houses that will line virtually every one of their holes. Judging by the master plan, Cabot Point will be indistinguishable from predictable Caribbean communities with Jack Nicklaus- and Greg Norman-designed courses, and it’s hard to imagine Keiser’s most dedicated customers – the ones who beat a trail to Bandon Dunes, Sand Valley, Cabot Links, and Barnbougle Dunes – booking flights to St. Lucia for experience that isn’t unique. So far, Keiser and his development partner, Ben Cowan-Dewar, haven’t explained what will make Cabot Point special. Maybe they should do so.
Pipeline Overflow – Any day now, Al Madina Real Estate Company aims to break ground on the first phase of an “integrated tourism complex” in Quriyat, Oman. Phase one of the project appears to consist solely of a hotel, but the 320-acre spread is expected to eventually include houses, more hotels, a water park, and a golf course. . . . As part of an ambitious initiative to generate tourism, government officials in Kazakhstan have set out to build “a major new tourist facility” outside Aktau, a vacation spot along the Caspian Sea. The 540-acre resort has been master-planned to include a 600-room hotel, villas, a casino, meeting space, a water park, and a variety of recreational attractions, including what’s variously been described as “a golf pitch,” a “golf zone,” and a “golf course.” . . . A military course in suburban Mandalay, Myanmar is slated to become a “truly world-class” layout that “could draw international golfers.” Kaung Myanmar Company has secured permission to redesign and rebuild No. 3 Tatmadaw Golf Course, the goal being “to nurture professional players.”
Pipeline Overflow Overflow – Golfasian reports that the wraps have been taken off Nick Faldo’s second course in Cambodia, an 18-hole track at Vattanac Golf Resort in suburban Phnom Penh. When it got the commission for the job, in 2012, Faldo’s design firm promised to create “an iconic golf course.” If it delivers on its promise, Vattanac’s course will be regarded as an equal to Faldo’s layout at Angkor Golf Resort, which Golf Digest ranks as the nation’s best. . . . GolfLink Resorts Group has unveiled its third course, an 18-hole, Ron Fream-designed track that will serve as the centerpiece for the Black Rocks Hotel & Club, on the northwest coast of Indonesia’s Belitung Island. GolfLink, which also owns New Kuta Golf Course on Bali and Palm Hill Golf Club on West Java, says that vacationers to Belitung should expect “a challenging course for all players.” . . . Come this fall, IMG Golf Course Design expects to debut its 11th course in Vietnam, an 18-hole layout at Muong Thanh Resort Dien Lam in Nghệ An Province. In a press release, a spokesperson for IMG said that the track would be “enjoyable to play, fair, interesting, and a good test for players of all abilities.”
Duly Noted – Can’t say if it’s a trend, a coincidence, or merely a curiosity, but the National Golf Foundation has determined that nearly half of the new 18-hole golf courses that have opened in the United States during the past five years are located more than 50 miles from a city with a population of 50,000 or more. . . . Citing a report by Agence France-Presse, Golf magazine says that the impact of last year’s Ryder Cup on golf participation in France “wasn’t as great as expected.” France has been building dozens of small golf facilities to generate interest in golf, but the French Golf Federation has so far seen only a 2.5 percent increase in membership and it isn’t likely to achieve its goal of registering 600,000 golfers by 2022. . . . The dream of building a supposed “world-class,” Lester George-designed track along the Rappahannock River in Tappahannock, Virginia has died. Virginia True, the New York City-based entity that wanted to develop the Fones Cliffs Resort, has declared for bankruptcy protection, and its partners have acknowledged that the golf course is a no-go even if they can get back on their financial feet.
In compliance with recently issued European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here’s what I have to say on the subject: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. That being said, here’s some language that Google, the company that maintains this slice of cyberspace, would probably approve of: “We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies.”
Pipeline Overflow – Any day now, Al Madina Real Estate Company aims to break ground on the first phase of an “integrated tourism complex” in Quriyat, Oman. Phase one of the project appears to consist solely of a hotel, but the 320-acre spread is expected to eventually include houses, more hotels, a water park, and a golf course. . . . As part of an ambitious initiative to generate tourism, government officials in Kazakhstan have set out to build “a major new tourist facility” outside Aktau, a vacation spot along the Caspian Sea. The 540-acre resort has been master-planned to include a 600-room hotel, villas, a casino, meeting space, a water park, and a variety of recreational attractions, including what’s variously been described as “a golf pitch,” a “golf zone,” and a “golf course.” . . . A military course in suburban Mandalay, Myanmar is slated to become a “truly world-class” layout that “could draw international golfers.” Kaung Myanmar Company has secured permission to redesign and rebuild No. 3 Tatmadaw Golf Course, the goal being “to nurture professional players.”
Pipeline Overflow Overflow – Golfasian reports that the wraps have been taken off Nick Faldo’s second course in Cambodia, an 18-hole track at Vattanac Golf Resort in suburban Phnom Penh. When it got the commission for the job, in 2012, Faldo’s design firm promised to create “an iconic golf course.” If it delivers on its promise, Vattanac’s course will be regarded as an equal to Faldo’s layout at Angkor Golf Resort, which Golf Digest ranks as the nation’s best. . . . GolfLink Resorts Group has unveiled its third course, an 18-hole, Ron Fream-designed track that will serve as the centerpiece for the Black Rocks Hotel & Club, on the northwest coast of Indonesia’s Belitung Island. GolfLink, which also owns New Kuta Golf Course on Bali and Palm Hill Golf Club on West Java, says that vacationers to Belitung should expect “a challenging course for all players.” . . . Come this fall, IMG Golf Course Design expects to debut its 11th course in Vietnam, an 18-hole layout at Muong Thanh Resort Dien Lam in Nghệ An Province. In a press release, a spokesperson for IMG said that the track would be “enjoyable to play, fair, interesting, and a good test for players of all abilities.”
Duly Noted – Can’t say if it’s a trend, a coincidence, or merely a curiosity, but the National Golf Foundation has determined that nearly half of the new 18-hole golf courses that have opened in the United States during the past five years are located more than 50 miles from a city with a population of 50,000 or more. . . . Citing a report by Agence France-Presse, Golf magazine says that the impact of last year’s Ryder Cup on golf participation in France “wasn’t as great as expected.” France has been building dozens of small golf facilities to generate interest in golf, but the French Golf Federation has so far seen only a 2.5 percent increase in membership and it isn’t likely to achieve its goal of registering 600,000 golfers by 2022. . . . The dream of building a supposed “world-class,” Lester George-designed track along the Rappahannock River in Tappahannock, Virginia has died. Virginia True, the New York City-based entity that wanted to develop the Fones Cliffs Resort, has declared for bankruptcy protection, and its partners have acknowledged that the golf course is a no-go even if they can get back on their financial feet.
In compliance with recently issued European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here’s what I have to say on the subject: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. That being said, here’s some language that Google, the company that maintains this slice of cyberspace, would probably approve of: “We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies.”
Sunday, June 9, 2019
The Week That Was, june 9, 2019
Cabot Links, the naturalist golf mecca in Nova Scotia, has broken ground on its third golf course, one that a spokesperson says is “a little less serious” and “a lot more fun” that the property’s much-admired existing layouts. The forthcoming 10-hole, par-3 track, a co-design by Rod Whitman and Dave Axland, is scheduled to open next year, and it’ll have, according to Whitman, “a Scottish feel and look to it.” Whitman, who designed the resort’s Cabot Links course, told Golf Course Architecture that the commission has given him “another excellent opportunity to build fun and interesting golf.” His new course will eventually be joined by a clubhouse, a putting course, hydrotherapy pools, hiking and biking trails, and other attractions, an indication that even world-class golf resorts can’t survive on golf alone. “Not everybody is a golfer,” the resort’s general manager told a Canadian news service, “and we understand that.”
Pipeline Overflow – An Australian news service reports that Arm End Golf Course, a proposed venue in Tasmania that may rival Barnbougle Dunes, Barnbougle Lost Farm, and Cape Wickham Links, could open in 2022. If the schedule holds (and there are plenty of reasons to be leery), the 18-hole track will debut exactly a decade after it was first announced. . . . Speaking of long-overdue golf courses, the people who own Revelstoke Mountain Resort told a local newspaper that they hope to break ground on their golf course in the summer of 2020. Revelstoke hired Nick Faldo to design the 18-hole track in 2008 (at the time, Faldo was working with Schmidt-Curley Design), but it never initiated construction and Faldo ended up suing over non-payment. That being said, Revelstoke probably needs a golf course if expects to become a true four-season destination. . . . As long as we’re talking about Nick Faldo, last week he said that his forthcoming golf course in Punjab Province, Pakistan will be almost fully contrived, as it’s taking shape on “completely flat land” that’s full of mango trees. (Mangoes are Pakistan’s national fruit.) To provide visual interest, Faldo acknowledged that he’s taken some design cues from local landscapes, and they include “mud wall villages.”
The National Golf Foundation reports that 198.5 18-hole equivalent golf courses – typically, according to the trade group, “value oriented, public facilities in the best-supplied areas” – bit the dust in 2018. Here are a few that the NGF can allocate to 2019’s closings.
– Jack’s Mountain Preserve, originally known as Old Fort Golf Course, has bitten the dust, due to what’s said to be “a lack of new and returning golfers” and “less and less support from the community.” The course, outside Asheville, North Carolina, was designed by John Van Kleek, who once called it his “masterpiece.”
– Riverside Golf Course, the oldest municipal track in Indianapolis, Indiana and, reportedly, the fourth-oldest in the United States, will end its 119-year run at the conclusion of this year’s golf season. The 18-hole layout, one of the city’s 13 golf facilities, will be replaced with an “ecological park.”
– Sherwood Hills Golf Course, outside Ogden, Utah, has hung a NO TRESPASSING sign at its main gate, and it reportedly isn’t answering phone calls. The nine-hole layout, designed and co-owned by Mark Ballif, opened in 1973, and a local newspaper says “its fate is up in the air.”
– Links Golf Club, a 30-year-old venue in Hudson, Florida with an 18-hole, Steve Smyers-designed course, hosts its final rounds this month. The Tampa Bay Times reports that the club’s owner, Matthew Lowman, pulled the plug “after failing to entice surrounding neighbors to invest in club memberships.”
– Village Greens Golf Course, an 18-hole, executive-length layout in suburban Reading, Pennsylvania, may be razed and replaced with apartment buildings and a medical center. Donald Robitzer, Jr., the grandson of the course’s designer/builder and the current owner of the 33-acre property, submitted the redevelopment proposal.
– Springs Ranch Golf Course, an 18-hole, Dick Phelps-designed layout that’s operated in Colorado Springs, Colorado since 1997, may give way to residential development. Pending a successful rezoning, a local homebuilder is expected to buy the 200-acre property.
– Willow Brook Golf Course, in suburban Allentown, Pennsylvania, has lost nine of its 18 holes to proposed residential development. The course, which made its debut in 1929, aims to be, in the words of its pro, “the best nine-hole facility we can be.”
– Sycamore Creek Golf Course, a nine-hole, municipal track in Fort Worth, Texas, will soon close for a two-year infrastructure project, and it may not reopen. Sycamore Creek hasn’t turned a profit since 1993, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and the city suspects that the course’s 66 acres would better serve local residents as a park.
Duly Noted – Mark Parsinen, who died last week after suffering a stroke, collaborated with a pair of talented architects, Kyle Phillips and Gil Hanse, to create a pair of Scottish tracks ranked on Golf Digest’s list of the World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, namely Kingsbarns Golf Links (#30) and Castle Stuart Golf Links (#53). Architects always say that their courses will serve as their legacies, but I think Parsinen’s will instead be an idea: The notion that the best golf courses keep golfers “engaged and hopeful.” It’s a philosophy that will endure. . . . “Plagiarism is part and parcel of golf course architecture,” David McLay Kidd declared in an interview with National Club Golfer. “We take inspiration from the greats of course design, whether it is Braid or Colt or Mackenzie or Ross. And I take inspiration from looking at the work of my contemporaries and thinking, “Wow, look how they did this or that!” Plagiarism is indeed the greatest form of flattery.” . . . The Professional Golfers Association has added Slieve Russell Golf & Country Club, a 27-year-old venue in County Cavan, Ireland, to its collection of branded properties. Slieve Russell, which features an 18-hole, Patrick Merrigan-designed golf course (along with a nine-hole, par-3 track), is now part of a marketing group that includes The Belfry in England, Gleneagles in Scotland, and clubs in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, and Turkey.
In compliance with recently issued European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here’s what I have to say on the subject: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. That being said, here’s some language that Google, the company that maintains this slice of cyberspace, would probably approve of: “We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies.”
Pipeline Overflow – An Australian news service reports that Arm End Golf Course, a proposed venue in Tasmania that may rival Barnbougle Dunes, Barnbougle Lost Farm, and Cape Wickham Links, could open in 2022. If the schedule holds (and there are plenty of reasons to be leery), the 18-hole track will debut exactly a decade after it was first announced. . . . Speaking of long-overdue golf courses, the people who own Revelstoke Mountain Resort told a local newspaper that they hope to break ground on their golf course in the summer of 2020. Revelstoke hired Nick Faldo to design the 18-hole track in 2008 (at the time, Faldo was working with Schmidt-Curley Design), but it never initiated construction and Faldo ended up suing over non-payment. That being said, Revelstoke probably needs a golf course if expects to become a true four-season destination. . . . As long as we’re talking about Nick Faldo, last week he said that his forthcoming golf course in Punjab Province, Pakistan will be almost fully contrived, as it’s taking shape on “completely flat land” that’s full of mango trees. (Mangoes are Pakistan’s national fruit.) To provide visual interest, Faldo acknowledged that he’s taken some design cues from local landscapes, and they include “mud wall villages.”
The National Golf Foundation reports that 198.5 18-hole equivalent golf courses – typically, according to the trade group, “value oriented, public facilities in the best-supplied areas” – bit the dust in 2018. Here are a few that the NGF can allocate to 2019’s closings.
– Jack’s Mountain Preserve, originally known as Old Fort Golf Course, has bitten the dust, due to what’s said to be “a lack of new and returning golfers” and “less and less support from the community.” The course, outside Asheville, North Carolina, was designed by John Van Kleek, who once called it his “masterpiece.”
– Riverside Golf Course, the oldest municipal track in Indianapolis, Indiana and, reportedly, the fourth-oldest in the United States, will end its 119-year run at the conclusion of this year’s golf season. The 18-hole layout, one of the city’s 13 golf facilities, will be replaced with an “ecological park.”
– Sherwood Hills Golf Course, outside Ogden, Utah, has hung a NO TRESPASSING sign at its main gate, and it reportedly isn’t answering phone calls. The nine-hole layout, designed and co-owned by Mark Ballif, opened in 1973, and a local newspaper says “its fate is up in the air.”
– Links Golf Club, a 30-year-old venue in Hudson, Florida with an 18-hole, Steve Smyers-designed course, hosts its final rounds this month. The Tampa Bay Times reports that the club’s owner, Matthew Lowman, pulled the plug “after failing to entice surrounding neighbors to invest in club memberships.”
– Village Greens Golf Course, an 18-hole, executive-length layout in suburban Reading, Pennsylvania, may be razed and replaced with apartment buildings and a medical center. Donald Robitzer, Jr., the grandson of the course’s designer/builder and the current owner of the 33-acre property, submitted the redevelopment proposal.
– Springs Ranch Golf Course, an 18-hole, Dick Phelps-designed layout that’s operated in Colorado Springs, Colorado since 1997, may give way to residential development. Pending a successful rezoning, a local homebuilder is expected to buy the 200-acre property.
– Willow Brook Golf Course, in suburban Allentown, Pennsylvania, has lost nine of its 18 holes to proposed residential development. The course, which made its debut in 1929, aims to be, in the words of its pro, “the best nine-hole facility we can be.”
– Sycamore Creek Golf Course, a nine-hole, municipal track in Fort Worth, Texas, will soon close for a two-year infrastructure project, and it may not reopen. Sycamore Creek hasn’t turned a profit since 1993, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and the city suspects that the course’s 66 acres would better serve local residents as a park.
Duly Noted – Mark Parsinen, who died last week after suffering a stroke, collaborated with a pair of talented architects, Kyle Phillips and Gil Hanse, to create a pair of Scottish tracks ranked on Golf Digest’s list of the World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, namely Kingsbarns Golf Links (#30) and Castle Stuart Golf Links (#53). Architects always say that their courses will serve as their legacies, but I think Parsinen’s will instead be an idea: The notion that the best golf courses keep golfers “engaged and hopeful.” It’s a philosophy that will endure. . . . “Plagiarism is part and parcel of golf course architecture,” David McLay Kidd declared in an interview with National Club Golfer. “We take inspiration from the greats of course design, whether it is Braid or Colt or Mackenzie or Ross. And I take inspiration from looking at the work of my contemporaries and thinking, “Wow, look how they did this or that!” Plagiarism is indeed the greatest form of flattery.” . . . The Professional Golfers Association has added Slieve Russell Golf & Country Club, a 27-year-old venue in County Cavan, Ireland, to its collection of branded properties. Slieve Russell, which features an 18-hole, Patrick Merrigan-designed golf course (along with a nine-hole, par-3 track), is now part of a marketing group that includes The Belfry in England, Gleneagles in Scotland, and clubs in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, and Turkey.
In compliance with recently issued European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here’s what I have to say on the subject: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. That being said, here’s some language that Google, the company that maintains this slice of cyberspace, would probably approve of: “We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies.”
Sunday, June 2, 2019
The Week That Was, june 2, 2019
Jack Nicklaus has become a founding partner of the Flag, an “exclusive yet attainable” membership club that promises to debut next year with nine golf options in southern Florida, central Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina. The club, which will inevitably draw comparisons to the Dormie Network, says that it’ll be “redefining private golf membership” thanks to “reasonable yearly dues” (no initiation fees) for “everyone seeking an elevated golf experience.” Such experiences, as defined by the Flag, will include “the best elements of the world’s finest private golf clubs,” notably concierge services, fitness and recreation centers, swimming pools, spas, and on-site “luxury accommodations.” In addition to serving as a marketing force, Nicklaus will ensure the quality of the golf experience, as he’s going to establish the “design philosophy” that will ostensibly draw members to the Flag. In phase one of the roll-out, he’ll oversee the creation of five “newly developed” courses and the re-creation of four as-yet unidentified existing tracks. Notably, he’s agreed to design some and re-design others and also “work with other renowned, industry-leading course designers.” The Flag acknowledges that “only those who truly love the game” will become members, but it has enough faith it its concept to say that it intends to eventually spread into other North American markets as well as into Europe and Asia.
Just three years after he cut the ribbon on American Lake Veterans Golf Course, a track in suburban Tacoma, Washington that was created to help rehabilitate injured military veterans, Jack Nicklaus is undertaking a similar project with a charity that provides scholarships to the children of fallen and disabled soldiers. The forthcoming course, a Nicklaus signature design called American Dunes Golf Club, will take shape in Grand Haven, Michigan, on property currently occupied by Grand Haven Golf Club. Nicklaus’ partner in the venture, Major Dan Rooney, hopes that American Dunes will be “a safe haven for veterans who find rehabilitation through the recreation of the game” and “forever stand as a tribute to the men and women of our military.” If Rooney’s name rings a bell, it’s probably because he conceived Patriot Golf Day, an annual fund-raising event that’s now more than 10 years old. Grand Haven has been in his family for more than two decades, and a press release says that its 18-hole track, a co-design by Bruce and Jerry Matthews, will be “totally redesigned and re-imagined by Nicklaus and Nicklaus Design.” Assuming that construction proceeds without any snafus, the partners aim to open American Dunes on Memorial Day in 2020.
Pipeline Overflow – The Manila Jockey Club, a horse-racing institution in the Philippines, has set out to develop a resort community, including a golf course, on a 260-acre waterfront parcel in Occidental Mindoro Province, south of Manila. In addition to the golf course, the master plan for the property includes a variety of housing types, hotels, a marina, a yacht club, and retail and commercial areas. . . . As part of an effort to spark tourism and economic development, government officials in Tanga, Tanzania have set out to build what’s been described as “a state-of-the-art” golf course. If all goes as expected (and the Daily News reports that “preparation is on a top gear”), the course will open in 2022. . . . The government agency in charge of building Jewar International Airport, in Greater Noida, India, may allocate space for a golf course in the 3,100-acre property’s master plan. The airport is scheduled to open in 2023, provided that several development obstacles – including the relocation of nearly 9,000 families – can be overcome.
For roughly $800,000, a price that represents the amount of its debt, a nearly century-old golf club in New Castle, Pennsylvania has changed hands. The new owner of New Castle Country Club is Avalon Holding Company, which has promised to “create a whole new world” at the 96-year-old venue that now operates as Avalon Field Club at New Castle. The new ownership group, led by Ron Klingle, owns three other golf properties: Avalon at Buhl Park in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Avalon Lakes Golf Course in Warren, Ohio, and Avalon at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Vienna, Ohio. The trio features courses by Tom Bendelow, Pete Dye, and Stanley Thompson, and the club in New Castle has an A. W. Tillinghast-designed golf course that claims to be “largely unchanged since its creation.”
Surplus Transactions – With a bid of $800,000, a Kentucky-based bank has taken possession of a nearly century-old venue in Newport, New Hampshire. Newport Golf Club, which features an 18-hole course that dates from 1921, hasn’t opened this year, and a local newspaper doesn’t know “when, or if, Newport will ever open for play again.” . . . The town of Southold, New York, on the North Fork of eastern Long Island, has agreed to pay $5.2 million for the development rights to Island’s End Golf Course. Island’s End, which has operated since 1914, features an 18-hole, Herbert Strong-designed layout that will presumably remain in operation for the foreseeable future. . . . Coast MNH, a company based in Newport Beach, California, has purchased a mobile-home park in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and it may resurrect the property’s defunct nine-hole golf course. MHP, an acronym for Manufactured Housing Partners, also plans to build – you guessed it – manufactured housing on the property.
Duly Noted – Hank Haney: Great golf instructor, horrible talk-show host. Despite what he said and implied, on satellite airwaves, about the LPGA Tour, his supporters insist that he’s neither a sexist nor a racist. Here’s what can’t be debated, though: He’s disqualified to work for the PGA Tour. If Haney is reinstated after serving his deserved suspension, the message will be clear: Golf’s oft-repeated commitment to women’s golf is a fraud. . . . The Australian Golf Industry Council has crunched the numbers for its latest “National Competition Rounds Report,” and it’s determined that in 2018 marginally fewer golfers (328,516, a decrease of 0.65 percent from 2017) are playing slightly more golf (10.43 million rounds, an increase of 1.8 percent). The rounds were recorded overwhelmingly by men (82 percent) who are aged 60 and over (63 percent), usually on Saturdays (34 percent). . . . Half of the world’s 56 million golfers play golf while they’re on vacation, according to the International Association of Golf Tour Operators. That’s why new golf destinations are sprouting up throughout Asia, Europe, and Southeast Asia, the result being that competition for golfers’ money is becoming more intense.
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 – a weekly compendium of stories collected from newspapers, magazines, and other sources – 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.
Just three years after he cut the ribbon on American Lake Veterans Golf Course, a track in suburban Tacoma, Washington that was created to help rehabilitate injured military veterans, Jack Nicklaus is undertaking a similar project with a charity that provides scholarships to the children of fallen and disabled soldiers. The forthcoming course, a Nicklaus signature design called American Dunes Golf Club, will take shape in Grand Haven, Michigan, on property currently occupied by Grand Haven Golf Club. Nicklaus’ partner in the venture, Major Dan Rooney, hopes that American Dunes will be “a safe haven for veterans who find rehabilitation through the recreation of the game” and “forever stand as a tribute to the men and women of our military.” If Rooney’s name rings a bell, it’s probably because he conceived Patriot Golf Day, an annual fund-raising event that’s now more than 10 years old. Grand Haven has been in his family for more than two decades, and a press release says that its 18-hole track, a co-design by Bruce and Jerry Matthews, will be “totally redesigned and re-imagined by Nicklaus and Nicklaus Design.” Assuming that construction proceeds without any snafus, the partners aim to open American Dunes on Memorial Day in 2020.
Pipeline Overflow – The Manila Jockey Club, a horse-racing institution in the Philippines, has set out to develop a resort community, including a golf course, on a 260-acre waterfront parcel in Occidental Mindoro Province, south of Manila. In addition to the golf course, the master plan for the property includes a variety of housing types, hotels, a marina, a yacht club, and retail and commercial areas. . . . As part of an effort to spark tourism and economic development, government officials in Tanga, Tanzania have set out to build what’s been described as “a state-of-the-art” golf course. If all goes as expected (and the Daily News reports that “preparation is on a top gear”), the course will open in 2022. . . . The government agency in charge of building Jewar International Airport, in Greater Noida, India, may allocate space for a golf course in the 3,100-acre property’s master plan. The airport is scheduled to open in 2023, provided that several development obstacles – including the relocation of nearly 9,000 families – can be overcome.
For roughly $800,000, a price that represents the amount of its debt, a nearly century-old golf club in New Castle, Pennsylvania has changed hands. The new owner of New Castle Country Club is Avalon Holding Company, which has promised to “create a whole new world” at the 96-year-old venue that now operates as Avalon Field Club at New Castle. The new ownership group, led by Ron Klingle, owns three other golf properties: Avalon at Buhl Park in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Avalon Lakes Golf Course in Warren, Ohio, and Avalon at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Vienna, Ohio. The trio features courses by Tom Bendelow, Pete Dye, and Stanley Thompson, and the club in New Castle has an A. W. Tillinghast-designed golf course that claims to be “largely unchanged since its creation.”
Surplus Transactions – With a bid of $800,000, a Kentucky-based bank has taken possession of a nearly century-old venue in Newport, New Hampshire. Newport Golf Club, which features an 18-hole course that dates from 1921, hasn’t opened this year, and a local newspaper doesn’t know “when, or if, Newport will ever open for play again.” . . . The town of Southold, New York, on the North Fork of eastern Long Island, has agreed to pay $5.2 million for the development rights to Island’s End Golf Course. Island’s End, which has operated since 1914, features an 18-hole, Herbert Strong-designed layout that will presumably remain in operation for the foreseeable future. . . . Coast MNH, a company based in Newport Beach, California, has purchased a mobile-home park in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and it may resurrect the property’s defunct nine-hole golf course. MHP, an acronym for Manufactured Housing Partners, also plans to build – you guessed it – manufactured housing on the property.
Duly Noted – Hank Haney: Great golf instructor, horrible talk-show host. Despite what he said and implied, on satellite airwaves, about the LPGA Tour, his supporters insist that he’s neither a sexist nor a racist. Here’s what can’t be debated, though: He’s disqualified to work for the PGA Tour. If Haney is reinstated after serving his deserved suspension, the message will be clear: Golf’s oft-repeated commitment to women’s golf is a fraud. . . . The Australian Golf Industry Council has crunched the numbers for its latest “National Competition Rounds Report,” and it’s determined that in 2018 marginally fewer golfers (328,516, a decrease of 0.65 percent from 2017) are playing slightly more golf (10.43 million rounds, an increase of 1.8 percent). The rounds were recorded overwhelmingly by men (82 percent) who are aged 60 and over (63 percent), usually on Saturdays (34 percent). . . . Half of the world’s 56 million golfers play golf while they’re on vacation, according to the International Association of Golf Tour Operators. That’s why new golf destinations are sprouting up throughout Asia, Europe, and Southeast Asia, the result being that competition for golfers’ money is becoming more intense.
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 – a weekly compendium of stories collected from newspapers, magazines, and other sources – 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.
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