The Week That Was, june 30, 2019

     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.