I'll bet you can't remember the last time someone offered you a chance to attend a golf-industry conference for free. Then again, I'll bet you can't remember the last time you were invited anywhere to talk about affordable golf.
It's a long-overdue idea, and you can thank Richard Mandell, an architect based in Pinehurst, North Carolina, for it.
Mandell's Symposium on Affordable Golf will be held on November 8 and 9, 2010 at -- appropriately, I think -- the Elks Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina. (Southern Pines is just a few miles down the road from Pinehurst.) Mandell calls the event "an open forum on how to look at golf in a different light, one that is more sustainable than many business models that have failed over the past few decades."
Among the topics to be addressed: "The Folly of Replicating Tournament Conditions," "Cost-Conscious Lessons to Learn from the Golden Age," and "Environmental Tasks that Can Also Make the Game More Affordable."
The speakers include Ron Forse, the golf course architect; Ran Morrisset, one of the co-founders of Golf Club Atlas; Jaime Diaz, a writer for Golf Digest; and Ron Boyd, the president of Williamsburg Environmental and one of my colleagues at Golf Course Business Consultants.
"Don't expect a silver-bullet answer at the symposium," says Mandell. "Instead, expect to roll up your sleeves and get busy."
For more information, and to register, visit SymposiumOnAffordableGolf.com.
One other thing: The Elks Club Lodge is next to Southern Pines Golf Club, where the symposium's participants have been invited to gather for 18 holes on Tuesday.
The price: $35. Very affordable.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
worth reading Past Imperfect
"If phone engineers thought like golf architects," Ron Whitten writes in November's Golf Digest, "our cell phones would still be attached to the wall."
Actually, that's one of the nicer things Whitten has to say about today's golf course architects, a group that, he contends, offers "plenty of artistry, but almost no innovation." His sour summation of contemporary course design adds a super-size helping of insult to the economic injuries that architects have taken of late, as their commissions have slowly disappeared.
The article is called "Why the Lack of Innovation?" Here's Whitten's major complaint:
Every architect worships the past -- the 1920s or teens or even earlier -- and molds designs to those ancient templates. Nobody has an original thought. As Pete Dye says, every hole's a copy of some other hole. There is no hip-hop, rap, or even jazz in golf architecture; it's all Stephen Foster and John Philip Sousa. Which means modern-day courses are gussied-up reproductions, with strategies conjured up by Old Tom Morris or Old MacDonald, bunkers styled after Alister Mackenzie or George Thomas, and greens patterned on relics like the Redan, Biarritz, and Eden.
A paragraph like that stings, particularly when it comes from golf's most influential design critic. But the most sobering part of the article is Whitten's conclusion about what a lack of innovation means to the future of golf architecture.
"The profession of golf design," he argues, "is in danger of going the way of slide-film developers, TV repairmen, and travel agents."
That's not good.
"Architects need to reinvent their product," he says, and restore "the relevance of the profession of golf architecture."
To be sure, at times Whitten lays it on a little thick. But he's delivered an earful. No doubt, "Why the Lack of Innovation?" is going to provoke distress and probably some resentment among architects, who must be wondering exactly how their professional lives can possibly get any worse.
Actually, that's one of the nicer things Whitten has to say about today's golf course architects, a group that, he contends, offers "plenty of artistry, but almost no innovation." His sour summation of contemporary course design adds a super-size helping of insult to the economic injuries that architects have taken of late, as their commissions have slowly disappeared.
The article is called "Why the Lack of Innovation?" Here's Whitten's major complaint:
Every architect worships the past -- the 1920s or teens or even earlier -- and molds designs to those ancient templates. Nobody has an original thought. As Pete Dye says, every hole's a copy of some other hole. There is no hip-hop, rap, or even jazz in golf architecture; it's all Stephen Foster and John Philip Sousa. Which means modern-day courses are gussied-up reproductions, with strategies conjured up by Old Tom Morris or Old MacDonald, bunkers styled after Alister Mackenzie or George Thomas, and greens patterned on relics like the Redan, Biarritz, and Eden.
A paragraph like that stings, particularly when it comes from golf's most influential design critic. But the most sobering part of the article is Whitten's conclusion about what a lack of innovation means to the future of golf architecture.
"The profession of golf design," he argues, "is in danger of going the way of slide-film developers, TV repairmen, and travel agents."
That's not good.
"Architects need to reinvent their product," he says, and restore "the relevance of the profession of golf architecture."
To be sure, at times Whitten lays it on a little thick. But he's delivered an earful. No doubt, "Why the Lack of Innovation?" is going to provoke distress and probably some resentment among architects, who must be wondering exactly how their professional lives can possibly get any worse.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
vietnam Tan Vien, Back From the Dead
A year after government officials put it on the chopping block, a planned “international tourism area” along Suoi Hai Lake is still alive, minus one of its two golf courses.
The Tan Vien resort, which will occupy more than 4,000 acres in the Ba Vi district of western Hanoi, had been approved in 2007 but was canceled last year, as part of a crackdown on construction that wipes out rice fields and other vital agricultural property. Later in 2009, however, the Hanoi People’s Committee took a second look at the project, shrunk it a bit, and reinstated it.
More importantly, Tan Vien’s developer, PetroVietnam Premier Recreation JSC, recently announced that it remains committed to the project, though it didn’t say when construction might begin. The company believes that the resort could attract as many as 650,000 visitors a year.
PetroVietnam Premier Recreation, an affiliate of the state-owned Vietnam National Oil & Gas Group, says it was established (in 2006) to “speed up the modernization of Vietnam.” At Tan Vien, the modernization will take the form of villas and other housing types, hotels, meeting space, an eco-tourism area, water- and land-based sports centers, and one 18-hole golf course.
PetroVietnam Premier Recreation plans to build the golf course in the first phase of the project, which will take shape along the man-made lake, 40 miles west of the city.
The Tan Vien resort, which will occupy more than 4,000 acres in the Ba Vi district of western Hanoi, had been approved in 2007 but was canceled last year, as part of a crackdown on construction that wipes out rice fields and other vital agricultural property. Later in 2009, however, the Hanoi People’s Committee took a second look at the project, shrunk it a bit, and reinstated it.
More importantly, Tan Vien’s developer, PetroVietnam Premier Recreation JSC, recently announced that it remains committed to the project, though it didn’t say when construction might begin. The company believes that the resort could attract as many as 650,000 visitors a year.
PetroVietnam Premier Recreation, an affiliate of the state-owned Vietnam National Oil & Gas Group, says it was established (in 2006) to “speed up the modernization of Vietnam.” At Tan Vien, the modernization will take the form of villas and other housing types, hotels, meeting space, an eco-tourism area, water- and land-based sports centers, and one 18-hole golf course.
PetroVietnam Premier Recreation plans to build the golf course in the first phase of the project, which will take shape along the man-made lake, 40 miles west of the city.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Week That Was: September 27, 2010
spain Greg Norman: The Reign in Spain
Greg Norman, the globe-trotting golf superstar, has agreed to buy one of the world's most glamorous golf properties.
I'm talking about Club de Golf Valderrama in Sotogrande, in southern Spain. The club features what is arguably the Old World’s finest golf course, a Robert Trent Jones-designed track that made an indelible impression on the world of golf in 1997, when it hosted the first Ryder Cup matches played in continental Europe. The club will host the Andalucía Masters later this month.
Norman and David Spencer, the CEO of Stripe Group, will buy Valderrama from Soto Properties, a firm controlled by Jaime Ortiz-Patino. Cadiz News reports that the transaction is expected to close "in the coming weeks" and guesses that the price will be in the neighborhood of $48 million.
Typically Spanish chimes in a delectable nugget -- "a new project for the development of Valderrama will be presented shortly" -- but doesn't elaborate.
If Spencer’s name rings a bell, it’s probably because he’s a former CEO of Leisurecorp, the Middle Eastern company that created the world’s richest golf tournament, the Dubai World Championship, and developed the Norman-designed course that hosts it, at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Jumeirah fell on hard times when the world’s economy collapsed, and Leisurecorp’s parent company, Nakheel, booted Spencer from his job. But it appears that he’s landed on his feet.
canada At Tsawwassen, It's Locke & Load
The long-awaited redevelopment of Tsawwassen Golf & Country Club has begun.
Ron Toigo, the majority partner of Shato Holdings, bought Tsawwassen three years ago, with an eye toward making it the centerpiece of a community called Tsawwassen Springs. It took him a while, but he's persuaded the town of Delta, a close-in southeastern suburb of Vancouver, to let him build several hundred townhouses and other housing units adjacent to the layout.
As part of the plan, Delta-based Ted Locke will give Tsawwassen’s executive-length golf course a thorough makeover, most noticeably in its length. The 4,276-yard track, which opened in 1966, will be stretched to roughly 6,000 yards.
The Delta Optimist reports that nine new holes are under construction and will be ready for play late next summer. In 2012, the new nine and nine renovated holes from the existing layout will debut as the community's 18-hole golf course.
Toigo is a celebrity in Vancouver, and not just because he owns a chain of donut shops. Toigo owns the Vancouver Giants, the city’s most prominent junior hockey team, in partnership with hockey legend Gordie Howe, long-time NHL coach Pat Quinn, and crooner Michael Buble, who was born in British Columbia. Buble and Quinn are also minority partners in the Tsawwassen Springs venture, along with Ross Clouston, the president of Talisman Homes.
Would it surprise you to learn that Tsawwassen Springs will include an outdoor ice-skating rink?
china Sand-bagging for the Dunes
Tom Weiskopf's 36-hole golf complex on Hainan Island is scheduled to open by the end of the year, according to Breaking Travel News.
The complex, called Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula, will be the centerpiece of a 4,500-acre resort community that includes houses, a couple of big hotels, a marina, several beach clubs, and other attractions. The community is being developed by CITIC Pacific.
The website calls Shenzhou Peninsula “a comprehensive paradise resort with unique and beautiful natural scenic spots” featuring hotels that “will guarantee visitors a perfect vacation experience.” Weiskopf's course, which will be accompanied by “a stunning clubhouse,” will offer “breathtaking views of the South China Sea.”
Weiskopf was somewhat less effusive. “The natural scenery found at Shenzhou Peninsula is ideal for the best golf course imaginable,” he said. “I am confident that the Dunes will be very well received by the golfing public and am confident it will receive many accolades in the years to come.”
the world Eyes on the Prize
Can playing golf help a young exec climb the corporate ladder?
For people who live in China and India, the answer is most definitely yes. According to an online survey of business sentiment in 24 countries, nearly half of the respondents in China (47 percent) and India (46 percent) consider golf to be a means of getting ahead.
China and India have the top spots in the survey. The global average is 22 percent.
“Golf is an elite sport in India, and people want to be seen with a club in a golf course with some famous personality or a corporate honcho,” a former official of the Indian Golf Union told the Financial Express. “It’s just about constructing an image and a perception of oneself in front of others.”
The response in nations where golf is well-established was somewhat cooler than average. In the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, only 20 percent believe golf is an effective networking tool.
Greg Norman, the globe-trotting golf superstar, has agreed to buy one of the world's most glamorous golf properties.
I'm talking about Club de Golf Valderrama in Sotogrande, in southern Spain. The club features what is arguably the Old World’s finest golf course, a Robert Trent Jones-designed track that made an indelible impression on the world of golf in 1997, when it hosted the first Ryder Cup matches played in continental Europe. The club will host the Andalucía Masters later this month.
Norman and David Spencer, the CEO of Stripe Group, will buy Valderrama from Soto Properties, a firm controlled by Jaime Ortiz-Patino. Cadiz News reports that the transaction is expected to close "in the coming weeks" and guesses that the price will be in the neighborhood of $48 million.
Typically Spanish chimes in a delectable nugget -- "a new project for the development of Valderrama will be presented shortly" -- but doesn't elaborate.
If Spencer’s name rings a bell, it’s probably because he’s a former CEO of Leisurecorp, the Middle Eastern company that created the world’s richest golf tournament, the Dubai World Championship, and developed the Norman-designed course that hosts it, at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Jumeirah fell on hard times when the world’s economy collapsed, and Leisurecorp’s parent company, Nakheel, booted Spencer from his job. But it appears that he’s landed on his feet.
canada At Tsawwassen, It's Locke & Load
The long-awaited redevelopment of Tsawwassen Golf & Country Club has begun.
Ron Toigo, the majority partner of Shato Holdings, bought Tsawwassen three years ago, with an eye toward making it the centerpiece of a community called Tsawwassen Springs. It took him a while, but he's persuaded the town of Delta, a close-in southeastern suburb of Vancouver, to let him build several hundred townhouses and other housing units adjacent to the layout.
As part of the plan, Delta-based Ted Locke will give Tsawwassen’s executive-length golf course a thorough makeover, most noticeably in its length. The 4,276-yard track, which opened in 1966, will be stretched to roughly 6,000 yards.
The Delta Optimist reports that nine new holes are under construction and will be ready for play late next summer. In 2012, the new nine and nine renovated holes from the existing layout will debut as the community's 18-hole golf course.
Toigo is a celebrity in Vancouver, and not just because he owns a chain of donut shops. Toigo owns the Vancouver Giants, the city’s most prominent junior hockey team, in partnership with hockey legend Gordie Howe, long-time NHL coach Pat Quinn, and crooner Michael Buble, who was born in British Columbia. Buble and Quinn are also minority partners in the Tsawwassen Springs venture, along with Ross Clouston, the president of Talisman Homes.
Would it surprise you to learn that Tsawwassen Springs will include an outdoor ice-skating rink?
china Sand-bagging for the Dunes
Tom Weiskopf's 36-hole golf complex on Hainan Island is scheduled to open by the end of the year, according to Breaking Travel News.
The complex, called Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula, will be the centerpiece of a 4,500-acre resort community that includes houses, a couple of big hotels, a marina, several beach clubs, and other attractions. The community is being developed by CITIC Pacific.
The website calls Shenzhou Peninsula “a comprehensive paradise resort with unique and beautiful natural scenic spots” featuring hotels that “will guarantee visitors a perfect vacation experience.” Weiskopf's course, which will be accompanied by “a stunning clubhouse,” will offer “breathtaking views of the South China Sea.”
Weiskopf was somewhat less effusive. “The natural scenery found at Shenzhou Peninsula is ideal for the best golf course imaginable,” he said. “I am confident that the Dunes will be very well received by the golfing public and am confident it will receive many accolades in the years to come.”
the world Eyes on the Prize
Can playing golf help a young exec climb the corporate ladder?
For people who live in China and India, the answer is most definitely yes. According to an online survey of business sentiment in 24 countries, nearly half of the respondents in China (47 percent) and India (46 percent) consider golf to be a means of getting ahead.
China and India have the top spots in the survey. The global average is 22 percent.
“Golf is an elite sport in India, and people want to be seen with a club in a golf course with some famous personality or a corporate honcho,” a former official of the Indian Golf Union told the Financial Express. “It’s just about constructing an image and a perception of oneself in front of others.”
The response in nations where golf is well-established was somewhat cooler than average. In the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, only 20 percent believe golf is an effective networking tool.
Friday, October 1, 2010
australia Watson Takes To the Greens
One of Australia’s biggest home builders is moving ahead with plans to build more than 2,000 houses around a golf course in Queensland.
Mirvac will build the community on 1,225 acres around Gainsborough Greens Golf Course, an 18-hole track in Oxenford, a town that’s 40 miles southeast of Brisbane. Mirvac, which started selling the houses a month or so ago, figures the property can accommodate 2,292 single-family houses and other housing types, a community center, a shopping area and a medical center.
Mirvac has co-owned Gainsborough Greens since 2006, but it assumed sole ownership last year. It’s hired Ross Watson to oversee a four-year renovation of the 6,637-yard golf course, which was designed by Fred Bolton and opened in 1990. Watson, who’s based in Robina, Queensland, expects to create what will essentially be a new layout, complete with a new clubhouse. Some of the track’s holes will be rerouted to accommodate the houses.
Mirvac has been selling houses for nearly 40 years, and it has a subsidiary that manages 45 hotel properties (roughly 5,600 hotel rooms) in Australia and New Zealand. The company is also building houses around another course in suburban Brisbane, the Greg Norman-designed Brookwater Golf Course in Brookwater.
Watson has designed two courses that Golf Australia ranks among the nation’s top 50: Magenta Shores Golf Club in New South Wales and Pacific Harbour Golf Club in Queensland.
Mirvac will build the community on 1,225 acres around Gainsborough Greens Golf Course, an 18-hole track in Oxenford, a town that’s 40 miles southeast of Brisbane. Mirvac, which started selling the houses a month or so ago, figures the property can accommodate 2,292 single-family houses and other housing types, a community center, a shopping area and a medical center.
Mirvac has co-owned Gainsborough Greens since 2006, but it assumed sole ownership last year. It’s hired Ross Watson to oversee a four-year renovation of the 6,637-yard golf course, which was designed by Fred Bolton and opened in 1990. Watson, who’s based in Robina, Queensland, expects to create what will essentially be a new layout, complete with a new clubhouse. Some of the track’s holes will be rerouted to accommodate the houses.
Mirvac has been selling houses for nearly 40 years, and it has a subsidiary that manages 45 hotel properties (roughly 5,600 hotel rooms) in Australia and New Zealand. The company is also building houses around another course in suburban Brisbane, the Greg Norman-designed Brookwater Golf Course in Brookwater.
Watson has designed two courses that Golf Australia ranks among the nation’s top 50: Magenta Shores Golf Club in New South Wales and Pacific Harbour Golf Club in Queensland.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
