Not so long ago, golf courses and upscale housing were the yin and yang of U.S. residential development –- a pure, unadulterated expression of the American dream. And nowhere in the nation was the seemingly insatiable hunger for a house alongside a fairway...
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
china What’s Next for Retief Goosen?
Retief Goosen’s projects in South Africa may have crashed, but the golf pro’s agents at IMG have ensured that their client gets a soft landing.The aspiring “signature” designer and vintner, a two-time winner of the U.S. Open championship, will lend his...
Sunday, December 25, 2011
The Week That Was, december 25, 2011
. . . united states 2012: A Better Year?The powers that be at the American Society of Golf Course Architects are feeling optimistic about the industry’s immediate business prospects.Of course, they’ve lowered their expectations. Nobody at the ASGCA --...
Friday, December 23, 2011
worth reading Smoke and Mirrors in Vietnam
I’ve been arguing for years that Vietnam’s future as a big-time golf destination isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, that the fundamentals of the nation’s golf business simply aren’t solid. Now, thanks to an article by James Hookway of the Wall Street Journal,...
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
brazil Prelude to a Dream Job?
Jack Nicklaus may not win the commission to design the golf course for the 2016 Olympics, but he’ll nonetheless soon make his mark on Brazil’s golf culture.The North Palm Beach, Florida-based architect has been hired to produce an 18-hole “signature”...
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Week That Was, december 18, 2011
. . . england A Long Shot for Longshot?Citizens groups in suburban London, England have turned a cold shoulder to a proposed golf course that would be designed by David McLay Kidd.The 18-hole track is to be the featured attraction of a 370-acre community...
Saturday, December 17, 2011
. . . worth reading China's Dirty Business
While doing research on Chinese golf, I occasionally stumble across phrases like “the wonders of fresh, clean air” and “the purifying effects of clean air.” For me, such phrases always went through one eye and out the other. Like most Americans, I take...
Friday, December 16, 2011
Shameless Self-Promotion, december 2011
Life, it’s sometimes said, is a beach. And golf development, I’ll tell you right now, is evolving into the search for a perfect beach -– or at least a perfect beachfront property.Expanses of sandy soil, dunes sprinkled with native grasses, unpredictable...
Thursday, December 15, 2011
south korea Japan Redux?
Is the golf business in South Korea about to take on the trajectory of the golf business in Japan?South Korea’s decade-long golf construction spree, fueled by a buoyant economy and surging middle-class aspirations, is losing momentum, and the Korea Times...
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Week That Was, december 11, 2011
oman Ready To Catch the Wave?The first nine holes of the Greg Norman-designed golf course in Muscat have been opened for play, and the remaining holes are scheduled to debut next spring.The course will serve as a drawing card for the Wave, a community...
Saturday, December 10, 2011
worth reading Arnold Palmer, Now and Forever
Can Arnold Palmer live forever?The King’s company, Arnold Palmer Enterprises, is doing its best to ensure that he does. Not as a golfer or golf course designer, to be sure -- those days are already gone -- but as a salesman whose pitch can resonate with...
Thursday, December 8, 2011
argentina Don’t Cry for Jack Nicklaus
These days the associates at Jack Nicklaus’ design firm are spending plenty of time in Argentina, where they have two active projects.Under construction is a 27-hole complex planned to be the centerpiece of Valle del Golf, an 875-acre community in suburban...
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Week That Was, december 4, 2011
iceland No Go for Huang NuboAuthorities in Reykjavik, a city not mentioned nearly enough in this blog, have squelched a wealthy Chinese entrepreneur’s plan to build a golf resort in a remote part of northeastern Iceland.Huang Nubo, the chairman of Beijing-based...
Saturday, December 3, 2011
worth reading A Rose by any Other Name . . .
I’ve waited way too long to blow a kiss to John Paul Newport of the Wall Street Journal, who several months ago went on an extended riff about golf course names and what he calls “the imaginative power of those who dream up the names.”Here are some highlights:The...
Thursday, December 1, 2011
india Drive Time in Tamil Nadu
The state of Tamil Nadu aims to attract Japanese manufacturers with made-to-order industrial enclaves outfitted with golf courses.One of these enclaves, to be known as Omega, is expected to take shape on 1,450 acres in Mahabalipuram, a town roughly 40...
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Week That Was, november 27, 2011
china Illegal Activities ContinueMoratoriums be damned: The first of four planned 18-hole golf courses at a big resort community in Yunnan Province is scheduled to open in early 2012. That's the word from Troon Golf, which has been tapped to manage the...
Saturday, November 26, 2011
worth reading California Dreaming
I don't have to tell anyone who's landed on this blog that the golf business in the United States is in a world of hurt these days.The reason, in large part, is that golf communities -- the main driver of golf development in recent decades -- have become...
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
scotland If You Build It . . .
Several months ago, a historic track once described as “the remotest of the remote links courses” found new owners who intend to make it the centerpiece of “one of Scotland’s premier golf destinations.”I’m talking about Machrie Golf Links, an 18-hole,...
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Week That Was, november 20, 2011
bhutan Adding to the Happiness QuotientThe people of Bhutan have been given the right happiness -- it's decreed in the national constitution -- but exactly how happy can they be without access to single 18-hole golf course?The situation could soon be...
Friday, November 18, 2011
Shameless Self-Promotion, november 2011
What makes the world go round?Mind you, I'm not wondering about gravitational forces in the cosmos. I'm focused on things that are happening right here on earth, particularly the many pursuits that motivate a man to get up every morning, pour himself...
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Best golf course needs respect from players
Even the novice golfer will want to play, to the best golf course you can afford, and if you manage that come out on the field you want to not worry about the condition of the plant. As soon as more people are interested in humiliating that games and...
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Superior golf wear accessories
There are many ways in which accessorize can a golf enthusiast through the purchase of various products, improving the quality of the game. These elements contain usually carriers, caddies or novelty items. Not many people consider the garments that...
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Selecting ladies golf cart bags
When you reach a new ladies bag to purchase, you can be a little overwhelmed by the variety of choices, the available provided by online providers. Once you know more about what is available, then you can be a better decision about what you want in your...
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