Robert Vasilak

VGS Group, a heavyweight in Vietnamese golf, thirsts for LIV events. Co. chairman says LIV tournaments reflect "the sports spirit of young people" & are "a new breath of wind blowing into the world golf village." Inevitable, seeing that G-Norman is a prime mover in VN's golf biz.

What's the difference bet. Nicklaus Design GCs & Nicklaus Heritage GCs? One is done by "senior designers who have supported Jack at all other design levels," the other by "senior designers . . . who have been personally trained" by J-Nick. Splitting hairs for branding purposes.

Another U.S. GCA has a gig in the British Isles. J-Straka will design an 18h track (likely a "coastline/links") in County Wexford, Ireland, with a groundbreaking scheduled for 2024. The GC will anchor a resort to be developed by Neville Hotel Group, which owns two nearby GCs.

The dominoes are falling for N-Faldo in SE Asia. With his flag already planted in Cambodia & Vietnam, the British GCA has been hired to design a "world-class" GC for an SEZ in Laos. No comments yet from Faldo, and local news stories don't include a construction schedule.

Despite membership boosts in 2021 & 2022, British clubs are wary about 2023 & beyond. Resignation rates "have returned to pre-pandemic levels," says Golf Monthly, citing data from Contemporary Club Leadership, & one-third of clubs "have concerns about their long-term futures."

Demand for club memberships in the Twin Cities hasn't weakened. Data from Minn./St. P Bus Journal indicates that the 2023 average initiation fee has climbed to $35K, up from $30K in 2022, & most clubs have wait lists. Notably, GMs don't expect the taste for club life to wane.

Is Bandon Dunes worth $1 billion? Or maybe $2 billion? Golf Inc. has published my inquiry into the value of what may truly be a priceless golf venue. Read it now. https://t.co/NSeczHz2JN

2022 was "one hell of a year" for golf, sez Leisure Investment Properties Group's new investment report. Despite economic headwinds, LIPG predicts more growth this year, though at a slower pace. It expects higher prices, bidding wars for some clubs & more corporate consolidation.

Sadly, J-Nicklaus says he'll likely again support Trump for president in 2024. So exactly how many degrees of separation are there between Nicklaus & S-Bannon, R-Stone, K-Lake, MT-Greene, S-Miller & other insurgents? Still a hero at Augusta, but whose role model is Nicklaus now?

B-Welling will design GCs for the private, exclusive Freestone Club, planned for 5K acres roughly 90 mi S of Dallas. 400 houses, $5 mill & up. The property includes the now-closed Fairfield Lake State Park, which was public since 1976. Hard to see how the people of TX benefit.

The revitalized golf business has attracted another outsider. Mountain Capital Partners, an operator of 9 U.S. ski resorts, has purchased Silver Creek GC in Show Low, AZ. Price undisclosed. MCP says it "couldn't be happier" & claims to have "a true love for the game of golf."

The all-but-dead Alden Pines GC on FL's Pine Island, a victim of Hurricane Ian, may be sold. The prospective buyer hopes to shrink G-Lewis' 18h track to 12h, to create space for houses. A local newspaper suggests that the GC might have met a similar fate even without the storm.

Convinced that all U.S. private clubs are on Easy Street? Wisconsin Club is reportedly in "a precarious financial position," and, pending member approval, Concert Golf Partners will buy the club's GC (the former Brynwood CC). Price unknown. Wisconsin to retain its downtown site.

The "destination golf" overload continues. A judge has OK'd the sale of property W of Minneapolis for the Tepetonka Club, which promises to be "exclusive but not exclusionary." Appeal possible. OCM, hired to create an 18h GC, calls site "perfect for golf." Heard that one before.

Update: Cleveland has ok'd a plan to put Highland Park GC out of its economic misery. The 95-year-old track, once the host of a PGA Tour event, will be operated for 20 or more years by a local nonprofit that's hired Troon for the daily heavy lifting. Financial details still hazy.

DMKidd will again cross the Mississippi River, once his professional Rubicon, as the Tampa Bay Business Journal says he'll design the GC for the private Two Rivers club in FL. Props to the developers: Eisenhower could have chosen a GCA more familiar to prospective home buyers.

McConnell Golf is poised to add a 5th D-Ross GC to its portfolio. The company has offered to buy Jefferson Lakeside CC, in VA, and Richmond BizSense says the member-owners are "overwhelmingly positive" about the prospect. Price said to be $2.6 mill, the amount of the club's debt.