Golf Courses Coming to Iran
The Associated Press reports that a $2.2 billion golf resort is underway in Kish, Iran. The Flower of The East is backed by an Iranian businessman based in Germany, and German and Swiss investors.
In addition to 27 holes for the Kish resort, golf is making further inroads in the Islamic Republic. Two new courses are also under construction on Kish, a coral island just off Iran's Persian Gulf coast. These will be the first golf courses built in Iran in more than 30 years.
The game has never been a hot item in the nation formerly known as Persia. Even during the days of the democratic-leaning shah, there was only a single 18-hole course in Tehran: the Imperial Country Club. After the 1979 Islamic revolution, golf was demonized as a product of the West. Imperial Country Club went quickly downhill, with five holes taken over by the Revolutionary Guards.
The backers of The Flower of The East believe their project will attract golfers as well as buyers of upscale homes. Kish, with its white-sand beaches, is visited by 1.1 million tourists a year, so it is a popular vacation spot.
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