Buenos Aries Golf is in the process of developing a hotel, convention center and villas or townhouses that will be branded and serviced by the hotel alongisde the current driving range. The total property size to be developed is about 32 acres and I was asked to evaluate, if golf should be incorporated and how. On September one we will begin constructing and designing a six holes par three course. Thought you might find interesting how I came to this recomendation. Here is part of the presentation letter to the board of the owning company not the members.
Golf- To be or not to be!
• Golf should be incorporated into the overall master plan scheme in order to produce the highest rate of return on the overall project and maximize price per square meter of land sales by creating water and golf views.
• Golf will also add prestige to the branding hotel and create an indirect association with Buenos Aires Golf Club, currently ranked the number one golf course in Argentina and one of the most prestigious golf courses in Latin America, thus producing another form of branding.
In Brazil, 2-5% of actual buyers that purchase lots with a view to the golf course are golfers, in Chile about 15% and in the USA 25-30%. People purchase residential with golf views because of the prestige, the direct contact with the environment, the leisure life style and most importantly because world- wide, these properties have a greater appreciation rate than other properties with other amenities.
In what form do we incorporate golf?
• Nine holes regulation golf course – Not enough land, minimum land needed 20 ha.
• Nine hole executive course – Still not enough land, would take up all the 13ha. and leave nothing for a residential project in conjunction.
• Nine hole par three course – Ideally you would like to use all your irons on throughout the nine holes. For example, hole one-100, hole 2-120, 3-130, 4-140, 5-150, 6-165, 7-175, 8-185 and 9-200! This adds up to a course of 1370 yards. With an average width of playing area sixty or seventy yards leads to around nine or ten Ha. allocated land for golf. Keep in mind that when we design our regulation holes within a residential project we leave corridors of 110 yards minimum for security or safety factors.
• Compact par three course, with alternative routes of par fours- There are several of these courses around the world and are quite viable in my opinion. The drawbacks are:
a. They are usually compacted into a small rectangular or square area and are ideal for golf academies where play will be limited, to more of a one on one teaching basis.
b. I feel we need to spread out the course to enhance the value of each individual residential product and we cannot do this with this type of course. The value will be displaced in one particular product only.
c. The moment you put a driver in the hands of players we need to insure our security in relation to landing areas and greens surroundings have a minimum one hundred and ten yard diameter. If we keep the holes to short and mid irons, we can decrease these security areas to seventy yards thus using less land for golf and leaving more land for Real Estate.
• Six holes par three with various tees and two to three flags and cups per green.
a. Allows for three rounds of six holes from different tee positions and to different flag positions to make a complete round of eighteen holes of varying lengths and angles.
b. Allows to use every iron in normal golf play
c. Minimum land requirements, less than fifty percent of overall land allocated.
d. Can be played in forty five minutes. Normal golf rounds require five hours of time. Great course for beginners and will ensure the development of future players and members.
e. Emphasize will be on a variety of recovery shots around greens.
f. If designed properly you will encounter every type of shot normally encountered in a golf round with the exception of the drive and that can be done for twenty minutes at the driving range before or after your round. One´s handicap or capability in golf is directly related to the amount of time one has to delegate to the sport. Personally, it is difficult for me to find five hours of time to play and practice and as a result I play once a month, so I can only dream of becoming a low handicapper. However, if I had a par three course close to my home I could go to the driving range and play six holes at the par three course in one hour. I could find an hour three times a week and I could than realistically lower my handicap to a reality low handicap.
g. Par threes are the most artistic holes in golf design, which will be appealing to the surrounding properties.