How many great courses could be built in Cuba?

[mike_malone]

  I read about Cuba trying to increase tourism by adding golf courses.

[Dale Jackson]

How many do you want.  The topography for at least the parts of the country I have seen is very good.  Unbelievable seaside locations and inland jungle with a lot of interesting contours.

Seriously, the problem is not how many could be built, it is how many will be built, given the internal and external dynamics of the country, the land is not the problem.

[Mike Benham]

8 ...

[Tom_Doak]

It would be a cool place to work if we could get past the politics of it.

However, the politics of it are not going to be easy to surmount for those of us who live here in the USA. The embargo is very complex and VERY restrictive.  If I even drew a plan of a potential golf course there and got paid for it, I could go to jail.

[Bill Brightly]

I think Mike Keiser needs to have a chat with President Obama!

[Randy Thompson]

A better question might be how many courses and how many great courses and who gets to decide what is great. Not into polictics and hopefully this won´t turn into one of those never ending political battles, but its seems a little strange to me, that thousands of lives were lost in Vietnam on both sides and americans are free to carry on buisness relationships with them but heavens to forbid if you should try to enter the US with a cuban cigar or draw up a routing for two bucks and you could go to jail??? Oh well, I can get a Chilean passport in about two weeks time, should I decide to and narrow down the competition by a couple of hundred!

[A.G._Crockett]

A better question might be how many courses and how many great courses and who gets to decide what is great. Not into polictics and hopefully this won´t turn into one of those never ending political battles, but its seems a little strange to me, that thousands of lives were lost in Vietnam on both sides and americans are free to carry on buisness relationships with them but heavens to forbid if you should try to enter the US with a cuban cigar or draw up a routing for two bucks and you could go to jail??? Oh well, I can get a Chilean passport in about two weeks time, should I decide to and narrow down the competition by a couple of hundred!

Agreed, 100%.  The situation in U.S.-Cuban relations when compared to what we do with the rest of the world is the weirdest, most inexplicable thing I've ever seen.  Certainly since the Soviet Union collapsed we've let an opportunity go by for both countries to engage in mutually beneficial trade.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Since Cuba is 2/3 the size of Florida, I'd say at least 800.
At least because the land looks better.

Tom,
But how long would you go to jail for?

Cheers

[Tim Nugent]

The bigger question is who would risk the capital to build anything there.  They seem to have penchant for nationalization.  would you build anything in Hugo Chavez's Venezula right now?  Most of this relaxation of land rights in Cuba is to allow those working State farms to grow some vegetables on their land for private sale.
I agree our policy is so backasswards it's not even funny.  Why in the world would any country not want a viable trading partner 90 miles away? When oh when will we ever put a Business Executive in the White House? Put some real meaning in "Chief Executive" of the "Executive Branch". Don't ya just love having a Chief Exec/Commander in Chief who 1)was never an Exec, 2)never served in the Military, and 3) was never an Indian?

[Randy Thompson]

I agree trying to find somebody to put up the capital in such a climate would be difficult. To me the goverment will need to have something involved or a thousand six hundred page guarantee contract and still..yikes! This will take a long time to overcome. Elections are next month in Venezuela, would be nice to see that nightmare over but doubt it. No one inside the country would even consider putting up a dollar, imagine trying to get outside funding! I will be there the week of the elections and leaving two days before the elections and the week after, off to Beruit for a wedding. Living on the edge! I wonder if they have any golf courses in Beruit. Probably some good artificial dune property created by all the bombing that seems to go on there.

[Tim Nugent]

Randy, good luck in Beruit - you got that Chilean passport yet?  I think I rememeber something about Ron Fream/David Dale doing something in Leb. about the time the last fighting with Is. broke out.  Something about not being able to get out of the country.  Hope you have better luck.  Cheers

[Randy Thompson]

off to Beruit for a wedding.

Randy,

You don't have to go that far I think you can wed legally in San Francisco now.

Ouch...actually they just had one of those types of legal weddings, the first ever in Chile and Argentina in the last month. And I will leave it at that without further comment, since I have already been accused on this site, this last week, "of being insenative at least and border line scandlous at max."

Tim,
I am confindent I will get out of there, I am not so good looking as Ron Fream! My concern is for my beautiful blonde wife, I am afraid they will keep her and send me home with two camels.

[Richard Hetzel]

If Cuba ever opens back up, look out! It could be an incredible place for golf. They only have "1" 18 hole golf course:



http://www.tampabay.com/news/world/article435661.ece

[RSLivingston_III]

It's too bad both Ross courses were obliterated.

[Tim Leahy]

It's too bad both Ross courses were obliterated.

Were there great courses there before the revolution?

[Tim Pitner]

A better question might be how many courses and how many great courses and who gets to decide what is great. Not into polictics and hopefully this won´t turn into one of those never ending political battles, but its seems a little strange to me, that thousands of lives were lost in Vietnam on both sides and americans are free to carry on buisness relationships with them but heavens to forbid if you should try to enter the US with a cuban cigar or draw up a routing for two bucks and you could go to jail??? Oh well, I can get a Chilean passport in about two weeks time, should I decide to and narrow down the competition by a couple of hundred!

Agreed, 100%.  The situation in U.S.-Cuban relations when compared to what we do with the rest of the world is the weirdest, most inexplicable thing I've ever seen.  Certainly since the Soviet Union collapsed we've let an opportunity go by for both countries to engage in mutually beneficial trade.

A.G.,

I wouldn't say its inexplicable--it's quite easily explicable.  It's all about the influence of certain Cuban expatriates in Florida and the fact that Florida is a swing state in national elections.