Developing abroad

Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa.

With a tight economy and slowed participation in golf, courses aren’t being built in the United States at the rate they were five years ago. Some builders and designers have placed greater emphasis on restoration projects. Others have scaled down and accepted the circumstances. And some have found greater success in emerging markets overseas.

Ronald W. Fream, president of Golfplan, founded the company in 1972 and quickly made a name for himself outside the United States. Stops in Japan, Bali and Indonesia were just the starting blocks to what Fream refers to as 35 or more round-the-world business trips.

Golfplan utilized a great deal of sand at Shoregate in Ocean View, N.J., one of the few American courses in its portfolio.

“Together, with our design team, I’ve worked on: site evaluation or reconnaissance, feasibility analysis, concept planning, design, construction, ornamental horticulture and/or turfgrass consultation in some 65 countries,” he says, adding that the company doesn’t have courses in each of those countries. “Personally, I have visited around 125 countries.”

Professional golfer Gary Player has been known as the PGA Tour’s globetrotter. The design company that bears his name is well represented outside the United States. According to Scott Ferrell, president of Gary Player Design, 75 percent of the company’s business is overseas. It is currently building in China, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Morocco. And a course in France opened recently.

“The scene here in the United States has softened somewhat,” he says. “But we’re very busy. Given Gary’s reputation, (international development) is a natural fit. We’re a very global company.”

 

Challenges
Leaving North American can be good for business, but it’s not without difficulties. Ferrell says there aren’t as many qualified contractors available overseas as there are in the United States.

You don’t have that luxury in China, or South Africa for that matter,” he says. “There’s a void because contactors are too busy to handle all the jobs.”

Frank Henegan, senior designer at Gary Player Design, agrees.

“The main problem is getting qualified help,” he says. “There are a lot of expatriates in the business working around the world, so there’s a talent pool to draw from, but they’re few and far between.”

Having worked on projects overseas for more than 30 years, Fream doesn’t see many of the same problems.

Design differences

When developing golf courses overseas, one should know that what works in Dubai might not work in the Philippines. Flexibility is key. “Early on, I worked for some firms that designed trademark or signature products,” says Ronald W. Fream, president of Golfplan. “Exposure in more than 60 countries from the Arctic Circle to desert, mountain, seashore and the tropics clearly indicated that one size does not, or at least should not, fit all. Our design approach is market focused, site specific and user friendly.” Whether it’s desert like Africa or lush like the Pacific islands, builders and designers have to adapt to what the site dictates, according to Frank Henegan, senior designer at Gary Player Design. “Every site is different,” he says. “A lot depends on the client. There’s also water availability and requirements. Everything depends on the site.” Henegan also resists cutting his designs from the same mold. “We’ve developed a design philosophy to make a golf course challenging and enjoyable for high- and low-handicap golfers,” he says. “We adhere to basic principles and strategies, but don’t want to put a stamp on every course.” Henegan compared Whistling Straights in Kohler, Wis., and Harbour Town in Hilton Head, S.C. – both designed by Pete Dye – as classic examples of a designer coming up with completely different styles to fit the land.

“Today, the differences aren’t so great,” he says. “Budgets often are larger (overseas). Clients understand the benefit of better seedbeds, the use of tractor-shaper operators and more sophisticated irrigation systems. Some foreign golf developers are spending more for 18 or 36 holes than we could ever spend on a typical American project.”

However, there are similar challenges with projects oversees and in the United States. Keeping the turfgrass on a course green and healthy is one.

“Everyone’s concerned with water,” Henegan says. “You’ve got to find it, and the quality plays a big part.”

He also says paspalum has been a big help because courses are able to use poorer-quality water and still maintain healthy turf.

Finding business
Whether it’s responding to a request for proposal, like Gary Player Design did in China, or word of mouth, seeking development work outside the United States doesn’t seem to be too difficult for companies willing to travel. Being from South Africa, that country has been an active market for Player. Ferrell says there’s no secret to the company’s success overseas.

“It’s not rocket science … but it is a networking exercise,” he says.

Fream says his international business snowballed from the start and just kept growing from there.

“When I set up Golfplan, our exposure was international due to a collaboration with British Open champion Peter Thomson,” he says. “Our exposure grew and more work came to us. We were asked to go to more places. The company’s growth overseas was not something I planned. It emerged and expanded one course at a time.”

Gary Player Design devoloped the Kau Sai Chau in Hong Kong.

As the company’s focus on international development solidified and expanded, there was little time and few excess resources to try and develop more courses in America, according to Fream. When golf development started increasing in the United States, his team was occupied with projects elsewhere.

“Profitability would have been better had I turned the Golfplan experience into U.S. exposure,” he says. “But the satisfaction level would never be as high if we had focused on the domestic market.”

Hot spots
Vietnam is turning into a hub for Golfplan with 27 holes in play and another nine yet to be built at a project in Ho Chi Minh City. The company also is part of a 54-hole tourist project west of Hanoi.

“In spite of the earthquake and tsunami, Indonesia has provided Golfplan with a few clients. One of the projects was originally master planned with drawings that were completed 10 years ago, but political and economic problems delayed the project until this year.

Down the road, Fream says there seems to be reasonable activity in many countries. Dubai is proposing six or eight courses.

Golfplan's Andaman in Myanmar, commonly known as Burma, has beautiful views.

Along with South Africa and China, Ferrell says South Korea is a booming market for golf course development.

“There’s a lot of interest in the game and not a tremendous amount of courses,” he says.

Ferrell says the Caribbean, Bahamas, Eastern Europe and Mexico offer a wealth of opportunities. Countries such as Croatia and Turkey are looking to enhance tourism. Also, the Red Sea is drawing a lot of activity for Egypt.

“We would not shy away from any opportunity,” Ferrell says. “Gary feels a responsibility to help the game of golf develop in other areas.

“We’re tracking emerging and developing countries,” he adds. “We see opportunity in that. It’s a big world out there, and golf is growing in other areas.” GCN