And still they keep coming

The mushrooming of golf course estates continues unabated with the announcement that Ernie Els is to add his signature to a new development in Dullstroom in Mpumalanga.

A few weeks back I wrote of my fascination with the golf estate phenomenon and where all the money was coming from and it seems that property developers have no fear that golf is a game with a hole in it.

Els’ newest project also reveals how strongly he has moved into the field of course design and construction after appearing to be a reluctant starter with his first course, Whiskey Creek - we joked at the time that perhaps he should have called it “Castle Creek!” - in the States.

Ernie was adamant that is playing goals would limit the time he could spend on course design but his association with the new Highland Gate project in South Africa’s trout country reveals that he has become quite a dab hand at the blueprint and agronomy game.

Highland Gate is Els’ third South African project – after Oubaai in George and the Gardener Ross estate in Gauteng – and I have also heard talk that he will soon also link up with well-known golf addict and benefactor Johann Rupert to create a fourth course bearing his autograph in the Cape.

According to the Press release Highland Gate “is to be lifestyle estate situated some 14 km due east of Dullstroom on the edge of the Steenkampsberg plateau, overlooking the Kwena Basin.

“It will incorporate some 450 residential stands, the golf course, a lodge, wellness centre and an equestrian centre. The property is over 700 hectares in size, only 30% of which is actually being developed. The remainder of the property is being left in its natural state for residents to enjoy through walking, mountain-biking or just participating in the natural attractions it has to offer.”

The key word in the golfing estate boom is lifestyle with concerns about security and relaxation playing a key role. In fact, I have been told that a considerable percentage of those buying into estate living have little or no interest in the golf course.

In time one might well see the development of gated estates with smaller, less grand courses (perhaps even nine-hole or mashie lay-outs) but for the moment the addition of a famous name – such as Nick Price’s Vaal de Grace course on an island in the Vaal River near Parys – seems to be seen as important.

Els, as revealed on his website, has been quite active in giving a new meaning to Ben Hogan’s axiom of “digging it out of the dirt.” Apart from his South African courses I was surprised to learn that Els is clocking up the air miles with his involvement in three other major projects – the Dubai Sports City in the United Arab Emirates, the Ocean Club on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and the Anahita Golf Resort in Mauritius.

Dubai Sports City is to be the winter home of the Manchester United football club, and features several hotels and upscale real estate. As Ernie says: “"This brand new sports city is going to be an amazing development. It’s a mind-boggling $3 billion project! There’s going to be almost everything the sports fan could imagine, or wish for, and it’s all absolutely top notch.

"Picture this! Manchester United is going to have a football academy. There’s going to be an international cricket academy. Butch Harmon is going to have a golf academy. I think there’s going to be a brand new Formula One race circuit with all the paraphernalia that goes with that. And obviously I’m designing a golf course. All in all, it’s going to be an amazing sporting experience.”

The Ocean Club on Paradise Island in the Bahamas is being done in association with guess who? – none other than Sol Kerzner. Kerzner International Development is expanding its existing golf portfolio at the Ocean Club, adjacent to the world class hotel and casino “Atlantis”, to include a golf course on nearby Atholl Island. The golf course will stand alone on this island, with no surrounding real estate.

Anahita Golf Resort in Mauritius is being developed in assocation with Ciel Properties, a subsidiary of the Ciel Group, as part of a five star resort on the south eastern coast of Mauritius. The Ernie Els Signature golf course will be the featured amenity on the property that is also set to include a world class hotel and up to 240 residential units.

And that’s just Ernie. It’s simply mind-boggling; especially for a slightly shop-soiled recorder of the trivial who still worries about the price of a ProV1!