Asian links to
Aussie golf courses
By David Newbery
played between teams representing Europe and Asia.
The effect won’t be immediate, but soon golf resorts and
golf courses could be swarming with golfing tourists.
That’s because cashed-up off-shore investors are snapping
up Australian golf courses wherever they see a bargain. In
the past 12 months, a number of resort-style golf courses
have gone under the hammer and landed in foreign hands.
On the Gold Coast Chateraise Holdings, a Japanese
dessert company, became the new owners of the Jack
Nicklaus-designed Lakelands course after it went under the
hammer for a reported $8.6m. Chateraise Holdings owns
14 golf courses, two ski resorts and two wineries in Japan.
The company plans to bring its extensive knowledge
gained in Japan to improve Lakelands’ golf course,
clubhouse experience and service.
We plan to bring in guests
from China,” he said.
“We will have programs for
them to play-and-stay.
And Chinese businessman Feng Di, through his
company Golden Horse Nine Dragon Lake Holdings
Limited, acquired a hotel development site and majority
shareholding of Links Hope Island and also agreed to
terms with Noosa Springs Golf and Spa Resort owners –
the Starkey family.
The company owns the 54-hole Dragon Lake Golf Resort in
Guangzhou, China, host of the prestigious Royal Trophy
Feng Di told Golf Industry Central he was excited about his
company’s entry into the Australian golf market.
He said an upmarket hotel would be built adjacent to the
Links Hope Island clubhouse. “We plan to bring in guests
from China,” he said. “We will have programs for them to
play-and-stay.
“We think that when the Chinese people see how nice the
Queensland climate is and how good the golf course is,
they will flock here. “At Dragon Lake we have a five-star
hotel so we want to bring that experience here. “It will
be a first-class hotel that will benefit Australians and the
international market.”
No doubt, he will want to take Noosa Springs to another
level. The resort’s general manager Mark Brady said the
new owners were very happy with the quality of Noosa
Springs.
“He (Feng Di) intends to increase the profile of Noosa
Spring and Links Hope Island internationally with the
thought of bringing in more golfing tourists to the Gold
and Sunshine coasts,” he said. “Personally, I am excited
about the future.”
In the Hunter Valley, Cypress Lakes Country Club Resort
was bought by a Thai hotel group for $10 million. Minor
International acquired the resort and management rights
to 125 strata-titled villas through its Australian entity
Oaks Hotels and Resorts from Singapore-based Lasseters
International.
16 The Golf Marketing Professionals www.golfindustrycentral.com.au