And that's a big study these days. Brad Klein looks at the Ferry Point situation and reminds us that anyone complaining about the $125 green fee should not blame the man who kept Gary Busey in line during season eleven--yes, eleven--of Celebrity Apprentice, but instead, on sloppy and slightly corrupt bureaucrats. And maybe Jack Nicklaus.
The project finally went to public bid in 2008, with the design contract awarded to the team of Jack Nicklaus and John Sanford. Both are golf course designers, with Nicklaus, the game’s leading major champion, having a legendary worldwide portfolio, and Sanford having done much work on land remediation, including conversion of a Boston-area dumpsite for the “Big Dig” into public-access Granite Links Golf Club at Quarry Hills.
The idea behind Ferry Point has been for the city to add to its existing supply of 13 municipal golf courses and to do so on a level that would make a big splash. There’s certainly a demand for golf, with tee sheets booked steadily through the year and rates attractive and affordable, in the $40 range in peak season.
And the Donald sounds like he wants to displace a course in the current Barclay's rotation. Judging by our Golf World ranking of tour courses, I think I know which one goes first!
For his part, Trump is understandably excited about the prospect of being part of a New York City landmark. “It’s a spectacular piece of land, a major-championship site literally right next to everything, on the city,” he told Golfweek. “It’s important for golf. Golf has been suffering lately, and it’s major course in the biggest city in the world.”
For such projects, Trump says he doesn’t need to do a detailed cost-benefit analysis. “My feasibility study is my gut,” he said.
Gary Van Sickle interviews Donald Trump about purchasing Doral out of the bargain bin and His Donaldness reveals that his Bedminster course will be awarded a U.S. Women's Open, just as soon as the USGA announces it! Oops!
