Open mike: Concrete jungle

Last week the Fairmont Southampton Princess announced plans for a major redevelopment. 91 new "golf villas" will be built and made available for fractional purchase and vacation rental, while the existing golf course will lose half of its 18 holes to a new Golf Academy and tennis courts.

Bill Cook is concerned about the loss of green space:

“What worries me most is the possibility that existing golf courses can be used to erect condominiums and other town house buildings. Golf courses preserve open space and when viewed from the air, it shows what a valuable role they play in creating a more pleasant living environment.

There should be in my opinion, strict rules that govern the use of such open green land, and I do not think that is the case at present.”

Tiger Bay wonders about the impact of making the new residences available as vacation rentals:

“Will these houses have car rights, like the ones at Castle Harbour? Sustainable development anyone?

Government of course will love the idea: big tax base increase and the ability to pretend it improves tourism.

How are golf courses zoned?

Bermuda concrete jungle.”

It's the emasculation of the golf course that disappoints me. The Southampton Princess and St. George's are the only 18-hole courses short enough for a golfer as bad as me to hack his way round. There's already talk of St. George's being redeveloped as a "championship course". Where will us amateurs play if the course at the Princess disappears too?

Comments

[TJL on 07.03.06 at 08:23]

As a golfer myself it pains me to say this, but at best the jury is still out on the environmental value of golf courses. I can't remember the arguments, but when you think about it the vast majority of a golf course is manicured, chemically fertilized land, neither natural nor suitable for most animal life (the odd heron I've seen in water hazards aside). Also, there's an elitist element to golf courses - it's gotten better in recent years, but by and large they are still the preserve of the middle- and upper-classes. Granted, so are golf villas...

[Rev. Goat on 07.03.06 at 08:31]

Is it me being paranoid or am I correct in the fact that the PLP has a vendetta against trees, open space and the color green.

Perhaps they desire Bermuda to take on the look of the surburban US. Or could it be that they feel they have the patent rights on the color green and the rest of Bermuda can go without.

[Tiger Bay on 07.03.06 at 08:36]

TJL - get serious, what do you think has a lower impact on our community and the environment: a golf course or 140 new luxury houses and supporting services?

I am against this proposed development.

(So many tourism properties have been converted into houses for sale to foreigners in the past few years, on the promise that they can be rented to tourists when the owners are not in residence. I wager that this rarely happens: we are developing new expat enclaves.)

[Bill Cook on 07.03.06 at 08:38]

I am not protecting the game of golf as much as the preservation of open areas of greenery and if someone said we are turning a course into a beautiful park with a variety of trees etc and flowers while as a golfer it would pain me the pain would be less than another cluster of concrete.

Parks are an expensive item to maintain and keep clean etc whereas golf courses are maintained by those who play the game.

I would certainly support anything to make them more environmentally friendly and the planting of more endemic trees and shrubbery as we must also think of the manufacturers of golf balls !!

[Onion on 07.03.06 at 09:53]

It disgusts me the way Bermuda is going. We are the condo mecca of the world and it is getting worse by the day. It must stop.

[H Reardon on 07.03.06 at 10:00]

"Biggest waste of space are golf course and cemeteries. If I owned this land I'd put up condos there, and condos there..." --Al Czervik, Caddyshack.

As a golfer, that is disappointing, although I will be more likely to use the Golf Academy than play at South P. Limey, it sounds like you may benefit from some practice at the Academy rather than hack around the course.

As I have been told many times, Bermuda has more space dedicated to golf courses than any other country (percentage-wise). Is this really so tragic of an outcome? It will bring more tourist to the island--and ones with money as well. Isn't that a good thing?

[Triggerfish on 07.03.06 at 10:01]

"... the jury is still out on the environmental value of golf courses."

No it's not. The jury returned a decision long ago. The golf courses are Bermuda's last major green belt areas in an increasingly urbanised land mass. I am not a golfer but I'm all for preventing developers and speculators from making further encroachments on the courses.

[Tiger Bay on 07.03.06 at 10:03]

See my point above - in practice, are these "hotel rooms for tourists" or are they really "exclusive residences for foreigners"?

I question the benefit to the local community.

[Triggerfish on 07.03.06 at 10:05]

"It will bring more tourist to the island--and ones with money as well. Isn't that a good thing?"

That ain't necessarily so. Word is that a some of the major re/insurance entities will be taking the town houses on long-term leases to house upper-level staff and business visitors.

[Chris Broadhurst on 07.03.06 at 10:23]

As much as I think we have too many golf courses, every square inch we cover with concrete will never ever return to green.

We need to build upwards, not outwards NOW!

[H Reardon on 07.03.06 at 10:30]

"That ain't necessarily so. Word is that a some of the major re/insurance entities will be taking the town houses on long-term leases to house upper-level staff and business visitors."

Posted by Triggerfish on 07.03.06 at 10:05

OK, so then doesn't this free up housing for Bermudians. Many of you have been calling to house us expats in a community apart from the holy Bermudian status holders--you are starting to get your way.

[TJL on 07.03.06 at 10:33]

See above link for a quick piece of the debate about the environment and golf courses. Again, I'm not trying to say golf courses are toxic plants, but I bet given the choice an environmentalist would prefer a nature reserve. Also, the Limey pointed out an imminent water shortage in a recent post - watering fairways and greens to keep them alive must certainly take its toll (though in fairness most courses have their own water catchments). Golf courses are desirable in modern western societies because they serve both the capitalist and environmentalist agendas pretty well.

As far as preservation of green spaces go, what good is it if all that green space is privately owned and only accessible to members or paying players? Golf courses aren't public parks, and if you think a course superintendent is going to tolerate people having their lunch breaks on the seventh tee or campers setting up their tents at the turn, you're very much mistaken. For the vast majority of people who have access to neither the lush green spaces golf courses preserve nor land upon which to build affordable housing, I'm willing to bet they won't shed any tears if the whole course is concreted over.

[Triggerfish on 07.03.06 at 10:46]

"... I'm willing to bet they won't shed any tears if the whole course is concreted over ..."

God, that's a cynical and short-sighted take on the state of the Bermuda micro-nation. So at Independence should we make "Big Yellow Taxi" our national anthem ("They paved paradise and put up a parking lot ...")?

[Bill Cook on 07.03.06 at 10:56]

I understand that the SPH golf course is one of the top rated par 3 courses in the world and it really is a lovely small course and quite difficult.

It is available for the public to play as well as guests and you can arrange lunch there.

The view from the health spa while working out is breathtaking, as is the drive up to the hotel and ties in my trips when I take visitors along South Shore beaches etc.

I am in favour of building up with a small footprint while preserving as much green areas as possible even reclaiming old buildings and levelling them while consolidating in awell designed high raise.

[TJL on 07.03.06 at 11:00]

Triggerfish,
I apologise in advance for not being as farsighted as you, so forgive me if I misunderstand your argument - are you suggesting that (1) the only way to preserve open spaces in Bermuda is by building private, exclusive, and environmentally sub-optimal projects, and (2) people without access to these projects should shut up and be thankful for the fact that a small minority of the island get to enjoy them?

Frankly I initially posted in the usual role of Devil's Advocate (the traditional rite of the first poster who doesn't think of every issue as black and white), and I can definitely appreciate that our island is a more pleasant place to be with our golf courses. Yes they're a draw for tourists, and yes it's more pleasing to the eye to drive past the rolling green hills of Southampton Princess than another block of condos. However, the biggest reason I like golf courses is also the simplest - as a golfer I get to enjoy them.

[Tiger Bay on 07.03.06 at 11:01]

TJL: Open space has value even if it is private land.

Let's be clear: this project will result in 140 new houses. Their demand for water, sewage, and other services will not be insignficant.

Assuming that Fairmont can make a conservative $500,000 profit on each unit, that's $70 million in quick profits. That's all they see.

You may find that Government has the same monetary fixation given the significant "foreign purchaser fees" that they will reap. Another windfall for their batshit spending spree.

[Bandit on 07.03.06 at 11:02]

I don't play golf and don't really care about golf courses. I also don't think BDA should build up until they have exhaused all other possibilities. For example, the Base, the annex and all the other US/UK/Canadian etc. "Brown field" sights.

Turning what little green belt/open space in to condos when there is all that brown field wasteland is totally stupid!

[TJL on 07.03.06 at 11:06]

Tiger Bay,
I haven't actually concerned myself with the specifics of this deal, but rather focused on the abstract discussion of golf courses vs. urban development. I don't doubt it is much harder to justify paving over 9 holes at the Princess to make vacation villas than to use the same land for affordable housing for locals.

[NoVote on 07.03.06 at 11:45]

Only one thing to say: Build Up,Up,Up,Up,Up....

[SmokingGun on 07.03.06 at 11:50]

As far as golf is concerned Limey is 100% correct. As an avid golfer I only play the SHP when I am playing with people who are either in the beginning stages of learning the game or with an elderly person who just isn't interested in a full 18 on a full size course. And SHP is a great date course too. Bermuda needs a short resort track and it will be a pity to lose SHP on that basis.

As far as buildings. We've got a big project going on just over the hill. We've got this. We've got Loughland. Belmont's two projects. We've got the elderly project sponsored by BOB. BOB itself. Amongst just a few. Hmmmm... I think concrete jungle is an understatement.

Have you ever noticed that in Bermuda it's damn near impossible to look anywhere without seeing some form of man-made thing?

[Zoom on 07.03.06 at 11:58]

In 2005, the number of dwellings in Bermuda reached 32,850 on our 13,268 acres of land.

Golf courses use approximately 777 acres and national parks take 800 acres.

Not much open space left. It should be jealously protected.

[SmokingGun on 07.03.06 at 12:11]

Good point and research Zoom.

[OnDeWata __/)__ on 07.03.06 at 12:50]

Wow! Where did those numbers come from Zoom...those paint one frickin' scary picture.

[thisgrassman on 07.03.06 at 13:01]

Bermuda firstly is an “asphalt jungle” - my guess is there are more roads covering the land than buildings.

Simply put - Bermuda has only been able to follow this North American model of wasteful suburban development because of the motorcar.

[SmokingGun on 07.03.06 at 14:03]

One way of looking at our growth and trying to keep some sort of control would be to consider density. For instance, if there is a valuable open space/land resource that will be affected then limit the density of the project. Should SHP have 91 new villas or should there be a restriction to say 45. I'm sure a good urban planner could devise a scheme or formula that would work best for a small island like Bermuda.

One other thing that concerns me even more is the building of large condo developments on the sides of our open space green hills. One off houses can be hidden by trees and greenery but large construction projects end up looking like towns hanging off the hills.

[Amin Swan on 07.03.06 at 17:58]

Zoom - An easier way to research what open space we have left is a simple peep at our Island on Google Earth, one would never question whether we are one of the most densely populated places on the planet. I'll give Bermuda about 15 more years then we'll be talking about New York City with coconut trees.

[Zoom on 07.03.06 at 18:07]

Good point Amin! Here's the land in question.

http://tinyurl.com/gmrng

Imagine half of it plugged up with buildings.

[Amin Swan on 07.03.06 at 18:25]

Zoom - Scary sight isn't it....Thank goodness for our lovely architecture, otherwise, Bermuda would not be the "Pretty Little Island" people hear of, but I guess that won't matter very soon anyway.

[Raptor on 07.03.06 at 19:01]

Sobering, to say the least. We're all going to have to go and live in the water.

[J Morrison on 07.03.06 at 20:04]

Here are some interesting sites for all of you who think we are running out of room for houses.
Enjoy Raptor:
http://www.gizmag.co.uk/go/2999/
http://www.gizmag.co.uk/go/2036/
http://www.ecoboot.nl/artikelen/floating_houses.php
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/007141.php

[Amin Swan on 07.03.06 at 21:25]

Well on the bright side we could live here...

http://local.google.com/?ll=18.545372,-72.326775&spn=0.041826,0.068836&t=k

Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

Hey, I'll take a crowded Bermuda over this any day.

[Amin Swan on 07.03.06 at 21:31]

Raptor,

And you all were laughing at the 9 Beaches set up, now that's what I call forward thinking! lol

[Dave on 08.03.06 at 02:06]

Personally i think this is a great idea. From a (good) golfers perspective SP is of no real value to us, the only people who play it are probably just the guests at the hotel. There is not enough land to make it a proper course and so they can either leave it as it is now, which is fine for wat it is, or revamp it into a world class facility. By making it a dedicated 'Dave Pelz short game acadamy' the name itself will bring guests to Bermuda. The guests that it brings will more than likely have money to spend in bermuda and so we will benefit from it in that regards. Also by creating such a facility Bermuda will get promoted not only in hotel magazines, but now golf magazines as well. Recognition will go along way and as word spreads about such a great facility bermuda will only gain in the long run. Embrace change...bermuda needs a good change in the golf scene and this might well be it!

[Bill Cook on 08.03.06 at 08:34]

Dave,

The problem is not the quality of golf we have to offer its the loss of half the course being built on.

While the course is only a par three it is a very top rated par three and is beautifully landscaped.

Hotels are more interested in making more money first and foremost and we have been hoodwinked time and time again by Red Herrings of the need for ever more luxury condo type developments to subsidise hotel income.

The end result is that some developers have not lived up to their promise of building hotel rooms and have gotten away with it.

If they were really interested in the golf course concept and preserved the open space while adding on to the existing hotel Bermudians would be better off in my opinion.

Development must be slowed down in particular where it is not a priority.

If we need this golfing concept why not have it in the proposed St George development were they need more business.

[PorKy on 08.03.06 at 12:07]

"Golf is a good way to ruin a walk." - Winston Churchill

[Uncle Elvis on 08.03.06 at 12:20]

Dave, you got me thinking.

So I ask. Does the concept of a real kick-ass, crazy, amazing, high quality, challenging, world-class, reduce-a-man-to-tears-with-its-intricacy-and-beauty, super-dooper 9 hole course have any merit?

I play golf about once a year and... well... Ray Charles plays better'n me. If I were to take on Ray Charles tomorrow, he'd kick my butt by about 40 strokes. I'm that bad, is what I'm saying.
So I don't know.

It seems to my uneducated eye that a superdooper 9hole course would be more of a draw than even a world class par3 course.

Do we know if they are planning to upgrade the course to a higher level, or just leave it as a really good par3, with 9 holes.

[Bill Cook on 08.03.06 at 12:47]

Uncle,

The problem with upgrading would be space in my opinion.

Thats why the course is a par three.

It means all iron play but dont kid yuorself it is quite difficult to get pars on every hole.

You can make a longer 9 holes by increasing the land accordingly and just as with Ocean View play course twice to get regulation 18 holes etc.

I am not knowledgeable enough to say how effective that would be but how could you then accommodate all the new condos without using up all the land ?

Golf is not the issue the preservation of open space is.

[Uncle Elvis on 08.03.06 at 13:09]

Good points, Mr. Cook.

Which leads me to more questions...

Surely the condos etc. aren't going to take up all 9 lost holes... I'm working under the assumption that they're chopping it down to 9 holes because a 14 hole course is just ridiculous.
What are they doing with the rest of the land? Or WILL they be using all 9 holes?

Although... 91 homes... damn. That might take up the whole lot. Hrm...

You got a good point. Hopefully, some of that land will be used for open space.

Hopefully.

[wyrdsister on 08.03.06 at 13:13]

Instead of building more why not plant more. Put in some trees, bushes, flowers, make it place of beauty, not more ugly buildings or golf courses, which are only of any use to a few people.

"I'll give Bermuda about 15 more years then we'll be talking about New York City with coconut trees."

need to have the place to put coconut trees.

[SmokingGun on 08.03.06 at 15:12]

"Golf is a good way to ruin a walk." - Winston Churchill

Posted by PorKy on 08.03.06 at 12:07

Or as in Winston's case: "a waddle".

I have no problem with a world class 9 hole course if it's part of a world class golf school as long I get to pull the driver out on at least four holes. So cut the condo's in half and give the players a little breathing room why don't ya...

[TJL on 08.03.06 at 15:21]

ACCURACY POLICE REPORT:

The misquote above is wrong on two counts: the actual line is "Golf is a good walk spoiled", and it was delivered by Bermuda's favourite adopted son, Mark Twain.

Churchill did comment on the grand old sport, however, when he said "Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose."

[Uncle Elvis on 08.03.06 at 15:21]

You have a driver? I usually just steer the cart myself. Or the other guy does.

Man, oh, man. I thought having a caddy was lazy.

Oh... you mean a...

Never mind.

[Uncle Elvis on 08.03.06 at 15:24]

My favorite is the old chestnut:

Q: Why did they name it "Golf"?

A: Because "$#!t" and "fu¢k" were already taken...

[SmokingGun on 08.03.06 at 16:00]

Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden.

And from a bunch of guys wearing skirts no less....

[Dave on 08.03.06 at 16:21]

To my knowledge they will be making it a dedicated short game facility. The 9 holes that will remain open will focus on various aspects of ones short game. I dont think it will be a 'course' and thus the 9 holes will not be the main attraction. The name 'Dave Pelz' will bring the people, he is the short game 'guru' and when people see his name they will automatically assume that what is being offereed is a world class facility/product.

Personally i dont think the gvmnt would be able to bring such 'big' name to one of its courses. St. Georges would not fit into the 'short game' mentality and the other courses are obviously to long as well. St. Georges needs to improve its product it has the ability to be a MAJOR tourist attraction but presently is is just an embarasment.

[Bill Cook on 08.03.06 at 16:35]

Dave

Am I being naive if I ask is not the purpose of the present course a focus on the short game using only irons ?

A 9 hole is only half of the original 18 and the MAIN thrust the facilatating with the reduction to free up land for development of condos by whichever name for the handsome profit they will bring ?

Or am I just being suspicious because of what generally passes for controls in Bermuda ?

[Tiger Bay on 08.03.06 at 16:38]

The golf school is a sop providing cover for the huge real estate project.

SAVE OUR OPEN SPACES!!

[SmokingGun on 08.03.06 at 16:38]

Well Dave, I guess I'll have to sign up for a few lessons. It's just a pity I'll be having 150 people watching me whiff from their balconies. Pressure......

[Guilden M. Gilbert, Jr. on 08.03.06 at 17:33]

Dave,

A Dave Pelz short game school is not going to attract a whole lot of visitors to Bermuda.

Our Lucaya Resort in Freeport, Grand Bahama tried this concept with a Butch Harmon School of Golf, while Butch was still Tiger's teacher. There is very little traffic going through the school. When people travel to places like the Bahamas and Bermuda, especially golfers, they want to play golf not take any lengthy lessons.

[Zoom on 08.03.06 at 17:37]

and when the golf school drags, Fairmont will probably come looking to develop that acreage too!