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Courty
18th August 2006, 10:27 AM
Paradise Palms Golf Club has recently been sold by Japanese investor Daikyo to a local consortium made up of Tom Hedley (owns bucketloads of high-rise apartments and bottleshops around QLD) and a few other property tycoons. On theradio this morning I heard the Paradise Palms manager interviewed about future plans.

As for the course, he said that 6 alternative design options from Graham Marsh were currently being reviewed. Several months ago it was reported that the course would be shortened and several 'signature' holes would be dozed to make way for apartments. This morning he kind of skirted around a definitive answer when the subject was brought up. :roll:

The course will become known as 'Paradise Palms Country Club' (http://www.paradisepalms.com.au/) with a bunch of additions including:
- 1000sqm gymnasium
- 2000sqm childrens playground
- Beauty salon & spa
- 100 rooms of 'resort-style' accomodation
- extension/ renovation of the clubhouse
- a makeover of the main highway entrance

In total, approximately $500 million is to be spent over the next 10 years. :shock:

Anyone who knows who Tom Hedley is will find this sort of expenditure totally believable. Unfortunately, he is a property tycoon, so will expend most of his energy on the property side of things. As I mentioned earlier, the course is rumoured to lose some of it's most memorable golf holes. The 7th hole (http://www.paradisepalms.com.au/hole7.htm) in particular is a lot more daunting than the map suggests, but it is the view to the ocean that sees it worth more to the property market.

I just hope they don't abandon the course that was once in the Top 10 public access courses in the country in favour of some more fancy-schmancy apartments...

AndyP
18th August 2006, 10:59 AM
Sounds like the golf course is way down on the priority list.

Courty
18th August 2006, 11:04 AM
Sounds like the golf course is way down on the priority list.

Unfortunately, I think you're right. Seems to me that they're using the name and reputation as a drawcard, but the prestige of the course will suffer for it.