Mission Hills Group has formed a joint venture with Marriott Int'l through the development of the Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Hotels at Mission Hills Haikou, located on a Chinese island. The total investment of the deal amounts to RMB 1.3B ($208M), with the two hotels opening to the public in the second quarter of '15. It will be the first golf hotel management project operated by Marriott Int'l in the greater China region. Mission Hills Group CEO & Chair Ken Chu said, "It will be the icing on Mission Hills' Haikou development of a township of 300 shops and Hainan's first ever real ice skating." He added the resort will offer guests "the ultimate golf and holiday experience (Mission Hills Group).
TEEING OFF AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL: Meanwhile, the Scottish Golf Union, Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association and ClubGolf announced the roll out of 50 Scottish Golf Development Centres over the next three years to train the nation's young players. The program will use existing clubs and facilities that meet specified criteria and will provide access to experienced coaching for the young players progressing from ClubGolf. The centers are being funded by reserves from ClubGolfScotland, the national junior golf program, and will be established in three phases, with 21 clubs and facilities having already been identified to launch the program from next month (SGU).
PARTNER PRIVILEGES: Spain's Finca Cortesin Golf Club has joined IMG Prestige's network of clubs offering high-end reciprocal services to some of the top golfing facilities in the world. Fianca Cortesin Golf Club members now also have access to preferred rates, discounts, benefits and privileges at several venues, including Kingsbarns, Scotland; Carton House, Ireland; The Dutch, Holland; Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand; Legend Golf & Safari Resort, South Africa; and Yas Links in Abu Dhabi (IMG).
