5HOT
TOPICS
Five things you
need to know
about this month.Peace on earth
The best thing to come out
of Rory McIlroy’s wedding
last month was perhaps a
peace treaty between the
warringfactionsofSergio
GarciaandPadraig
Harrington. “We have had
achatbecauseclearlythere
wasanelephantinthe
room,” revealed Harrington.
“Weareinagreatplace.If
anything, it has worked out
for the better.”Itisonly18monthsoldbutCapeWickhamhints
alreadyatgreatness–andit’snowonthemarket.Forsale:Atop-25
courseintheworld
COURSES
There is no guide price because
there is nothing to use as a
relevant yardstick. One of the
finest 25 courses in the world
simply isn’t sold very often,
writes Chris Bertram.
There was one recently –
Turnberry in 2014 – but starkly
different backgrounds to the
sales make useful comparison
redundant. The Ayrshire resort
had status, but its dire need of
investment led to a
staggeringly low £35m price.
Cape Wickham Links could
scarcely provide a bigger
contrast. Located south of
Melbourne – on King Island in
the Bass Strait that divides
Australia and Tasmania – it has
been open a mere 18 months
but is already ranked in the top
25 courses in the world. Such
acclaim quickly achieved
owner Duncan Andrews’ aim of
creating an elite course and,
approaching his 70th year, he
believes it needs younger
blood to add to the 16 rooms
and develop the resort further.
Designed by Mike DeVries
and Darius Oliver, the course
enjoys as spectacular a setting
and as promising a landscape
as is imaginable. Its jagged
shoreline mixes a dramatic
promontory, sandy white
beaches and rocky coves with
huge sand dune corridors.Eight holes run along the
coast and two more greens
appear directly on the water.
Every hole has an ocean view.
Its mix of beach and cliffs has
echoes of Pebble Beach but
Wickham’s site is more rugged
and the inland holes better
maintain the tempo.
After an exhilarating
opening tee shot the first five
holes lie across a headland,
then eight are routed through
intricate dunes. The final loop
of five centre around Australia’s
tallest lighthouse – built here in
1861 with King Island infamous
for shipwrecks – and concludes
with a stirring par 4 along
Victoria Cove beach.
This is a rare opportunity to
purchase such an uncommon
course. Its relatively remote
location is unlikely to prevent
significant interest; as at
Bandon Dunes in America, it
probably adds to the allure.
Who buys it, and for how
much, will be fascinating.THE KEY DETAILS
LocationCape Wickham, King
Island, Tasmania, Australia.
Thecoursee6,765 yards, par 72.
Getting thereeDaily flights from
Melbourne’s airports.
Prices£90 a round. £115 for a
two-person room.
Visittcapewickham.com.au24 Golf World August 2017
Life after Nike
Nine months after Nike’s exit from
the equipment business, and after
a period spent testing pretty much
every brand out there, Rory McIlroy
has signed a new “long-term”
equipment deal with TaylorMade.
The move represents a significant
coup for TaylorMade who now have
the world’s top three players using
their clubs, along with Masters
champion Sergio Garcia, Olympic
champion Justin Rose and rising
star Jon Rahm.