Last resort of dreams
LAGUNA QUAYS COULDN’T MAKE MONEY … AND FELL ON UGLY TIMES BECAUSE THE JAPANESE GOLFERS STOPPED COMING … NEWS THIS WEEK THAT THE SALE OF PARADISE PALMS IS INCHING CLOSER IS OMINOUS FOR GOLF LOVERS.
IF there was ever a golfer’s heaven Laguna Quays Resort was it. Opened in 1992 it was both a golfing jewel and accommodation gem – all carved out of rugged countryside and scungy, muddy coastline. Designed by Australian golf professional David Graham, Laguna was regularly rated as one of the best resort courses in the country. There was a 70-berth marina, condominiums lining the fairways, multiple pools, tennis facilities, a conference centre and restaurants. In its heyday you were buzzed through the imposing electric gates before being directed up a hillside to the impressive hotel set in the treetops. What a hotel. It was called The Lodge. Beautiful timber beams, modern decor and a foyer that looked out over the golf course and over to the ocean and Whitsunday Islands.
The Japanese built it and it was their playground. Locals cringed at the hefty price tag, which back in the day was outrageous – about $100 for 18 holes.
It hosted skins golf tournaments that drew the likes of Greg Norman. As a young sports journo, I had the privilege of merging my love of golf with work covering the event featuring American superstar and bad boy John Daly and one of the greatest golfers of all time, Tom Watson, along with Aussie favourites Peter Senior and Craig Parry.
Laguna Quays couldn’t make money though and fell on ugly times because the Japanese golfers stopped coming.
The location, while stunning, was literally nowhere – who wants to go shopping in Proserpine after golf?
Established for $250 million, Laguna Quays spiralled downward through bankruptcies, sales and closures. The golf course and resort look like something out of Jumanji.
Fullshare bought it a couple of years ago with a vision to refurbish it but there are no signs of this.
Sadly people who bought condominiums for hundreds of thousands of dollars during the good times now own worthless buildings.
News this week that the sale of Paradise Palms is inching closer is ominous for golf lovers. The course, a tough test of golf, is looking magical, so the thought of a bulldozer potentially ripping through it is downright sad. Residents who bought a lifestyle are understandably upset that a sale could mean development.
Golf courses, clubs and resorts are expensive and making them viable is hard work. And while people have strong emotional ties to such establishments, that doesn’t mean much if the money isn’t rolling in.
Thankfully staff have been given the heads-up to start looking elsewhere for jobs while members, in eternal pursuit of the perfect round, are fast running out of time to score it.