Under-par economy holds up play at first Harrington course

A PLANNED €100 million-plus development at The Marlbrook in Clonmel, Co Tipperary - which had as its centrepiece a course designed by Padraig Harrington - is set to be put on hold because of the deteriorating economic climate, writes PHILIP REID , Golf Correspondent.

Although infrastructural work has been conducted on site, those behind the high-end development, which includes 140 houses on the estate and a hotel, have decided it is more "prudent" to wait until the "economic environment stabilises".

Manager John Kent envisages putting things on ice for 12 to 24 months. "The team at The Marlbrook are reviewing the entire situation due to the uncertainty in the general market," Mr Kent said. "We are looking at it in the next four to six weeks, the probability is that we are putting it on hold."

Originally planned to open in the middle of next year, The Marlbrook was to be the first course designed by Harrington. Ironically, he had previously signed up in 2005 to design a course in Dubai - which Harrington claimed gave him a "blank canvas" with which to work - but that project never materialised and he was later happy that his first design would be in Ireland.

It is believed Harrington turned down up to 30 opportunities to design courses (in Europe and Asia) before agreeing to make The Marlbrook his first design.

"We've kept a close eye [on the economy] over the last six months," said Mr Kent. "Much of the infrastructure - roads, ESB, potable water - is done; also, storm drains on the course down, and all the tender prices are in for the golf course. "But we've taken stock of the market and decided to put 90 per cent on hold for some time. It is something we'll return to whenever the economic environment stabilises," added Mr Kent, who believed they had been "very prudent and very careful" in coming to the decision.

Harrington had designed the course in conjunction with Stan Eby of European Golf Course Design, who also worked with Colin Montgomerie on the Montgomerie Course at Carton House and with Bernhard Langer at Portmarnock Links.

The British Open champion, who is competing in this week's Houston Open in Texas in the run-up to next week's US Masters, has been kept "100 per cent up to speed", according to Mr Kent, on developments.

In announcing his association with The Marlbrook shortly after his Irish Open win at Adare Manor last May, Harrington described the site by the river Suir as "a beautiful piece of land, ideal for a golf course . . . To be involved in golf course design is part of the ego of being a professional golfer, that you can do these things."

The decision to postpone the development of the multi-million euro project comes hot on the heels of another project put on hold at Carrig Glas in Co Longford, where Retief Goosen was to design a course.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times