Olympic Golf Course in Rio has closed

The Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro has closed just six months after hosting the Games.

According to The Guardian,
the $20m facillity designed by world-renowned architect Gil Hanse has
shut down after failing to attract enough paying players to maintain the
course and facilities, with a report late last year saying that 20 was
considered a good crowd.

Green fees are extortionate ($74 for residents and $192 for foreign
visitors), the course’s clubhouse is entirely unfurnished, with the café
having no chairs, while there is also no pro, pro shop, website or road
signs helping direct potential players to the course, which is 30km
west of Rio.

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All that has led to some serious criticism of the Brazilian Golf
Federation – owners of the course – by players who participated and also
Hanse.

“To see the amount of time that people have put in to put a golf
course like this for the organisation to just, all of a sudden, f**k off
and leave one of the good golf courses we played this year to rot like
this is disappointing,” Olympian Nicolas Colsaerts (above) told bunkered.co.uk in December.

Architect Hanse, meanwhile, told Golf World: “We are bitterly
disappointed. We witnessed this type of brinkmanship during the
construction of the course, and we are hopeful that this is another
example of having to hit a low point before things get better.”

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However, International Golf Federation president Peter Dawson (above) believes that not all hope is lost with the facility as a group of Brazilian businessmen have stepped in to help.

“Things are looking a little better,” Dawson told Golf Channel.

“There’s a group of people who have come together that have a
relationship with the land owner there, and they’ve re-engaged enough of
the greens staff to keep the maintenance going. They are now being
paid, which they weren’t.”

The funding, it is believed, will give the Brazilian Golf
Confederation time to develop a long-term plan to keep the course open.