Leading hoteliers purchase golf course

TOP Irish hoteliers Joe and Margaret Scally have added a golf course, Harbour Point in Cork, to their tourism investments.

The couple, who own the Royal Killarney Hotel as well as AA hotel of the Year 2004, the five-star Hayfield Manor Hotel in Cork city, are to continue to run the golf course into the future, representatives of the club's 500 members were assured last night.

The 18-hole course was put up for sale by tender by its owners, the O'Connell family, who developed it on their harbour-side farm in the early 1990s.

A deal was concluded within the last week by the Scallys for an undisclosed sum.

It was expected to make over €10 million, and despite the lure of further development potential on the land, it appears that Cork County Council planners strongly indicated they wanted the course kept as a sporting amenity. As a result, the likely selling price is reckoned to be between €10 and €15 million.

The golf club's own members - 350 men and 175 women - were among the rival tenders for the 110-acre golf course near Little Island.

Last night, the new owners pledged "it will be business as usual on this magnificent championship course, and we will continue to enhance the facility as a golf course and build on the good work of the O'Connell family", said Joe Scally.

"We look forward to working with all the club members and staff to provide top facilities and golfing in the years ahead," he added.

The tender sale, through Hamilton Osborne King, attracted widespread interest and came at the same time as an estimated €50 million quietly negotiated sale of Fota Island golf course and 550 acres of land to Fleming Construction, which will develop a second golf course and over 200 holiday homes on the grounds.

However, it is understood that Harbour Point's new owners' primary interest will be to boost the golf course business, and will use their hotel and golf holiday/tourism expertise garnered in Killarney and Cork to do that.

The 6,100 metre par 71 course (designed by Patrick Mehigan, also responsible for Waterford's Faithlegg course) sale includes a purpose-built clubhouse, bar, an 18-bay driving range, pro shop, and car parking, all on 110-acres with harbour views from the higher sections.

The Scally family's five-star Hayfield Manor on Cork's College Road has won this year's AA Irish Hotel of the Year 'O4 and a RAC Gold Ribbon Award for Excellence, while the Killarney Royal Hotel is four-star in the Kerry tourism capital's town centre.

"The golf business is very important to both our hotels and we see Harbour Point as very much complementing this," said Mr Scally.