Brazilian Golf Confederation disputes reports about Rio Olympic Golf Course
01 Dec 2016
by AmateurGolf.com Staff
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Rio Olympic Golf Course prior to the Olympic games
(Olympic Photo)
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (December 1, 2016) -- Last week Agence France-Presse reported that Rio Olympic Golf Course was struggling. The report said with greens fees sitting at between $74-82 per person that only “a trickle of players” were frequenting the course.
The Agence France-Presse story also outlined financial troubles with the courses maintenance company, Progolf, saying that they have not been paid in two months. Agence France-Presse also noted infrastructure problems, including a still unfinished clubhouse.
However, at least according to Brazilian Golf Confederation president Paulo Pacheco things at the Olympic Golf Course aren't as bad off as they seem. In an email to GolfChannel.com Pacheco said, “The field will not die ‘in 3 or 4 weeks,’ as some sources indicated. We are not promoting the OGC with great publicity precisely because it does not yet have the structure at the international level.”
The email went on to say that greens fees are a bit less than initially reported, running from $50-81, while rates for the nearby four-hole layout are around $10.
According the Pachecho their is still optimism, and that most notably comes from the junior “Golf for Life” program that reportedly has an enrollment of 2,000 players. The juniors can play the four-hole course for free.
“The OGC is part of the legacy of the 2016 Olympics,” said Pacheco. “We know of the difficulties of implementing sports projects in times of crisis, but we never stop looking for solutions and it is far from our minds giving up such a representative project for golf in Brazil and in the world."
All of us here at AmateurGolf.com are certainly hoping that those solutions are just around the corner.
-Golfweek contributed to this story