Golf: Woods Becomes a Course Designer

Just when it seemed that Tiger Woods had too much on his plate - he withdrew from the recent PGA Tour championship citing mental and physical exhaustion - the world No1 announced this week that he was ready to embark on a career as a golf-course architect. "My goal is to provide a unique collection of amazing golf courses all over the world that represent what I love about golf," declared the new chairman of Tiger Woods Design. "I can't wait to get to work on finding the right projects for my first few courses. I am excited."

No doubt he is excited, and not just at the prospect of one day cutting the ribbon on the first Tiger Woods signature course. The world of golf-course architecture is small and gossipy, and already it is buzzing with rumours of where Woods' first one will be built. China, potentially the world's largest growth market for golf, and Dubai, where he competes every year in the Dubai Desert Classic, are said to be the favourites.

An announcement is expected shortly, although it is safe to assume the financial details will remain secret. Woods enjoys his privacy, leaving others to speculate. And in this instance there has been no shortage of speculation, with figures ranging from $10-35m being bandied around. One leading course architect said yesterday that he had been told the world No1 last year turned down an offer of $20m (£10.5m) to design a course in the US. If this is the case, it has to be assumed that Woods' decision to embark on his new career has been prompted by an offer in excess of that - a sum not even a man with his bank balance could refuse.

"Whatever Tiger is asking for, I hope he gets it because his fees will make mine look reasonable," laughs Tom Doak, an American architect. "Twenty million would be worth it if there was just one Tiger Woods golf course. The fee can just be written off as marketing budget for the next 50 years because the developer will have something that is unique."

Doak, regarded by many as the best designer in the world, can be hired for about $1.5m - a substantial sum but short of that demanded by the industry's two most expensive designers, Tom Fazio, a long-established architect, and Jack Nicklaus, the 18-times major champion, both of whom can expect to be paid in excess of $2m (£1.05m) for taking on a project.

Even at those prices there is no shortage of takers. According to his website Nicklaus is currently designing 86 courses, from Italy to Vietnam, and his design company has another 70 projects on the go. This year 40 "Jack Nicklaus" courses will open. It does not take a degree in mathematics to work out that his new occupation is far more lucrative than his previous career as the best golfer who ever lived. No wonder he works so hard.

The motivation of those who are prepared to pay large sums to the likes of Nicklaus is equally clear, according to Guy Kinnings, the head of the sports agency IMG's European golf division. "For the player the money is important. But so is the sense that he is putting his mark on something that is going to be around for a very long time. There is undoubtedly a value to a project developer to have a well-known player on board - to sell club memberships or to sell hotel accommodations or to shift residential properties that are built around the course. Attaching a name to a project helps a development get a return on his investment."

It does not, however, guarantee that the developer will get a brilliant course. Nicklaus may have won countless awards for his course designs but many of his early efforts were criticised, not least because they were too difficult for the average golfer to play. The assumption that a great player will automatically be a great course designer is misplaced, argues Greg Turner, a former European tour player who has embarked on a design career since retiring from top-class golf.

"Just because you've played thousands of courses around the world doesn't necessarily mean you know what makes a good one for the average player," Turner says. "When you play a course as a professional you are looking at it from a single-minded viewpoint - how does this fit with my game? Elite players need to be selfish if they want to prosper. They don't have time to take in aspects of a golf course that might affect other people."

Yet just as some top players have been failures as golf-course designers, others have been critically acclaimed, among them Ben Crenshaw and Tom Weiskopf, both of whom worked with partners, and Nick Faldo. There is no telling how Woods will fare, although the sense of anticipation as he embarks on his new career is palpable. "The challenge for me is to build something that will test Tiger Woods but will also be fun for the average player to play," says Doak. "How do you do that? No doubt Tiger has got some answers. I can't wait to see what they are."