Golf Showdown Brewing in Montenegro

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A clash of titans-style showdown is developing on the lush waterfront hills of Montenegro, the former Yugoslavian republic. Two different developers are proudly boasting of building "the first 18-hole golf course in Montenegro."

One of them must be wrong. And the conflict leads to an obvious question--Montenegro doesn't have a golf course? There are deserted spits of sand in shark-infested waters in the South Pacific that have a golf course. And the proud country of Montenegro--population 653,000-- doesn't have an 18-hole course?

Apparently it's true and at least two developers are racing to correct the error.

One is Orascom Developing Holding, a subsidiary of the giant Egyptian Orascom conglomerate. Orascom is working with the government to develop Luštica Bay, a master-planned development calling for more than 2,000 homes, two marinas and seven hotels on 6.2 million square meters "overlooking the ancient bay of Trašte."

The project is also the "the chosen location for the country's first 18 hole golf course," the company said in a press release last week. Designed by Gary Player, the course features fairways of "natural plateaus, soft contours and native vegetation... gentle bunkers and manicured greens which have been built around existing flora and fauna."

In the press release, Orascom reported approximately €12.6 million in home pre-sales and confirmed that construction would start later this month on the development, including the "first 18 hole golf course in Montenegro."

But this might be news to the Boka Group, the British fund, which is developing an 18-hole course on the "breath-taking Bay of Kotor." Designed by British golf company, golfmarnoch, creators of Los Barrancos de La Zagaleta in Spain, the course will be the "first-ever 18-hole golf course in Montenegro," Boka announced in a recent press release.

Boka Group says its first-in-Montenegro course, located near the Porto Montenegro marina and Boka's Sea Breeze development of 50 luxury homes, will feature a golf academy, training facilities and "dramatic mountain and sea views from every hole."

Asked about the Boka Group's first-course claims, a Luštica Bay spokeswoman told World Property Channel, "we are aware that the Boka Group are [sic] also building a golf course."

"It is our understanding that Luštica Bay has the first planning approval and first building permit in Montenegro to build an 18-hole golf course," the spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
   
The Luštica Bay course is due to complete in 2016, she said, which, coincidentally, is also when Boka Group claims they will complete the Porto Montenegro course.

Let the bataille de links begin.