The management at one of Cork's most prestigious golf clubs has confirmed that a substantial offer has been made for it to relocate, but it claims any decision ultimately lies with its private members who are due to discuss the proposal at a meeting next month.
Members of Douglas Golf Club in Maryborough on the south side of Cork city were informed earlier this week of an estimated €170 to €180 million plan that would give them a new golf complex at a site on Carr's Hill near Carrigaline, Co Cork.
The offer from Mallow-based Castlelands Construction involves a new €120 million 36-hole golf facility designed by Robert Trent Jones III, with a clubhouse and golf academy and a cash payment of €50 to €60 million.
A spokesman for Douglas Golf Club declined yesterday to comment on the specific amount offered for relocation, saying the proposal was an internal matter which would be decided on by members.
"All I can say really is that we had a meeting with developers and that an offer has been made. It will be discussed at a meeting of members next month. The media has not been briefed on this."
Douglas Golf Club has been the subject of rumours about a potential move for some years. The club has 116 acres of prime, but unzoned, land in an area of huge housing demand and increasing traffic congestion, so any plan would have to include traffic relief and control measures.
Maryborough in Douglas is one of the most affluent suburbs, and property sources say the golf club site off Maryborough Hill could be worth well over €100 million if rezoned.
Douglas Golf Club has more than 900 members. An estimated 600 attended an information night on the proposal last Monday at Rochestown Park Hotel. The presentation was made by Turfgrass Consultancy on behalf of Castlelands Construction.
The consultancy firm specialises in the high end of the market of European golf course development and project management. It provides a turn-key service, bringing a project from conception through planning, design and construction to maintenance.
If the proposal is accepted, club members will move to their new course near Carrigaline by 2012.