South Africa was once awash with golfers abandoning their families for their favourite course. But flagging interest and rising maintenance costs are forcing golf courses to sell off large tracts to developers to keep going. And interest in golf estates has shifted to lifestyle estates. "There is an abundance of failed golf course estates where opportunities exist for developers such as Century to purchase and concentrate on developing housing without being totally dependent on the golf course to make the estate viable," said Century Property Developers sales director Rob Emett. But interest continues to rise in lifestyle and leisure estates with high walls and easy access to highways, shops and good schools. The number of golf rounds played was down 30% around the world, said Emett, and most golf courses were in financial trouble. "Young guys are not playing golf, they are cycling, and banks are cautious about financing golf course estates. There are not that many that are successf...
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