While he didn’t get the verdict he wished for from the International Olympic Committee, Greg Norman is readying a less-scrutinized golf course in Brazil.
Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias Ltda. has hired the West Palm Beach, Florida-based architect to design an 18-hole course for Reserva do Paiva, an eco-friendly, 1,315-acre golf community that aims to become a “world-class destination for living, tourism, and leisure.” Reserva do Paiva will take shape in the town of Cabo de Santo Agostinho in the state of Pernambuco, just south of the coastal city of Recife.
Odebrecht is one of Brazil’s biggest developers – the company has offices in at least six cities – and Reserva do Paiva is said to be the most ambitious project it’s ever attempted. The community has been master-planned to include roughly 4,000 housing units (some of them in 10 condominium buildings), as many as six hotels, a marina, an equestrian center, shopping areas, an outdoor theater, schools, a spa, a medical center, and the usual recreational amenities, including tennis courts and soccer pitches.
Odebrecht hasn’t said how all this construction will be paid for, but Gávea Investimentos, a well-known Brazilian financial services group, is one of its minority shareholders.
Norman reports that the first two holes of his golf course will overlook the Atlantic Ocean. From there, the track will wind its way inland, through mangrove swamps toward a 1,250-acre rainforest that serves as Reserva do Paiva’s inland border.
Incidentally, Reserva do Paiva takes its name from Paiva Beach, which will provide roughly five miles’ worth of sand and water for home owners and vacationers.
This story originally appeared in the World Edition of the Golf Course Report, in a slightly different form. For a sample copy of the World Edition, call 301/680-9460 or write to WorldEdition@aol.com.