Greg Norman has more designs on India

Norman, now considered a legend in golf course designing, said he was negotiating to take up a few projects in India.

8220;We have been approached for numerous projects and asked if we8217;re interested in going to India, and the answer is yes. We have looked at them, and we are in the negotiation stage right now,8221; said Norman, who is playing at the Desert Classic.

Norman, who was one of the first designers to come to India and lend his name to a course 8212; now called Jaypee Greens near Delhi, is one of the sharpest business minds in sport.

8220;Like any designer you want to be at the top and the growth of the game of golf is at its peak at present,8221; he said. 8220;Normally, golf course design is a very good barometer to what8217;s happening to the economy no matter what continent you8217;re on, because when people go and build a golf course, they are either doing a residential golf course community or a resort development,8221; he added.

8220;And any time you have a resort or residential community, people have done their due diligence and understood there are opportunities. And there is probably a seven to ten-year growth cycle there. We are seeing that happen with India right now,8221; Norman said.

He said India and China were among the prime opportunities. 8220;There are a lot of opportunities out there outside the United States. The United States is fairly stagnant right now. I think the net on golf courses in the US last year was less than double digits. Golf courses were bought, converted into residential communities.

8220;So really the net gain was only ten or 11 or nine or something like that. In the 90s, it was 400 or 300 in a year. So you can see how it8217;s really slowed down in the United States.8221;

Asked why China, despite having some great golf courses, was not producing many players, Norman said, 8220;I think you8217;ve got to give it producing players a period of time. Because you8217;ll have young players now who are probably in their 20s and a generation will go by before their children get into the game of golf. The first generation never really makes them, but the first generation stimulates the growth. Look what8217;s happened with Korea.

8220;And with the population they have in China, can you imagine if you just add half of one per cent of those people went out there and started playing the game of golf? You8217;ll have a massive boom of Chinese golfers out there in the next 20, 25 years,8221; Norman said.

On the maintenance part of the course, he said 8220;the agronomy of the golf course, that8217;s the responsibility of the developer. That8217;s the responsibility of the designer maintaining the standard and the quality of the contract, the quality of the golf course is reflected in the agreement and the contract.

8220;I8217;ve done it. I8217;ve seen my golf courses slip, too. But you8217;ve got to go in there and you8217;ve got to drive that hard hammer right into them and say, you8217;ve got to fix this golf course up. This is not to what our agreement says.8221;

Norman, who is playing in a tournament for the first time since the Australian Open in November, said 8220;I don8217;t know how I8217;m playing to tell you the truth. I haven8217;t played much golf. Last tournament, I believe was Australian Open. I haven8217;t touched a golf club since then. Obviously, I love coming back here but I8217;ve got a lot of business to do right now.8221;