Golf to be included for 2016 Olympics

October 9, 10:23 AMDallas Golf ExaminerJames McAfee

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As expected, golf received the approval of the International Olympic Committee and after more than a century-long hiatus will return to the Olympics beginning with the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Golf's leaders, working under the banner of the International Golf Federation, lobbied for more than 18 months to earn the blessing of the IOC.

Now the concern seems to switch to an appropriate venue for golf since Rio does not have a lot of golf options. There are only two 18-hole facilities in the city—Gavea Golf and Country Club and Itanhauga Golf Club—and neither seems long enough by today's standards. There are only 105 courses in the entire country. The best seems to be the Sao Paulo Golf Club, located about 275 miles from Rio, since it was renovated by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in 2007 and has hosted European Tour events in the past. However, it does not seem to have the facilities to accommodate the crowds expected in 2016.

So while there was no provision to build a new golf course in Brazil's 14 million winning bid, it seems likely that there are many private investors who would jump at the opportunity to build such a facility and then capitalize on the international publicity for decades.

PGA Tour Golf Properties, according to Golfweek, is interested in building something similar to TPC San Antonio, a resort with two courses at a location close enough, but not too close to Rio.

Of course, big-name architects would like nothing better than designing a course that would serve as an Olympic venue.