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Cuba Takes a Swing at Golf

The tiny Communist nation hopes tourists will come back to the island

By Jim O'Neill,  Newser User

Posted Feb 23, 2008 12:17 PM CST
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(Newser) – Nearly a dozen tony golf-resort projects funded by Spanish, British, and Canadian consortiums are under way in Cuba as acting President Raul Castro tries to lure foreign tourists—and their cash—back to the struggling island nation by creating a new Caribbean golf destination, reports the Wall Street Journal. Castro took over for his ailing brother, Fidel, in July 2006; he's expected to be named president tomorrow.

The island once boasted several top-notch 18-hole layouts, but courses were converted to other uses after the 1959 revolution—and especially after Fidel lost on one of them to Che Guevara, the Journal notes. One obstacle to bringing golf back: with no private property, investors in thousands of condos and villas will have to settle for 75-year leases. "Cuba is the sand trap from hell," says one economist who has followed entrepreneurs trying to develop projects in Cuba.

Cuba's acting President Raul Castro points toward journalists after attending a ceremony with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, unseen, in Havana, in this June 13, 2007 file photo. Raul is widely expected to be named Cuba's president to replace his 81-year-old brother Fidel when parliament meets Sunday Feb. 24, 2008. (AP...
Cuba's acting President Raul Castro points toward journalists after attending a ceremony with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, unseen, in Havana, in this June 13, 2007 file photo. Raul is widely expected...   (Associated Press)
2nd Cuba Challenge Tour Grand Final at Varadero Golf Club in Cuba.
2nd Cuba Challenge Tour Grand Final at Varadero Golf Club in Cuba.   (Getty Images)
An unidentified tourist (R) looks at the newly-completed golf course on the grounds of the former Dupont family property in the resort town of Varadero, Cuba, 26 October 1999. The course will be officially inaugurated 28 October when it hosts the 'Challenger' tournament with the expected participation of 45 European...
An unidentified tourist (R) looks at the newly-completed golf course on the grounds of the former Dupont family property in the resort town of Varadero, Cuba, 26 October 1999. The course will be officially...   (Getty Images)
General view of the 18th green during the 2nd Cuba Challenge Tour Grand Final at Varadero Golf Club in Cuba.
General view of the 18th green during the 2nd Cuba Challenge Tour Grand Final at Varadero Golf Club in Cuba.   (Getty Images)
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Associated Press

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World • Money • Sports

 
golf • tourism • Fidel Castro • Raul Castro • golf course • Che Guevara • tourists • Varadero Beach • Sam Snead • Arnold Palmer • Cuban Missile Crisis

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