38p r o j e k t ip r o j e c t skoji se u svojoj karijeri nagledao igrališta-ljepotanapoput južnokorejskoga dizajnerskog dragulja NineBridges, Ailse u Turnberryju s impozantnim pogledimaduž Mull of Kintyre, spektakularnog meksičkogCabo Del Sola, američke perjanice PebbleBeach na Tihom oceanu, južnoafričkog LeopardCreeka ili španjolskog, pa i europskog favorita Valderrame.Sva ove znane lokacije iz svijeta golfa zvučeitekako primamljivo u kontekstu <strong>Dubrovnik</strong>a, jernitko ne sumnja da bi vrhunski turniri organiziranina Srđu svake godine okupljali najpoznatije svjetskegolfere i u svijet slali najljepšu sliku o našemnajvećem turističkome adutu.U svakom slučaju, možda jedno od najvažnijihobilježja projekta <strong>Golf</strong> <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Dubrovnik</strong> počiva navaloriziraciji neiskorištena područja Srđa, kultnogdijela dubrovačke povijesti, stvaranja ekskluzivnesportske i rekreacijske destinacije najviše svjetskerazine, kao i živog mjesta za odmor i zabavu, koji biturističku sezonu u tome kraju protegao na cijelugodinu, dakle upravo ono što <strong>Dubrovnik</strong> nedvojbenozaslužuje.eng When in April the Sportska skolica (SportSchool) <strong>Dubrovnik</strong> traditionally held a family dayat the sports center of the hotel Radisson Blu inOrasac and when many parents with their childrenenjoyed tennis, football, aerobics, fitness and badminton,it is significant that many wished to try outtheir hand in golf. Not at all surprisingly, because thisyear Matija Karaula, one of the best Croatian golfersin junior competition, taught the basics of this sport.It was also a sign that to the <strong>Dubrovnik</strong> natives andinhabitants of the <strong>Dubrovnik</strong> region, thanks to manyyears of effort and informing the public about the Project<strong>Golf</strong> <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Dubrovnik</strong> on Srd, golf became a more andmore closer and attractive sport with each passing day.Namely, the company Razvoj golf which has, sinceits establishment in 2006, intensely been engaged inthe development of the mentioned project, foresaw tobring in the immediate neighborhood of the Adriaticpearl a number of public sports and tourist facilities,whose central part would be two golf courses - onewith a PGA signature (the organizer of major professionalgolf events) with 18 holes and one course with 9holes. Furthermore, the project offers a variety of pub-
It is important to mention thatboth golf courses were designed byGreg Norman himself, one of themost famous golfers of all timeslic facilities such as a multi-purpose sports hall, outdoorsports fields, bike trails, promenades, a children’srecreation park and of course, a linear park that willspread over 62 acres and at the same time connect allthe fortifications on Srd including the Imperial fortress,that will be completely restored at the expense of theinvestor. Also planned is the construction of two hotels,240 villas and 400 apartments, an amphitheater,equestrian club, suites, promenades and many otherpublic facilities.Nothing unusual, given that it is very easy to connect<strong>Dubrovnik</strong>, as an elite destination, with an exclusivesport like golf. In spite of great efforts andinvestments in <strong>Dubrovnik</strong>’s tourist offer in the pastcouple of years, the enormous potential of the town isstill poorly used. We are all well aware that <strong>Dubrovnik</strong>is unfortunately stagnating, that it did not achieve theadequate tourist status, that the masses of visitorsfrom cruise ships bring small earnings, all of whichdoes not contribute to the prolongation of the season,which is measured in weeks. Definitely not enough interms of competition of the increasingly demandinginternational market.No surprise then that someone remembered to takeadvantage of the global popularity of golf and connectthe image of the game with the image desired for<strong>Dubrovnik</strong>. In fact, the popularity of golf in the worldis gradually increasing day by day. The sport whichhas its roots in medieval Scotland is today played inalmost all the countries in the world, and beautiful golfcourses pop up on gorgeous green grounds, in coastalareas, on mountain plateaus and even in desert areas.Since golf has always been synonymous of eleganceand good taste, the players have been recruited fromthe elite strata of society for a long time. But in today’sera, this popular pastime of the rich has become muchmore democratic, turned from the domain of retiredpersons and the elderly to younger generations, but atthe same time remained in the domain of successfulpeople. In fact, thanks to the attractive appearanceof professional golf players, this sport has becomeespecially popular among young, successful businesspeople. Furthermore, in recent times golf has become,in addition to those on the field, an obsession to countlessfans of this sport, who watch it on TV, thanks tothat certain courses and destinations associated withthem have gained great fame in wider circles.All this, of course, could be extremely important for<strong>Dubrovnik</strong>, in terms of offering new public facilities inthe immediate vicinity of the town, as well as attractingwealthier visitors and, thanks to the fact that thespecific climate allows the use of the golf course formore than nine months per year, a significant extensionof the tourist season. This driving force would,of course, mean the opening of new jobs, conversionof seasonal into permanent employments, but alsoencourage new business investments. The Project <strong>Golf</strong><strong>Park</strong> <strong>Dubrovnik</strong> alone guarantees more than a thousandnew jobs, where the advantage in employmentwould be given to residents of the town of <strong>Dubrovnik</strong>.Let us now see what the project specifically offers.We already said that the authors offer two courses,of which one with 18 holes would be built accordingto professional standards and it would representfor golfers, even professionals, a real challenge. Thesmaller course, the one with 9 holes, however, wouldbe situated within the Greg Norman golf academy, thefirst academy of this kind in the world. Beside the golfcourses there would be a club house and golf trainingcourse. For the projects apart from the cateringfacilities famous Croatian and world architectures areengaged with the aim, as highlighted by the projectmanagers, of maintaining the compliance with thelandscape and giving great importance to the natural,