Spring 2002 is just around the corner and another year will pass in Ukraine without a golf course on this vast and fertile land.

What makes golf such a difficult and seemingly unattainable undertaking for a country like Ukraine? Tiny Czech Republic will be building its 28th course where a few years ago there were none. Slovakia will soon have 6. Poland now has almost 2 dozen courses. Austria, which has a fraction of the available land of Ukraine, is said to have over 120 golf courses. Even countries like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan now have golf courses. Russia is well on its way to having 6 golf courses and resorts.

Just as with the opening of the first 5 star hotel, the first golf course in Ukraine is a soon to be established fact. Meanwhile however, the wait can be frustrating.

So why is Ukraine lagging so far behind? The prognoses are many, but the general consensus is: lack of investments, lack of understanding, (many still feel that Ukraine is not ready for golf), lack of leadership, and the "killer of projects": bureaucracy. Walter Prochorenko, who has been involved in several of the golf project that have started in Ukraine and who actually got the first driving range at one of the clubs started, names the bureaucratic hold-up and the lack of understanding as the major culprits. When 4 levels of bureaucracy with dozens of sub-levels are interacting on uncertain laws and their interpretations, it is no wonder that projects just do not go anywhere. By the time you get to a certain level of approvals, the laws change and the approvals you already have need to be re-approved. The process is seemingly endless.

What could break the logjam is: leadership. However, even though there have been many "serious players" in golf course development, these has been no serious leadership nor a national agenda to get such a project moving.

This is a shame and a surprisingly economic tragedy. Golf can actually attract investments, which are sorely needed in Ukraine. How - you may ask - can a "game" do this? Golf is a social and business interaction pastime. Golfers get together not only to play the game, but also to communicate and exchange ideas. In certain countries, the way a person plays golf mirrors the person's character and business acumen. Many Embassies and corporations have indicated to us that they have been unable to attract good qualified management for their companies because there is no "recreation" for the off-duty hours. Golf was cited as one of the most important pastimes lacking in Ukraine from natives of countries like Japan, Korea, USA, UK, Germany, and South Africa. This is a lot of lost investment opportunities because of such a simple factor.

The lack of golf will also deprive a whole generation of young sportsmen who will never have a chance to participate in the game of golf at the next Olympic games. For a country like Ukraine, this could be a "natural". Ukraine's sportsmen would take to golf like ducks to water. This we saw when the first driving range was opened near Kyiv. Russia already has several golf Olympic hopefuls and is developing hundreds through their youth golf programs.

Yet Ukraine could still catch up and achieve certain goals in golf if it would only provide some leadership and willingness to let such project proceed instead of languishing on bureaucratic desks.

Kyiv has several projects in the works, which could provide a venue for present, potential and future players. Among these are: "Kiev First Golf and Country Club" in Obolon; "Kyiv Country Club" in Koncha Zaspa; a "Ukraine Golf Federation" project with Surkis within the Kyiv City limits; a yet un-named project between Kyiv and Boryspil said to be headed by Kyiv Mayor Omelchenko; and "Golden Gate Golf Club" also in Koncha Zaspa.

According to Walter Prochorenko, the developer of this last project, play at GGGC could start as early as the end of this year if all the pieces fall into place. The land is a "natural" for a golf course (requiring minimum construction) and the location makes it ideal for players to visit the course, which is 35 minutes drive from downtown Kyiv.

Investment is actually less of a problem than the bureaucratic hold up, since there are over 25 known investor groups that are ready to invest in golf in Ukraine, according to Mr. Prochorenko. Even local investors are now clamoring to get in on the action but these are still uncertain of the process or the potential.

So spring is just about here, but golf will probably have to wait another season to take hold.

April, 2002