Another Olympic white elephant with Rio golf course

Just three months after the Olympics ended, Rio's beautiful but controversial golf course is deserted. Another Olympic white elephant? We think so.

Built specially for the Olympics on what had been a nature reserve next to the beach in western Rio, the links-style course was meant put Rio on the international golfing map.

Instead, the $19 million facility created by US designer Gil Hanse risks turning into a white elephant. A payment dispute could even lead to the imminent exit of the company responsible for upkeep, raising questions over the course's survival.

Just three people were hitting balls at the driving range this week. The main course was closed for maintenance but even when open 20 people would be considered a good crowd, with numbers rising a little on weekends, employees said.

The clubhouse was not only empty but almost entirely unfurnished.

In the cafe, which has no chairs, a solitary waiter and a second man there to collect greens fees waited in silence for customers.

A course that merely weeks ago hosted some of the world's best golfers has no pro-shop or a pro. There is no website. Even getting there can be tricky: there are no road signs indicating the entrance.

Rio de Janeiro's two other golf courses are not up to international standards and belong to exclusive private clubs. The Olympic course, run by the Brazilian Golf Confederation, is public.

But few Brazilians play the game and the greens fees are high enough to put many off: $74-$82 per person for residents, and $192 for foreigner visitors.

Neil Cleverly, the Briton who built the course and now manages the upkeep, says the company he works for, Progolf, has not been paid for two months.

"What happens when we run out of gas or diesel? We've been close," Cleverly said. "None of us know if there'll be a job for us in December."

A source close to the company who asked not to be identified said Progolf has been given no contract by the confederation and, having been forced to foot the $82 000 monthly maintenance operation out of its own pocket, is set to pull out. Maybe "next month," the source said.

Without maintenance, "the golf course will die," the source said. "It could take four weeks, three weeks."

Cleverly is dismayed by the mess. "It's so frustrating for us to get as far as we did. A lot of people said you're never going to do it.”

"So yes, I'm disappointed and it's mixed up with a lot of frustration."

It looks like the Rio course is another Olympic Games white elephant. 

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