FOR a country which once boasted more golf courses per square mile than any other at least that's what the tourist mags told us the re-opening of St. George's GC will be welcomed, not only by those who play the game, but the town's struggling retailers.But why was it closed in the first place and allowed to become nothing more than a cabbage patch?On that same piece of land, weren't we about to see a Nick Faldo-designed lay-out that would match some of the best around the world, complementing a five-star hotel where the first brick has yet to be laid?Promises, promises.By the time, and if, the development planned ever sees the light of day, Faldo will have turned his golf club upside down and be using it as a walking stick.For the time being, Ye Olde Towne will have to make do with a course, even with much TLC, that is unlikely to be restored to the same condition as when it went under the name of Rosehill.Even then, those who ran it will have agreed it didn't present the challenge of a Mid Ocean or a Port Royal, but it was maintained sufficiently to bring in a whole bunch of tourists and locals, and enjoyed a healthy membership.Redesigned, it retained its charm, presenting golfers with magnificent views across the North Shore, but as one of three courses owned by Government, it never received the attention it deserved much like Ocean View.The emphasis was and still is on Port Royal, our so called jewel in the crown.Now, thankfully, there will be no carts at St. George's isn't that the way golf should be played? and, according to the man whose idea it was to restore the course, John Kyle, it will have a feel much like the old municipal courses in Scotland, where a few bob ensured the game would become almost a national sport.And if there's one flaw in the reopening of St. George's it's the initial green fee of $60 the same amount that allows golfers to play at Ocean View or Fairmont Southampton.Until the greens and fairways are restored to a condition which will allow golfers to play the game as it should be played, the fees should and could be much lower.Maintenance doesn't come cheap, but a $60 green fee may drive away more players than it attempts to attract.Eventually more sponsors may come on board Bacardi have already offered to provide flags and tee markers and its popularity will grow, particularly among those who don't want to fork out the $130 for the far more grandiose Port Royal.The trip down to St. George's will be well worthwhile. Sixty dollars, even more, will be accepted as a reasonable price to pay.But until then in, its current state, there's a risk that tourists will be disappointed and won't return.Municipal 18-hole courses in much better condition are much cheaper in many towns and cities across the US.Yet that's the only criticism that could be voiced at Bermuda Chamber of Commerce who have come up with an idea that Government presumably never considered.If they and Kyle can put the course back on Bermuda's golfing map, then Government should be suitably embarrassed for playing their cards far too soon.* * * *OF course, if that same Government hadn't squandered $14 million on the ‘new' Port Royal, neither Ocean View nor St. George's would be facing the problems they have had to endure. For a fraction of that ‘investment', both could have been beautifully restored.Despite what some may say, Port Royal is no better, even worse, than when it was first opened in the early ‘70s. It's lost so much of its character.New cart paths, an unattractive water hazard on the second hole which doesn't come into play, a bland number 12, a very ordinary par-three at number 13 and some new bunkers, were supposed to have justified the cash splashed out the same amount, or even less, that would have been required to build an entire 18-hole course in other parts of the world.Port Royal's own ‘Amen Corner', 14, 15 and 16, remain the star attraction, but little has changed other than an extended tee at 16, rarely used other than during the Grand Slam or Bermuda Open.Yes, Bermuda again might be able to boast more golf courses per square mile than any other country, but they sure aren't like they used to be.ADRIAN ROBSON