There is a long list of Croatians who live at foreign addresses who have been bitten by the gulf bug. It’s no secret that Toni Kukoć is a keen golfer, he even describes himself as a “golf addict”. In his adopted home of Chicago he finds time to play at least four to five times a week. Unfortunately due to the lack of course in Croatia he can’t keep up this habit when he returns home, that was until the Kempinski Golf Adriatic course in Savudrija in Istria opened last year. “I started playing golf in 1996 in America and after a short space of time I was hooked. Golf is my great love and the best game ever invented” commented Kukoć, fresh from playing the Istrian zupan, Ivan Nino Jakovčić, on the new course. The former NBA star could also represent his country at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janerio, but as a golfer not as a basketball player.

Are you familiar with the golf project in Dubrovnik?  
I heard that Greg Norman came to Dubrovnik to present the project and it’s extremely important to have such a famous face in the world of golf behind your project. He is without doubt in the top three golf course designers in the world.

Is golf a necessity or a luxury?
For the type of destination that Dubrovnik is you can’t just keep on “selling” sun and sea, it’s just not enough, especially for tourists coming from world tourist countries. After two days they’ll be fed up with the sea. A destination without additional facilities, just one of which is golf, will struggle to survive. Dubrovnik certainly needs at least three golf courses and in my opinion Croatia should have around twenty courses.

How would golf improve the city as a tourist destination? 
If you’ve never played golf it’s hard to understand just how addictive a sport it is. For example, Scandinavians and Germans can’t play golf through the winter in at home so they travel to warmer climates to play. Dalmatia and Dubrovnik have an ideal climate for golf through the winter, there are probably only two months a year when you couldn’t play golf. At the moment these golfers are going to Portugal, Spain and Turkey through the off season. These countries and destinations have managed to extend their tourist season by three months just on account of golf.

Are you a golf tourist?
Absolutely, I often go to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, there are around twenty courses all designed by top golfers. Now I’ve also got the opportunity to come home to Croatia and play golf. This new Kempinski course is well looked after and is interesting to play, but I’d also love to play in Dubrovnik in the future.