Roddy Carr has ended a 12year business relationship with Seve Ballesteros. "It's time to be moving on," the 47-year-old Dubliner said yesterday from his home in Santander in northern Spain, where he is tidying up loose-ends before embarking on a fresh challenge.
In 1995, Carr replaced the American, Joe Collet, as business manager to Ballesteros, having been a shareholder and chief executive of Amen Corner since 1987. He then became vice-president of the company which is owned by the golfer and his brothers.
"Obviously they had to buy me out and we finalised the details over the weekend," he said. "It has been a great honour and a fascinating experience to work alongside Seve for so many years."
He went on: "I am now heading to Barbados where I will be doing some consultancy work at the Sandy Lane hotel development, owned by Dermot Desmond and J P McManus. In the longer term, I intend to remain involved in the golf business, particularly in tourism outside of Spain."
I understand that Desmond and McManus have elaborate plans for Sandy Lane involving a further investment of $100 million. They have bought an additional 700 acres on which two golf courses will be built, the first to be finished next year and the second by the year 2000.
Other work involves an extensive refurbishment of the hotel, where nine holes from its original 18-hole course will be incorporated in the new 36. The other nine will be retained, so giving the complex 45 holes in all.
Meanwhile, back in Spain, Baldomero Ballesteros, president of Amen Corner, will now take over the management of his younger brother. Said Seve: "Roddy and I have been good friends throughout my career and we part on the best of terms. I understand his desire to leave Spain and move on to other things and I wish him all the best with his future plans."
Their business relationship stemmed from a meeting at the Dunhill Cup at St Andrews in October 1985. "I had severed my connections with IMG (Mark McCormack's International Management Group) at the time and I was looking for a fresh challenge," said Carr.
He added: "I remember pointing out to him that if Jack Nicklaus (The Memorial) and Arnold Palmer (Bay Hill) could have their own tournaments, why couldn't he? With that, we set up a joint venture for the running of the Spanish Open and that, in turn, let to the setting up of Amen Corner."
Since then, the company has been responsible for running the Turespana series of tournaments and has become Europe's secondlargest organisation of this kind, second only to IMG. What will Carr remember most about his illustrious partner? "His astonishing memory and his performance in captaining Europe to victory in last September's Ryder Cup," he replied. "I know Seve has been suffering with his own game, but I'm confident he will grind his way back to success."
Carr, who is married with a baby son, may be expected to become involved in sports promotions in this country. Before his partnership with Ballesteros, he managed cyclists Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly and boxer Barry McGuigan. He was also marketing consultant to the IRFU.
