Empowering the young

WHEN Terry Matthews sits down in the exalted company of people who own famous golf courses, he has a line that can't be beaten. He says: "I bet your golf course never had a fighter plane parked on the 17th fairway?"

Needless to say that captures attention. More on that incident later.

The founder and chairman of Wesley Clover International doesn't play golf since he feels it "takes too much time". But he understands the importance of the game. "One of the things I found is that the intersection between senior people in business and golf is almost a 100 per cent . . . I always think if you wish to make a region economically successful, then first build a golf course and then a good hotel."

Mr Matthews currently owns six golf courses, four of which are in the UK. Of these, three are championship courses. The 2010 Ryder Cup - the biennial competition between the European and US teams - was held at one of his courses in th…