Raul Castro doesn't necessarily mean better diplomacy with the U.S.A., but it does mean more golf in Cuba

Officials from the State Department of the United States say Fidel Castro’s passing of power to his brother Raul doesn’t represent much of a change in regime. They must not be golfers, because one thing has become abundantly clear: Golf has a much brighter future with Raul at the helm.

When Fidel took power in 1960, like the Soviets in Europe, he viewed golf as a capitalist, elitist past time and most of the courses were closed on the island in favor or labor camps. According to recent reports, Raul believes golf can help spark economic development on the impoverished island nation.

From the Wall Street Journal last week:

The man driving Cuba’s golf effort is Raúl Castro, the long-serving defense minister who became acting president when his older brother Fidel took ill in July 2006. Raúl, who is more a fan of cockfighting than golf, is the odds-on favorite to be named president tomorrow. Alarmed at the decline in the number of tourists to Cuba, Raúl has urged senior officials to make golf happen. The government is setting up an interagency golf task force. Cuban officials involved in the program say they are not authorized to comment on it.

Golf in Cuba will face a lot of the same obstacles the countries of the Eastern Bloc faced in 1989 when the Soviets left. There is no golf culture to speak of here, just a belief it could help bring boost the faltering tourism market. The only 9-hole course in Havana is too expensive for locals to play at $20.

Perhaps they should look to the Czech Republic or Poland for the answer, as they have been trying to grow the game for over a decade now and have experienced some success. Poland will host its first ever European Tour event later this summer. Arnold Palmer used to golf in Cuba before the 1960 revolution, so it’s possible Tiger Woods is breaking ground on a new signature golf course and residential development five years from now.

Whether Raul’s administration can persuad the U.S. to lift sanctions against Cuba remains to be seen, but at least praise him for identifying that golf - not his more favorable cockfighting - will lead to greener pastures for his people.