Tourism Minister Ewart Brown cannot deliver on his much-trumpeted golf-and-spa season, his Shadow counterpart Kim Swan said this week.

Dr. Brown has "gone out on a tremendous limb", Sen. Swan added.

The Minister has declared the birth of the golf-and-spa season during the months formerly known as the off-season ? a declaration that, Sen. Swan said, Bermuda's infrastructure cannot support.

"You can create an illusion and a buzz, but if people come and don't see a product, you are creating a greater problem."

The Island does not have the tee-time availability or the championship golf courses to support a golf-and-spa season, Sen. Swan, a former St. George's Club golf pro, said.

"Bermuda probably has one of the most golf-literate communities world-wide," he added.

"People from all walks of life on the Island play golf."

That in itself may be part of the problem ? with so many locals taking up the game, and restrictions on tee-time availability at many local courses like Riddell's Bay, visitors often have difficulty finding a tee-time, according to members of the golf community who shared Sen. Swan's reservations.

There is tee-time availability during the winter, some said. The challenge during the winter was the lack of incentives, with many golf courses charging the same rates as during the summer.

Sen. Swan also noted that Bermudians played more golf in the winter than the summer, leaving less of a margin available for tourists to fill.

Belmont Golf Course manager Bushara Bushara had a different view, however.

Belmont had been fairly busy, he said ? however they were ready and eager for a large influx of tourists.

The golf course was semi-private, he said, meaning they accommodated locals and tourists. Tee times, he added, were available.

"We are in full support of this initiative," he said.

"We at Belmont are more than prepared to take any influx.

"It was modelled with that in mind."

Sen. Swan also remained concerned about the competition, however.

With world-class championship courses being built all over the world ? including in Caribbean such as Jamaica ? the quality of Bermuda's courses were a point of contention.

Port Royal was the only world-class course really open to the public, Sen. Swan argued ? and it had already been identified as needing work. St. George's Club also needed upgrading.

A report completed in 2003 by IMG called for upgrades to Bermuda's golf courses, Sen. Swan said. "In fact, it reiterates that again and again."

With the report completed over a year ago, Government has had time to move on its recommendations, he said.

"Some of this isn't rocket science," he said, adding that if Government was paying consultants for their recommendations, some of those recommendations should be taken. Dr. Brown announced recently that the role of Roddy Carr at IMG, the man Sen. Swan said was responsible for the 2003 report, had been "evolved". "His role will be to define the most suitable sports for hosting major events in Bermuda," Dr. Brown stated. "He will identify and assist in securing suitable major 'world class' events for Bermuda; determine the optimum number of events on a ROI (return on investment) basis, and identify and/or propose mass participation events that will provide bednights in Bermuda on an on-going basis."

The status of the 2003 IMG report, however, remains temporarily unclear, with Dr. Brown off the Island until next week.

In the meantime, Sen. Swan said, "our competitors are building world-class championship golf courses".

"Buzz is created by people in the industry. (Government) is trying to manufacture a buzz and it is not going to happen that way."