A Government-run golf course has been left high and dry after paid-for grass was never delivered by an American supplier, which it is claimed has gone bust.

The president of St. George?s Golf Club is calling for part of the East End course to be closed due to the ?terrible? condition of the back nine holes. Lionel Paynter told he understood that the Government had bought seawater-resistant paspalum grass for all 18 holes at the Park Road course but that only enough for nine holes arrived.

He said unsuitable grass was then laid on the back green which was now hard and brittle. ?It?s not the type of grass that can withstand the type of heat we are having right now. It looks like concrete! Like asphalt. The present condition of the back nine green is terrible. My suggestion to them would be to close down the back nine until they come up with a workable solution.?

Rapid Turf, the Georgia-based company which was meant to supply the grass, did not respond to telephone and e-mail messages left yesterday.

Effingham County, the authority which issues business licences for firms in its area, said Rapid Turf did not and had never had a business licence but could have been operating illegally without one. A source, who asked not to be named, told this newspaper that the firm had been dissolved and that Government had been taken for a ride.

?Payment was made but the product was never received,? said the source. ?They had to put down grass that doesn?t do well in the summer but now it?s full of fungus.

?They had to stick something in real fast because all 18 holes were dug out but they only received enough for nine holes.

?The guy dissolved the company so now who are they going to sue? They get all the money for the grass and the equipment and he disappeared.?

Mr. Paynter urged Government to fix the course ? which used to come under the remit of the Ministry of Works and Engineering but is now, along with Port Royal and Ocean View courses, the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism ? before the new season starts in September.

?I have heard stories of tourists coming off the cruise ships and complaining about the condition of the course and they demanded they should have their money back,? he said, adding that the golf club has been using different courses because of the state of its home facility.

?If the course is not in good shape it?s unfair for the club members to be there,? said Mr. Paynter. ?The members don?t want to play there.

?They would prefer to play other courses even if we have to pay more money because we are getting value for dollar. At St. George?s, we are getting a reduced rate but we are getting an inferior service.

?We put a complaint in or recommendation to the course manager or board of trustees and nothing has been done. We have sent letters but once it?s moved over to the Tourism Ministry we have not had any meetings with the new board.?

The Ministry of Tourism did not respond to a request for comment. Neither club manager Max Atherden or Wendall Brown, chairman of the board of trustees for all three Government courses, could be contacted for comment.