Shark Bytes is a monthly notes package featuring news of interest to Shark.com readers. Our intention is to keep you informed with the latest and most up to date events related to Greg Norman and Great White Shark Enterprises.

If you have a local, regional, national or international item you think other readers would be interested in, please let us know. Please include the publication, author and date with each submission.

Brookwater Community Above Par For House Values

March 20, 2008

A golfing community has swung into the number one Queensland property hot spot.

Brookwater, in Ipswich, has been named the state's best housing performer for 2007 by the Real Estate Institute of Queensland.

REIQ chairman Peter McGrath said the community grew by 62.8 per cent in the year to December, ending with a median price of $590,000.

"While Brookwater's median over the year was affected by varying quality of stock sold, including new properties, the result reflects the desire of many people to live in a new suburb close to all facilities, and of course, the Greg Norman-designed golf course doesn't hurt either," Mr McGrath said.

Shade Makes The Grade

March 10, 2008

Courtesy of Kevin Gale
South Florida Business Journal

Wendy and Scott Swanson are seeking success on the shady side of the street.

Their SKYShades of South Florida LLC offers sail-like products to block the sun's rays and the tension technology can be engineered to withstand hurricane-force winds.

The couple had been looking for a business opportunity when Scott Swanson stumbled across SKYShades on golfer Greg Norman's Web site. Norman, whose business and home is in Jupiter, is a director and shareholder in franchisor SKYShades. The company was developed in Norman's birthplace of Australia, but has a U.S. headquarters in Orlando.

The shades are popping up at locations ranging from car washes and playgrounds to a trendy South Beach resort.

Teeing Off For Charity At Settler's Run

March 6, 2008

Cranbourne Turf Club is helping raise money for The Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal by holding a celebrity charity golf day on Thursday 13 March at Settlers Run Golf and Country Club in Cranbourne.

Sponsorship packages can be purchased for $1000, $2000 and $5000, giving the community the opportunity to play golf with celebrity players like Simon Marshall, a former jockey and Channel 7 sports commentator. Business signage is also available with the packages.

Settlers Run Golf and Country Club is a Greg Norman-designed golf course and for many people, this would be the only chance for them to have a hit of the ball on the course. The prestigious and exclusive private golf club is only generally open to its members.

All profits are going to the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

For further information please contact Shannon Anastasia on 0400 567 998.

Crowne Plaza Pelican Waters Opens On Australia's Sunshine Coast

March 4, 2008

IHG continues to expand the Crowne Plaza brand of hotels in Australia. The company today signed a franchise agreement to rebrand the Ramada Pelican Waters on Queensland's Sunshine Coast as Crowne Plaza Pelican Waters Golf Resort and Spa on 1 March 2008.

Originally opened in late 2005 and designed to cater to both leisure guests and professional conferences, the hotel exemplifies the calibre of location, services and facilities that regular guests have come to expect of Crowne Plaza hotels. More than 1,000 square metres of meeting and event space is complemented with a range of leisure and recreational facilities including the Endota Day Spa, fitness centre, two swimming pools, tennis courts, in-house restaurant and a lounge bar. The hotel is located half an hour's drive from Sunshine Coast Airport and less than an hour north of Brisbane International Airport, offering views of the heritage-listed Glasshouse Mountains and of the Pacific Ocean.

One of the hotel's key features is its location on the Greg Norman-designed 18-hole Club Pelican Golf course, complementing Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley north of Sydney and Crowne Plaza Royal Pines Golf Resort and Spa on Queensland's Gold Coast. Crowne Plaza continues to increase its global association with golf - most recently as the new official accommodation partner to the Australian Open.

This rebranding follows the recent opening of Crowne Plaza Torquay on the south coast of Victoria, which brings the total number of Crowne Plaza hotels in Australia to 16. Globally, there are 299 Crowne Plaza hotels with another 118 in the pipeline.

SKYShades Opens Arizona Office

March 1, 2008

SKYShades, creators of technologically advanced shade structures, recently opened a new location in Queen Creek serving the entire Arizona market.

SKYShades AZ LLC, specializes in the design, engineering and installation of high quality shade fabric structures for a variety of applications.

Created in Australia to provide relief from the blistering sun and limit cancer-causing UV sun exposure, SKYShades has developed a unique and revolutionary shade structure. The shades can block 100 percent of the sun's harmful UV rays, withstand extreme wind and weather conditions, are aesthetically pleasing, complement existing structures, and are backed by a combined 180 years of engineering and design experience. In addition, the shades are available in a variety of colors and engineered designs.

The company and its products are actively endorsed by co-owner and golf legend, Greg Norman.

"SKYShades has assembled some of the world's leading design engineers to provide the intellectual property for expanding the tension membrane industry," Norman said. "We are already achieving phenomenal success in the United States, and there is great potential for further growth in this country and abroad."

SKYShades has already helped many schools design and construct custom shade structures to protect children from harmful sun exposure. In addition, shade sails can be designed to add shade to any building in any area: schools; daycare centers; shopping malls; airports; stadiums; amphitheaters; parks and recreation; automotive dealerships; marinas; office parking; resorts; hotels; country clubs; car washes; restaurants; and residential.

With a few contracts in the works and more on the horizon, Dave Schmoldt, franchisee and president of SKYShades AZ, LLC, is optimistic about the continued need for reliable shade products in the hot Arizona market.

"Thus far, response has been very favorable, people are recognizing the quality engineering and design in the SKYShades product, plus the fact that our citizens are in dire need of shade." Schmoldt said.

Information: 480-888-1752 or www.skyshades.com.