St Lucia set to be Caribbean's top golfing destination

With four new 18-hole signature golf courses being built in St Lucia, in addition to the existing championship level course at the St Lucia Golf & Country Club, the island is set to become the Caribbean's number one golfing destination.

The increased level of tourism that these courses will generate will greatly enhance St Lucia's investment potential, especially within the buy-to-let market.

There can be little more perfect than a round of golf on a beautiful, landscaped course with glorious sunshine, stunning natural scenery, a gentle Atlantic breeze and the thought of a delicious fruit cocktail in the 19th hole! Well, this is golf St Lucian style and, with the building of four new 18-hole signature courses, it’s set to get a whole lot better!

Since 2001 visitors to St Lucia have enjoyed the excellent facilities at the par 71, 6,836 yard, championship level golf course at the St Lucia Golf & Country Club. Soon they will be spoilt for choice since four new courses are being designed by Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer and Christie O’Connor Jnr.

This will have a profound effect on tourism because, with five 18-hole golf courses, St Lucia will be officially recognised and promoted as a golfing destination. Consequently, this will further enhance the investment potential of the island, especially for the lucrative buy-to-let market.

One property certain to benefit is Cap Maison (capmaison.com), an exclusive development of 22 spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, which together will create a 50 room, boutique-style luxury hotel just a short iron from both the St Lucia Golf & Country Club and the Jack Nicklaus Signature course. Cap Maison is on the Cap Estate, a former sugar plantation nestled between the Atlantic Ocean on its north shore and the Caribbean Sea to the south and west. Prices start at USD 1,100,000 for a two-bedroom apartment and owners will have privileged access to both courses.

The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course is due for completion in early 2008 and is part of the Cap Estate, a location which Jack Nicklaus described as, “One of the five most spectacular pieces of property [he has] ever seen”. His vision for the course is “Pebble Beach warm” because it will include seven holes that play parallel to the water, and 11 more with stunning views of the ocean.

Work has also started on the Greg Norman course which is being built on the undeveloped southeastern coast. The main feature of this course will be the number 14 par-3 hole which is described as a, “175-yard one-shotter” landing on a green at the end of the Galet peninsular which is surrounded by a 100-foot drop into Galet Bay below.

By the end of 2008 two new 18-hole signature golf courses will have been built in the south of St Lucia near Laborie. The first course will be designed by Arnold Palmer while the second will be designed in a “links” style by the Irish golf course architect Christy O'Connor Jr.