Prepare to be stunned by Coore & Crenshaw’s first course in the Caribbean
I don’t want to sound too dramatic. But in ranking the courses with the most spectacular settings for golf in the world—with appropriate acknowledgment to places like Old Head, Lofoten Links, and Cypress Point—Point Hardy Golf Club, opening in December as part of the Cabot Saint Lucia development on the northern tip of Saint Lucia, absolutely belongs in the conversation.
Don’t just take my word for it. Bill Coore calls it the most visually dramatic site for golf he’s ever seen. His design partner, Ben Crenshaw, says people will have a hard time focusing on the golf because, “there’s so much to look at.”
Visitors will naturally be drawn to the holes on the ocean, of which there is no shortage—half of Point Hardy’s greens border the Atlantic. To get to those Kodak moments, players must first climb the steep, volcanic hillside to a plateau where a diverse set of inland holes presides before tumbling down to the sea between organ pipe cacti and other native vegetation.
Along with a stellar beachside stretch to close the front nine, the final five-hole sequence is nothing short of outstanding. A true three-shot par five, the 610-yard 14th reveals an infinity green in a quiet cove after a blind tee shot. A tee ball over a cliff edge follows at the short par-four 15th ahead of an astonishing duo of back-to-back, ocean-carry par threes. The 18th could be one of the pair’s best finishers, a reachable downhill par five presenting a crack at a long second shot over the shoreline.
Due to the prevailing coastal wind and ample potential for do-or-die shots, Point Hardy’s playability was of first and foremost concern. To allow for such stern tests, most fairways and greens are large, but appear small because the vistas—along with the growing membership’s expectations for the property—are so huge.
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