NEW MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IN SAINT LUCIAN TOURISM PRODUCT!

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t seems simple enough. Hit a teed-up ball with a club; wait for it to stop moving, then hit it again, and again, until you get it into the hole. Repeat this process with the other holes on the course until all holes are played. But those who have actually played the game of golf have, no doubt, developed a healthy appreciation for the adage “easier said than done”.

When you consider the varied nature of a golf course’s terrain—the rough (long grass), bunkers; and hazards such as the water, rocks, and fescue—you begin to understand the appeal of the game. Sure, it doesn’t hurt to be able to hit a long drive but, for the most part, it is a game of thought, skill and patience; it’s not about how high you can jump or how fast you can run.

Golf is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. So much so that a deal-breaking criterion for an ever-increasing number of vacationers is the availability of quality golf courses. Millions travel the world mainly to play golf. Of particular significance is that golf tourists spend, on average, more than your garden-variety sun, sea and sand vacationer.

For years numerous countries have been positioning themselves to take advantage of this growing segment of the tourism market. This has seen the emergence of a number of exquisite golf resorts and stand-alone golf courses.

On Tuesday this week, Saint Lucia confirmed its impending entry into the market. The revelation came in the form of a press conference at the island’s sole 18-hole golf course, The Sandals Cap Estate Golf and Country Club. From the time Sandals Resorts International acquired the property mid-2017, the company indicated its intention to transform it into a world-class facility capable of hosting international tournaments. In addition, it hinted at the prospect of gaining the assistance of world golf hall of famer Greg Norman— internationally renowned as the Great White Shark—who had previously partnered with SRI in the design of the championship course at Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas. Tuesday’s press conference was the beginning of the realization of that promise.

Speakers at the event included SRI’s Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman, Mr. Adam Stewart; tourism minister Dominic Fedee; managing director of Sandals Grande, Mr. Winston Anderson; Prime Minister Allen Chastanet; and the day’s special guest, Mr. Greg Norman. In attendance were local business leaders as well as several members of the Sandals family.

All of the speakers highlighted the long, mutually beneficial relationship that SRI and Saint Lucia have enjoyed for decades. The Sandals CEO Adam Stewart promised a further deepening of that relationship with the impending groundbreaking of Sandals’ fourth local hotel property, Sandals La Source, and plans for yet another. 

Norman, the winner of over ninety golf tournaments and holder of the world number one ranking for more than six years in his illustrious career, expressed enthusiasm about partnering yet again with SRI and tackling the redesign of the golf course. “What I’m especially proud of is the diamond in the rough that we have out there,” he said, “and I mean that in all sincerity. For us to be able to pull this diamond out of the rough is very special to us.” He indicated that the process should take from 12 to 14 months from start to finish.