I have never been scared on a golf course before. Nervous? Sure. Embarrassed? Certainly. Intoxicated? Let’s put that one down as a maybe. But a genuine fight-or-flight response, my heartbeat thudding in my chest as my legs do their best impression of jelly, that’s something that I can categorically affirm I’ve never experienced. Or until recently, that is.
Before you call me chicken, I’d challenge anybody to stand on the 8th tee of Cabot Saint Lucia’s Point Hardy Golf Club and avoid the creeping sense of dread that sets in when it’s your turn to drive off. The tee box sits atop a slim promontory jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, scarcely large enough to accommodate a fourball and a couple of caddies. Below you lies a rocky inlet, the waves roaring in your ears angrily as they make landfall, and then stretching away in the distance is the safety of a fairway that rides up a neighbouring headland to a tiny green beyond. It’s no more than a 200-yard carry from the tips to dry land, child’s play for any capable golfer, but I’d be damned if it didn’t look twice as long as I pushed my tee peg into the ground and tried to steel myself for what was to come.
My concern was not for the ultimate fate of my golf ball, it was whether the force of my swing could somehow, inconceivably, sweep me off my feet and send me tumbling down the 80ft drop to the ocean below. Maybe you had to be there, but these are the intrusive thoughts that take root in your mind when presented with such golfing drama. For a fleeting moment, this maddening sport felt like life or death… Watching that ball soar triumphantly across the watery abyss and land safely in the fairway is the single most exhilarating thrill I have ever experienced in my golfing career. Hell, possibly in my entire life.
However strange you find my visceral reaction, I can assure you there is something profoundly stirring about experiencing this mighty property in the flesh. You may have seen the picture of Point Hardy Golf Club on the cover of GOLF Magazine or the painfully gorgeous drone videos splashed across Cabot Saint Lucia’s Instagram, but I’m afraid there’s simply no comparison to stepping foot on this 370-acre peninsula on the northern tip of the island and navigating your way around the 18 holes laid out in front of you. There might not be another walk on the planet quite like it.
Among certain corners of the golfing fraternity, Caribbean courses are perhaps better known for their expensive properties than their architectural merits, but Cabot’s Point Hardy represents the flagship of a new wave of courses aiming to prove the doubters wrong with a forward-thinking approach to not only the course itself but the real estate as well.
Golf in the Caribbean is nothing new. The Manchester Country Club in Jamaica was established as long ago as 1865 and there are in excess of 70 active courses across the island nations that make up this tropical region, however interest has waned over the decades as other destinations have stepped into the spotlight. Can this latest trendsetter turn the tides? If my latest trip out west is anything to go by, the answer is an unequivocal yes.
Jacob Sjoman
Point Hardy Golf Club at Cabot Saint Lucia
When I sat down with Ben Cowan-Dewar last year, the CEO of Cabot and perhaps the only golf developer brave (or crazy?) enough to attempt a project of this undertaking, he told me that his philosophy has always revolved around “finding truly exceptional pieces of land in remarkable locations,” but even he must admit that Point Hardy Golf Club was ambitious in the extreme. Cowan-Dewar may be responsible for a handful of the world’s best courses already, with more slated for completion in the next 18 months, but this property is his magnum opus.
It’s borderline incomprehensible that this savage land, set across fiercely undulating terrain precariously balanced on the island’s edge, could house any golf course at all, yet the brilliant architectural minds of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw alongside master shaper Trevor Dormer somehow saw an 18-hole routing through the tangle of volcanic rock and thick vegetation in order to tame this wild beast. In so doing, they overcame a series of agronomic and geological challenges, as well as the complications of a worldwide pandemic – to a person, the Cabot Saint Lucia crew chose to stay on the island to keep the project moving forward in the throes of Covid-19, leaving them stranded from their families.
There was also the not-so insignificant issue of a potential ancient Amerindian burial ground rumoured to have existed on the property’s beaches, which caused something of a social media stir when it was flagged by the St Lucia National Trust. Expert archeologist Reginald Murphy was commissioned by Cabot to ensure that plans for the course wouldn’t in any way desecrate the dead, but the survey’s findings revealed that any remains were “severely, severely eroded, and essentially destroyed” decades prior to Cabot’s arrival, and that “there’s nothing left of [the burial site]”. The road to Point Hardy was paved with good intentions, but the journey to its official opening was long and arduous.
Was it all worth it? God, yes. Speak it quietly, but the cliffside location and strategic architecture has garnered comparisons to the hallowed Cypress Point in Monterey, California, with visiting members of the latter-named club themselves suggesting there is more than a passing resemblance to the Dr Alister MacKenzie icon. Considering the track is frequently considered among the top five on the planet, that is exceptional praise indeed for a new course that only opened for play at the beginning of 2024.
The hallmark of any great Coore and Crenshaw design is an ability to seamlessly integrate each golf hole within its natural surroundings, rather than parachuting in a layout that may work just about anywhere else, however the ultimate question facing any coastal golf course is how and when to employ the best asset the site has to offer: those oceanside views. It’s a little like a movie director trying to dictate the pacing without losing the audience halfway through.
Jacob Sjoman
Here at Point Hardy, the par five 1st hole takes an immediate about turn from the Atlantic and marches steeply uphill, stepping over a barranca in the process, to reach the highest point on the property. From there, you skirt along the ridge of a hill, stealing tantalising views of the shoreline holes as you go, and warming up your game in advance of the first jaw-dropping moment as you approach the 5th. But more on that in a second. Before you even consider your club selection on this tricky little par four, there’s the small matter of the comfort station.
Cabot courses are renowned for taking the golfing experience to the next level and in the air-conditioned confines of this contemporary wooden hut is where Point Hardy kicks things into overdrive. Choose between a bevvy of top shelf spirits, have the on-site bartender fix you a cocktail (the ‘Gin To Win’ is a sure bet), and help yourself to the most ludicrous selection of golf snacks you’ll ever witness, including pick-and-mix, ice cream sandwiches, and a whole damn charcuterie board. Sit out on the balcony with an ice-cold towel to cool off the early round’s exertions and soak in one of the most visually stunning views in all of golf.
Back on the tee, the 5th is the beginning of a five-hole stretch that slaloms downhill through a high-banked ravine and spits you out right at the ocean’s edge. It’s a dizzying standard of golf. Downhill holes have a propensity to be grip-it-and-rip-it strategic duds, a means to get from one part of the property to another, but here the sensory overload of the views are matched with teasingly clever holes that require you to remain present in the moment, rather than being overawed by the backdrop. Positional play is frequently the safe choice while pulling driver offers birdie reward at the cost of bringing into play penalising bunkers and the threat of out-of-bounds.
I’ve mentioned the perils of the 8th, but it’s preceded by the utterly fantastic 7th, a 139-yard short par three that plays to a green perched on the edge of the world, flanked left and right by cavernous bunkers and a watery grave beyond. The wind is a constant thorn in your side at this exposed part of the site, so don’t be surprised if your caddie hands you an iron one or two clubs stronger than your usual yardage.
Point Hardy spikes your blood pressure on almost every other hole, begging you to hit the kind of do-or-die shots that live long in the memory, but stuffing one close on this preposterously small green is one snapshot I’ve permanently stored in the memory bank.
The back nine dives inland once again with a trifecta of stout par fours that have every bit as much chance of wrecking your scorecard as the knockout finish yet to come – the 11th, in particular, with its two-tiered fairway and putting surface featuring a thumbprint-like depression on the left side, is proof alone that great golf holes exist here even without the best of the views.
Jacob Sjoman
And then you turn back for home and Point Hardy pushes hard on the accelerator all the way to the finish line; it’s all you can do just to keep up as the hits keep coming. Grab a beer at the second comfort station before you tee it up on the 14th – chances are you’re going to need it before you’re done. The ensuing par five is a 610-yard beast from the tips that demands a blind drive over a steep hump that slides sharply downhill on the other side. Lay up to your preferred yardage and you’ll be left with a challenging approach to an infinity green perched up above you.
It’s followed by the extraordinary 15th which begins with another island tee box set on the water’s edge, the closest to sea level you’ll get all round. Unlike the 8th, this time you are playing uphill across the azure-blue seas to a clifftop fairway that sweeps diagonally left to right. Emboldened by a few good golf shots and a bellyful of Chairman’s Reserve rum, the hole goads you into biting off as much of the fairway as you dare. Big hitters may even chance their arm at driving the green around 280 yards away, but be warned – and I speak from experience here – the wind takes no prisoners when it comes to lesser-struck golf balls. Don’t be surprised if you’re reaching into your bag for a reload.
I mentioned earlier that the best golf architects have the ability to control the pacing of a round, timing their crescendo like a Christopher Nolan atom bomb detonation. Well, it’s the 16th where Coore and Crenshaw pull the plunger and go nuclear.
Located in its own sandy inlet, this 156-yard one-shotter is the first of a pair of par threes that help finish off this riproaring exhibition of coastal golf. Once again, the prevailing wind makes shot selection a real headache and the lonely green surrounded on three sides by water and peppered with hungry bunkers makes for suitable distraction. Cabot are mooting the idea of setting up a hut on the beach for a late-round rum punch to perk up homeward-bound players, though my personal note in the suggestion box would be to offer an additional sleeve of balls for those who come a cropper to the harsh mistress of the sea.
The ocean is a constant companion on this final stretch of holes and the second successive par three is no different. On a golf course of mouth-agape drama, the 17th may dispute favouritism for the most daunting shot of all. It plays across yet another cape and up a monolithic cliff face that rises out of the waves like a vengeful titan. From the bottom tees the green perched atop the rock is totally blind, only adding further mystery to the intimidating tee shot, but the secret members’ tee located up a flight of steps and hidden among the cacti on the edge of the promontory is possibly the finest spot on the entire property. Here, the hole measures 187 yards and the green sprawls out on the cliff like a waiter holding a silver tray - far less menacing than the shorter tees but all the more awesome to take in the island’s majesty. Ripping a five iron across the ocean, my ball appeared to hang over the waves as if Bernard had clicked his watch and stopped the world from turning, before it landed safely at its intended destination on the putting surface. It’s a long lingering final look at the breathtaking work that Coore and Crenshaw have carried out on this impossible golf course; a fantasy that defied the odds in becoming reality.
Michael-Marcellin
Jacob Sjoman
But there’s one last treat in store before it’s time to count up the score. The 18th is a reachable 502-yard par five that eases its way downhill to a green site set across the other side of Donkey Beach. The architect duo have extended an act of mercy after the remorseless nature of much of the back nine, with most players having a decent crack at getting home in two from the broad fairway – one solid long iron over the sand stands between you and a decent shout at birdie.
For now, there are precious little by way of post-round facilities other than a shipping container pro shop from which to collect a few pieces of merchandise, and a wooden shelter under whose shade you can catch your breath after that thrilling finish. But the diggers are already in the ground beginning the all-important second step in Cowan-Dewar’s plans for the site.
Unlike Cabot’s public golf offerings in Canada, the USA and Scotland, Point Hardy Golf Club is set to become one of the world’s most exclusive private members’ clubs with only an approximate 250 memberships being offered at launch to those deep-pocketed enough to afford the $300k initiation fee and the small matter of purchasing one of the 250 plots of real estate that are being tastefully scattered across the estate.
More than 100 properties have already been snapped up in both the Central Ridge (located next to the 1st, 5th and 6th holes) and the East Ridge (near the signature final four holes of the course), with the four-bedroom semi-detached Horizon Villas the latest to be offered by Cabot to prospective members. These properties are positioned above the 11th fairway and feature sweeping views of Case en Cas Bay to the south of the site, and come with the added benefit of being full turnkey solutions to offer buyers the simplest means of purchasing property at Cabot.
After completion, owner-members will have access to world-class facilities such as a tennis and paddle courts, a spa, private beach and watersports area, as well the clubhouse itself which will stand sentry over the property from its central position just off the grass driving range. Of course, the best perk of all is the smug feeling of being one of the precious-few golfers on the planet who can call Point Hardy’s simply incredible golf course their own.
When asked by a reporter why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, the great English mountaineer George Mallory famously replied, "Because it's there." It’s a quote that keeps revolving around my mind as I’ve recalled my memorable trip to Point Hardy Golf Club. All too often in the modern world, the bottom line wins and child-like ambition is paved over in favour of logic and reason. But somehow, against the odds and all the challenges, this outlandish property on the jagged tooth of Saint Lucia’s northern tip somehow came to life. Yes, the price to pay for this course’s existence is the knowledge that the everyman will likely never experience its greatness, the deafening roar of the waves rattling in your ears on the coastal holes, but there’s a certain joy in knowing that this corral of optimists led by Cabot’s Cowan-Dewar saw the vast opportunity of this spellbinding location and dared to dream. Because it’s there.
Horizon Villa Townhomes at Cabot Saint Lucia start at $5.65 Million. For membership inquiries, cabotsaintlucia.com
