It is a unique golf hole in the world.
In the heart of the Grenadines archipelago.
From tee to green, hole 13 at the Grenadines Estate Golf Club offers an unforgettable panorama.
The fairway surfs the crest of the island of Canouan.
The view is bright, sublime, exceptional.
To the north, the reflections of Bequia and Saint-Vincent line up facing the sun.
Further east, the small Moustique Island seems within driving range while you can see the white sand of the beaches of Mayreau, to the south.
The gaze turns 360 degrees and the horizon offers only blue.
From the sky to the sea.
© The Grenadines Estate Golf Club
Designed by the American architect Jim Fazio on a preserved and practically unexplored island, the course (5768 meters, par 70) of Canouan is incredible, with a layout of holes 13 to 15, which overlooks this small piece of land in the heart of the Caribbean .
The par 3 of 16 is one of the longest (275 m) in the world, it plunges towards the ocean with a drop of more than 150 meters.
A real golfing challenge in the sea breeze, which regularly contributes to ranking the Canouan Estate Golf Club among the 100 most beautiful courses in the world.
Treasures
Often overlooked because not very accessible, the golf courses of the Antilles are real hidden treasures. Those who have taken the time to get there by boat or plane to discover them know it. In total, more than a hundred golf courses can be explored between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, on the Caribbean arc. An archipelago that stretches north from Cuba and Jamaica, descending to the east via Haiti, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, before plunging south with Saint-Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique then the Grenadines Islands. Trinidad and Tobago end the journey.
The Lesser Antilles alone - the eastern and southern part of the arc - has around forty courses, each more picturesque than the next.
On smaller islands, golf clubs retain an irresistible authentic character.
When you coast from island to island from Saint-Barthélemy to Tobago, via Anguilla, Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Canouan or Barbados, a feeling of adventure is added to the joys of golf.
After having tasted these exotic and wild pleasures, the temptation becomes too strong, then, to return to them.
"Teeth of the dog", in Santo Domingo.
© Casa de Campo
In the Dominican Republic, the famous Casa de Campo complex has three courses, two of which are just fantastic: “Teeth of the Dog” (6831m, par 72) and “Dye Fore” (7105m, par 72).
These layouts were drawn by the American architect Pete Dye, who likes to recall that he designed eleven of the eighteen holes of the first course, while the other seven are "the work of God"!
These two courses have sixteen cliff-edge holes, which offer spectacular views from the reef over the Caribbean Sea.
On the island of Santo Domingo, the course of Punta Espada (6763m, par 72) - a realization of the architectural firm of Jack Nicklaus - is also a reference.
Here again, eight holes run alongside the sea for unforgettable sensations.
Change of scenery
In Anguilla, an island opposite Saint-Martin, the Cuisinart golf Club (6458 m, par 71) provides a change of scenery. In addition to its championship design with technical and demanding holes, its views over the surrounding archipelago are magnificent. The panorama from hole 15, which winds towards the sea, is as majestic as the splendid iguanas basking in the sun.
The small independent republic (1983) of Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis displays on its flag a Flamboyant, this colorful tree which bears its name so aptly when it is in bloom.
The eighteen holes of the Nevis Golf Course (6553m, par 70), designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior, slalom down the side of an extinct volcano before slave traders in the 17th and 18th centuries stopped there during their ascent from Africa to enjoy the natural hot water springs.
The playground is a unique ride.
The macaques that live in the coconut palms seem to be amused by golfers.
Magic
Plein Est, the magic also operates in Barbados, an island known for being the birthplace of the megastar Rihanna as well as for having hosted the wedding of Tiger Woods in the Sandy Lane Golf Club.
Separated by a few kilometers, the courses of Sandy Lane (6455m, par72) and Royal Westmoreland (6071m, par 72) - the holiday resort of the Welshman Ian Woosnam who had a villa built there - are pearls from the end of the world.
Here again, the spectacle on the fairways is breathtaking.
The maintenance and quality of the greens are of excellence.
Note that at Sandy Lane, the starting balls have names, in order to allow players to find their place: “power” (black), “hope” (white), “humility” (yellow), “respect” ( blue) and "reality" (red) ...