Greg Norman visited the Caribbean paradise of Anguilla Nov. 2 and 3 for the grand opening of Temenos Golf Club, the first golf course to be built on this island in the British West Indies.
Norman, along with members of his Greg Norman Golf Course Design team, Flag Luxury Properties and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, celebrated the opening of this Norman-designed course with the inaugural Marquis Jet-Temenos Golf Club Invitational.
“I have dedicated my career as a golf course designer to unique projects all over the world,” Norman says. “Temenos Golf Club is no different, and I enjoyed the opportunity to design the first course on a beautiful island like Anguilla. This property allowed us to design a course that will provide an unforgettable experience for all golfers.”
The Temenos Golf Club was created for the enjoyment of resort guests and residence homeowners, as well as guests of other hotels and local Anguillians. The course is distinguished by panoramic views and vistas of nearby St. Maarten and the Caribbean Sea, incorporating physical and environmental characteristics of the island’s natural terrain including dramatic elevation changes and water features on 13 holes.
In planning the course, significant environmental efforts were undertaken by Greg Norman Golf Course Design and Flag Luxury Properties to preserve and enhance the island’s natural habitats. Most significant was the renewal of Merrywing Salt Pond, an island landmark. Featured predominantly in the course, the pond’s water was reinvigorated, giving rebirth to its natural organisms. New flushing channels permit seawater to flow out the pond during high tide. The pond is stocked with bonefish and coral reefs are being re-established.
“This is a red-letter day in Anguilla’s history with the opening of Temenos Golf Club,” says Paul Kanavos, chairman and c.e.o., Flag Luxury Properties. “The breadth, scope and majesty of this course is unsurpassed, and Temenos Golf Club is destined to be the ultimate golfer’s paradise.”
Temenos Golf Club offers a course where sand, wind and water blend seamlessly with Anguilla’s natural environment to present a golfer’s dream. The October 2004 Robb Report called the first hole, “The Caribbean’s answer to the 18th at Pebble Beach.” This hole greets golfers with a spectacular view of St. Maarten and the Caribbean Sea. The fairway descends over 40-feet to a green that sits on a waste native area.
Another picturesque hole is No. 6, a downhill 600-yard par-5 perched 80 feet above sea level, the highest point of the property. The course also includes a 20,000 square-foot double green, situated on the dunes of an adjacent white-sand beach, which is shared by the second and 10th holes, a 190-yard par-3 and a demanding 590-yard par-5 respectively.
Complimenting the golf course, the newly built 28,000 square-foot Clubhouse was inspired by the Greek island-Mediterranean architectural style of the three original St. Regis villas on the island. The Clubhouse is also the home to Zurra, a new Mediterranean-influenced restaurant managed by successful restaurateurs, authors and lifestyle experts, Bob and Melinda Blanchard. The impressive new Clubhouse features a fully equipped golf shop.