The back nine:
Tenth HoleThe course returns to the start after nine and the tenth hole is near the first tee. Holes 10-13 are probably the weakest holes on the course, or at least much less spectacular than the rest of the course. The current tenth hole is a steep, straight 325-yard climb up a hill. It appears that C&C had to cut terraces into the fairway to stop the ball from rolling back too far. So, a new hole is being constructed, which will be a dogleg left and the new green will be at a lower elevation to the current green. That can he seen in the photo as the bare dirt in the left of the photo. The current hole has a large fairway bunker on the right of the fairway that collects a lot of balls. If you avoid the bunker then you will have a relatively short but blind shot up the hill that will play much longer than the yardage due to the uphill nature of the shot. It will also be partially or fully blind. On the Coore video Bill says, “perhaps the most controversial hole due to its upward elevation, the tenth, from a golf architecture perspective, is one of my person favourites given the artistic and playable manner in which it connects the lower and upper portions of the course.” It will be interesting to see if they keep this green and change the green from day-to-day, like the par 3 fourth hole at Cabot Cliffs.
The new fairway and green will be where the dirt is on the left of this photo.
Eleventh HoleAfter an uphill journey, which will become more uphill and longer after the new tenth hole is finished, the eleventh gives a reward with a downhill tee shot on this 495-yard par 5. Drives should favour the right side of the fairway as the contour of the land will kick drives to the left. The left side of the fairway also has a large hill that will leave your next shot more blind. This hole is very reachable, and the green is set in a lower area so that approach shot plays shorter than the distance as balls will run onto the green, so this hole is very reachable in two.
Twelfth HoleThe twelfth hole is a 454-yard par 4 that also plays downhill. As on the eleventh hole, the fairway cants to the left and drives will have to be careful not to bound into the bushes left of the fairway. The right side of the fairway will also provide an easier shot into the green as there is a long narrow bunker that guards the approach from the left of the green. Behind the green are the tennis and pickleball courts.
Thirteenth HoleThe thirteenth hole is a 450-yard par 4 that contains man made water hazards in the form of two ponds, including one on the right side of the green. These ponds were in existence before the course was constructed. This hole will typically call for a long approach where a fade is the ideal shot from a right-handed golfer as there is a bunker guarding the right side of the green. A shot that is long and left here is in danger of ending up in the long native grasses. But too far right and you will find the water hazard which is close to the right edge of the green. To me this hole has a bit of different feel than most of the other holes on the course as there is little elevation change and the ponds make if fell more like a typical parkland course. After this green you come to the second of two comfort stations on the course to refresh you for what is to come.
Fourteenth HoleThe fourteenth hole begins the journey back to the sea. The final five holes are one of the most spectacular stretches of golf, like Cypress (I assume since I haven’t been there) or the closing holes at Cabot Cliffs. See the YouTube video (linked to above at the top of the first post) by Frederik and Hannah to see this stretch of holes in more detail. This hole shares similar characteristics to the fifteenth hole at Cabot Cliffs. The tee shot on this 590-yard par 5 is into, or over, a hill which has a saddle shape cut into the fairway. Long drives should reach the top of the hill. After you crest the hill the gorgeous scene of the green and the ocean comes into view, like 15 at Cabot Cliffs. From this point until the end of the round, the views are truly spectacular and if the wind is strong, as it was during my four rounds, then the holes become very challenging. The fairway narrows as you get closer to the green and two bunkers guard the right edge of the fairway about 100 yards short of the green. Left of the fairway is small strip of rough before a dense pocket of bushes. This is a true three shot par 5. The green is an infinity green if you are farther back in the fairway. There are a series of bunkers off the right of the green, and there is that freakin’ rough on the left side of the green. As you walk off the green you get a glimpse of the fifteenth tee…
The view as you crest the hill on the 14th fairway.
The view as you approach the 14th green.
The 14th green and the 15th tee behind it.
Fifteenth HoleOh my god! The fifteenth is a risk-reward short par 4 of about 290 yards with a tee shot over a cliff that rises up from the ocean – similar to the seventeenth at Cabot Cliffs. The tee is on a spit of land that juts out into the ocean, kind of an island tee. On the tee you are likely thinking, this is the most spectacular hole that I have ever played. (That feeling will last about ten minutes until you get to the next hole.) The conservative play is to hit a fade over a bunker on the left edge of the fairway. An aggressive shot will be to take a more direct line to the green, aiming for the left greenside bunker, but the strong ocean winds could punish you by sending your ball into the Atlantic Ocean. The green is quite large and with a good drive there should be birdie opportunities. From the green look back to the tee – it is a spectacular view and a unique place for a tee.
15th hole from the tee
15 looking from the green back towards the tee
Sixteenth HoleThe sixteenth tee is just beyond the previous green and as you get to the tee you think, ok, this tops the previous hole in terms of a spectacular and dramatic shot. This 145-yard par 3 is all carry over the ocean – think 15&16 at Cypress, or 16 at Cabot Cliffs. But the hole is extremely exposed to the wind, which, while I was playing, was a 3-4 club wind, On one round I managed to hit a great shot to three feet with a hybrid that I normally hit 190. I tried that same club on a subsequent round and airmailed the green and took a big number. This green is fronted by five bunkers cut into the cliffs rising up from the ocean. There is another bunker beyond the green that will catch shots that are long and a bit left. Beyond that you are dead in the gunk and long grass.
16 from the tee.
16 from the hill behind the green. The 15th tee is visible in the distance.
Seventeenth HoleGoing to 17 you think, how can this hole top the two previous holes. But it does! As on the two previous holes, you are hitting over the ocean, but this time you have a higher cliff face to surmount and a longer shot as this is a 170-yard par 3. Once again, the wind makes the hole play much longer, plus there is the uphill nature of the hole to contend with. Up to the right of the tee there is an additional small tee that couldn’t handle much play as it is tiny but is a truly spectacular point from which to hit a shot. There is a hill to the left of the green so a less aggressive route on this hole is to aim left and use the contour of the hill to direct your ball back to the green. Going long is not an option as the green falls off into the ocean. The flag may not be visible from the tee as it could be obscured by the hill. What a stretch of holes!
17 from the regular tee.
17 from the tiny tee atop the hill.
Eighteenth HoleThe tee shot on this 485-yard is somewhat less dramatic as you are not hitting over the ocean, so your sphincter can relax a bit. The view here is only 9.5 out of 10 as the ocean is partially obscured by vegetation on the right-hand side. Hitting a fade off of the (current) pro shop is the ideal line as the closer you get to the cliffside on the right, the shorter your approach shot will be. A shot too far right could end up on the small beach, and a shot from there would be possible. The wind will make the approach to the green play longer, but most decent drives will allow you to attempt the green in two in another heroic shot over the ocean, your last chance for divinity in the round. If you can’t go for glory then you can lay up to the left, which will still leave a treacherous shot over the ocean to the green.
18th tee view
Approach shot on 18
Closing RemarksThis course is truly spectacular and leaves you with sensory overload. Holes 6-9 and 14-18 are all breathtaking and dramatic, but also very penal, at least in strong winds. Apparently, the winds that I experienced in January were the strongest that they have seen since the course opened, but are not unusual for that time of the year. Presumably the course will get the bulk of the play during winter so they will be a common experience for many golfers.
I haven’t been to Hawaii, Casa de Campo or Mid-Ocean, but this must be one the great island courses in the world. I would like to see if they could do something to make the rough less penal as it is an instant lost ball currently. It will be interesting to see how it develops over time and how it is viewed vs peers like the courses mentioned above, or Kapalua Plantation.
edit - One criticism is that the course is not very walkable - but this is as much to do with the tropical climate as it is the distance from tee to green or elevation changes.
Pro TipBring lots of balls. While I was in St Lucia, they were desperate for balls and only had Titleist AVX for sale for US$28/sleeve! Apparently, there are large import duties for golf balls. You won’t find many, if any, balls on the course given the nature of the rough and the fact that there haven’t been a lot of rounds played on the course.