If money were no object, what would the ultimate golfer’s paradise look like?
Begin with the location: secluded, verdant, ideally in a unique corner of the world where a sense of adventure beckons. The course itself would take center stage. Preferably it would be designed by a golfer with a household name; Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods comes to mind. The sense of exclusivity would extend to the capital developments around the course, designed in harmony with the natural setting and treated with the same care as a well-manicured putting green.
In other words, it would look exactly like Jack’s Bay.
Situated on 1,200 privately owned acres along the southern shores of Eleuthera, Jack’s Bay is a one-of-a-kind locale featuring two golf courses, a low-density residential community, a spa and a beach club/sports pavilion complex. Developers are projecting all of this will be completed in three phases over the next two years. The best part for golf lovers? The 18-hole course will be the first constructed under the Nicklaus Heritage brand. The already completed 10-hole, par-3 course nearby is the brainchild of Woods, under his TGR Design brand. There are no other Woods and Nicklaus courses in such close proximity to one another in the world.
The TGR “Playground” course promises something for golfers of all levels. It features a flexible layout with holes that range from 71 to 163 yards. By contrast, the Nicklaus Heritage project is a championship-level course featuring five holes directly on the ocean, and another five with ocean views. Nicklaus also holds branding rights over the real estate project as a “Nicklaus community”—a distinction afforded to only a few select developments around the world. This is the first of its kind in the Caribbean.
The popularity of South Eleuthera as a luxury tourist destination has been intermittent since the region transitioned away from agriculture in the mid-20th century. The Jack’s Bay project looks to capitalize on two expressions of jet-setting wanderlust that are growing in popularity among the one percent: golf tourism (a global market valued north of $23 billion) and short-term rentals (valued in excess of $100 billion globally).
Contributor – Paula Conway:
