Golf Course Review by: Billy Satterfield

Rankings: 

 

The Takeaway:  An epic experience in every way, the Point Hardy course at Cabot Saint Lucia is one of the finest modern courses in the world and boasts perhaps the best finishing holes in the game. Everyone will talk about holes 14-18, but 4-9 is absolutely top shelf as well. If you get an invite, book a flight immediately.  Grade A+

Quick Facts

Designer:  Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw 2023

Cost:  Private

Phone Number:  902-258-4651

Course Website:  Official Website - Visit Point Hardy Golf Club at Cabot Saint Lucia's official website by clicking on the link provided.

Directions:  Get here! - Cap Estate, Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia  LC04 101 – SAINT LUCIA

Photos:  See additional photos of Point Hardy Golf Club at Cabot Saint Lucia

Similar Courses:

• Cabot Cliffs
• Cape Kidnappers Golf Course
• Cape Wickham Links

What to Expect:  The course that has opened up to the most hype in the Caribbean since Teeth of the Dog debuted in the Dominican Republic in 1971, Cabot Saint Lucia's Point Hardy golf course enjoys one of the most spectacular sites golf has ever known. Opening its doors in 2023, Point Hardy originally featured a Jack Nicklaus routing that never materialized due to ownership eventually changing hands and the Cabot group bringing Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to design a coastal course that features more eye candy than the M&M Store on the Las Vegas Strip. The course is located at the northeast corner of St. Lucia island where the steep cliffs meet the ocean in a thrilling fashion but the steep terrain near the coast creates a unique routing challenge to start each nine. The result is an opening par five that looks short on the card but features a huge climb from the barranca found in the driving zone up to the green site and effectively makes the hole play a good 40 yards longer. The 10th hole faces a similar amount of terrain climb but takes it on all at once with a shorter par four with a hogsback fairway and a mostly blind approach shot into the green; a hole that is being abandoned in lieu of a new dogleg left design that will be less extreme as it ascends only halfway up the hillside. As one would expect from a Coore & Crenshaw design, the course lays on the terrain beautifully to blend in with the surroundings rather than dominating them and allowing for the features outside the course to be highlighted more than those within the bounds of the turf. Salt tolerant paspalum grass is used throughout the course and is cut tight enough to promote firm and fast conditions that are generally only achieved with fescue on links courses. Overall, the turf is maintained in pristine shape with greens that roll absolutely beautifully with players recognizing they get exactly what they deserve with their chips and putts. Point Hardy reminded me of Cape Kidnappers where the back nine holes on the ocean will get all the hype, but the more impressive architectural designs are on the front where absolutely top shelf holes are featured, such as the natural flowing lengthy 2nd hole, downhill Redan 4th, and the 5th and 6th holes that tumble downhill between canyon walls towards the ocean where the prevailing wind will be in your face and you’ll be tested with your ability to hit some knock-down low irons. While the 7th and 9th offer a pair of one-shotters with dazzling oceanside settings, the drivable par four 8th over an ocean bay between them may be the most fun hole on the entire property. The 11th - 13th holes serve their purpose by taking players out to the furthest western point of the property and slinging them back towards the ocean where the 14th - 18th holes steal the show. The coastal finish is nothing short of jaw-dropping with a 600+ yard par five followed by a drivable par four, back-to-back par threes, and finally a short par five to a peninsula green. Plenty of courses open up to a lot of hype, several struggle to live up to it, and few exceed it; but Point Hardy at Cabot Saint Lucia sits firmly in the latter category and is simply one of the most impressive golf courses in the world.

By the Numbers

Tees	Par	Yardage	Rating	Slope
Black	71	6650	73.0	140
Green	71	6245	71.0	132
Silver	71	5724	68.8	122
Orange	71	4765	65.4	116
Blue (Ladies)	71	3553	62.6	107

Individual Hole Analysis

Signature Hole:  17th Hole – 187 Yard Par 3 – Located on one of the most dramatic settings anywhere for a golf hole, the 17th is simply a par three you will never forget. From everywhere except the members-only tee which is perched up on a rock outcropping, the tee shot plays well uphill to a blind green. Players can see a bunker on top of the rock cliff ahead, but that sand is located left of the green and fronts a small fairway section that can be a bailout area for players or be utilized with some side spin to hit and run towards the green. The line directly at the green requires a bold carry right of the sand and needs to land soft so that it doesn't skip off the back of the putting surface and down the cliff edge to the ocean. Being a peninsula green, left is the only bailout here, but you didn't come to bailout out did you?

Best Par 3:  16th Hole – 156 Yards – A beautiful one-shotter smack dab in the middle of one of golf's most stunning stretches, the 16th plays over a bay to a green situated on a rock outcropping with bunkers encircling the putting surface. There is virtually nowhere to hide except for a small area left of the green that you can land on, but at 156 yards you should only be thinking about stuffing it as close to the flag as possible. The front third of the green features a thumbprint indention where the hole-in-one pin can be located as balls will feed off the slope to that area. It is a gorgeous hole, but one where you can also score well.

Best Par 4:  6th Hole – 348 Yards – The second of back-to-back holes that work their way down a canyon enroute to the ocean, the 6th hole tempts players to rip their driver and get as close to the green as possible. Reaching the putting surface with a tee shot would require going up the left side and using the slope of the fairway to tumble the ball towards the green, but for most players it won't be a possibility as the prevailing wind is working against you. The brilliance to this hole comes with the approach shot where players need to execute a low-flighted wedge against the wind into a green that is perched at the edge of an ocean cliff and also falls off steeply in the front right corner. While plenty of other holes will get a lot of the hype at Point Hardy, the 6th is a hole that shotmaker's appreciate.

Best Par 5:  14th Hole – 610 Yards – In stark contrast to the sub-500 yard par five opener that players downwind, the 610 yard 14th plays directly back into the wind and is near impossible to reach in two for mortals. This behemoth starts with a blind tee shot over a rise in the fairway, though depending on the wind, it may not be blind since balls may never make it over the rise in the fairway and will be faced with a blind second shot instead. A hill frames the left side and runs the full length of the hole while the right side features trees that eventually give way to a cliff edge that tumbles down to the sea. As players approach the green they will find a series of bunkers along the right side that stand as catch basins for wayward balls more so than acting as hazards to be concerned with. The green sits out on a point where approach shots sailing long will go for a swim, so distance control is paramount when attacking the putting surface. There will be plenty of bogies and others on this hole, so walking away with a birdie or par here is something worth talking about.

Birdie Time:  8th Hole – 325 Yard Par 4 – While most players will talk about the holes on the back nine, the 8th stands as the most fun offering at Cabot Saint Lucia. A drivable par four, the tee box rests on a rock peninsula that juts out into the ocean and plays over a bay to a green located on the high point of the rock ridge on the other side. A pair of sliver bunkers front the green and instantly draws your eye to them as you decide how aggressive you want to be attacking the putting surface. Players looking to lay up will need to focus on the right side where the fairway feeds to a low spot and is a great spot to attack the flag from. The beauty, the risk/reward, the setting, and the design all come together to create a special golf hole at the 8th and you'll love it every time you are making a loop.

Bogey Beware:  2nd Hole – 477 Yard Par 4 – After starting with a scoring hole, Coore & Crenshaw counter with Point Hardy's most difficult offering; a lengthy two-shotter that lays seamlessly over a ridgetop. The wind will generally be coming in from the player's left where a trio of bunkers are found on that side of the fairway. The ripples in the fairway mimic the waves of the sea and can often leave players with a slightly uneven lie as they hit approach shots into the green that features a cliff on the left and death long. Greens in regulation are rare and big numbers are all too common, especially in a stiff wind, so there is no shame in taking a five here and moving on.