Temenos Golf Club...
An Anguilla Golfing Paradise
Dec/2009 Update: Temenos golf course is back open, through to at least June/2010. It's under management by one of the top Anguilla Resorts, Cap Juluca. What a superb addition, just in time for the tourist season! To book at tee time, call 264.222.8200 (green fee $225 or $125 twilight - Anguilla and St. Maarten resident $99).
Not too long ago I was thinking, Greg Norman just may have designed the #1, five-star Caribbean golf course.
My Dad and I had caught a few risky glimpses of the unopened course. It blew our mind, to say the least.
But the days of hopping over fences to sneak a peak at the unfinished grounds are over.
Yep! Temenos Golf Club is open and ready to take down your tee time.
I'm not much of a golfer, but when I heard that the Temenos Golf Club was open, I had to wander on down just to see if my guess was correct... would this be the best Caribbean golf course?
(Not to mention that my Dad loves golf and used to even train a professional here in Quebec. No way could he not see a Greg Norman course!)
So, we curiously headed over to the Anguilla golf course, with our family and friends in tow.
On the drive past the security booth, up to the club house, the golf course was already oozing luxury. Lush, green gardens. Flowing streams. And of course, the fresh, white club house.
Without a tee time, we were thinking of just poking our noses around, taking pictures here and there. But Temenos Golf Club also offers first class customer (and potential customer!) service. They offered to take us on a tour of their beautiful Anguilla golf course.
We accepted in a heart beat!
Our kind host, Crispin Jones, took us on an indepth tour.
Crispin Jones & The Family
The tour started right at the top...
Perfectly polished fairways ... calm streams running through the course (on a desert island, no less!) lined with flawlessly sculpted stones ... all staring out to sensational St. Martin.
As Crispin drove us along, he pointed out the St. Regis residences that are still under construction that border the course.
St. Regis certainly has a high-profile reputation. Wouldn't you love to play a round of Anguilla golf and later retreat to your luxurious ocean front villa, just seconds away?
Without a doubt, St. Regis and Temenos are adding a whole different layer of class to the island. The Sonesta Beach Resort used to sit on these shores, but it was bought and torn down to make way for these super luxurious establishments.
The tour continued and we couldn't help but continually comment on the course's beautiful streams.
They were truly unique, especially on a desert island.
Crispin was quick to mention that Temenos Golf Club recycles their water, using a process referred to as "reverse osmosis" to filter the water.
This filtering system is performed in the structures in the photo above.
As we continued to drive along, Crispin suddenly stopped. We all stepped out, following him to the hedges that line the course.
Behind hedge number one...
Ta-Da!
The ocean!
One moment you're in a green, golfing frenzy.
The next, you've stepped foot onto soft sand and are just inches away from crystal clear seas.
This Anguilla golf course certainly has it all.
It is Anguilla's first official golf course (second if you count Pitch and Putt!) and it will certainly be difficult to top.
Eighteen holes of pristine landscaping, set on the ideal West end, walking hand in hand with the world famous St. Regis.
Not to mention the Blanchards, who own the successful five-star restaurant on Mead's Bay, opened up another upscale restaurant right in the club house, Zurra.
How can you beat that? Better yet, who can beat that?
Unwilling to ask Crispin those questions, I only had to do one thing before we left...
Practice My Swing Of Course!
Like I said, I'm not much of a golfer, but the Temenos Golf Club certainly made me want to start.
Maybe next year I can challenge my Dad to a game of Anguilla golf on this exquisite course.
That is, of course, if it's not booked around the clock!
