Golf Course Architecture - Issue 61, July 2020

34 TEE BOX Cabot Saint Lucia takes shape COURSE BLUEPR INT Rough shaping has been completed on seven holes at the new Cabot Saint Lucia golf course, designed by Coore & Crenshaw. The project, on the island’s north coast, paused during the coronavirus outbreak. “Saint Lucia mandated a shelter- in-place order on 23 March, which included a cessation of all commercial operations,” said Ben Cowan-Dewar, the founder of Cabot Links in Nova Scotia. “Cabot fully complied with all restrictions and we were happy to return to work on 27 April, when the restrictions were eased. Most of our expatriate construction team members made the decision to stay on Saint Lucia, so we were well-positioned to resume work on-site.” The entire team was onsite in early March, including Mike Keiser, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The designers walked the entire golf course and provided specific design direction for all operations. “There are a number of holes that are immediately adjacent to the cliffs and the ocean,” said Coore. “It’s not going to be a course without drama! “Most people would point to the holes alongside the ocean, whether it’s seven, eight, nine or fifteen through to eighteen. But I have to say that while those are going to be the holes that people will talk about the most because of their spectacular nature and their proximity to the sea, some of the inland holes are quite interesting. I think for Ben and me, we will find it very interesting trying to work with those holes because while they’re not as visually spectacular, they’ll provide some situations for some very interesting golf and that’s what we look for.” “While the shutdown on Saint Lucia caused us to momentarily idle the heavy equipment, it has been anything Coore says that golfers will find the inland holes quite interesting Photo: Ben Cowan-Dewar