The luxury yachting scene has never had so many fine golfing options, from 18 wet holes and biodegradable fish-feed golf balls to multi-million-dollar golf-centric superyachts where you can review your swing from the comfort of your deck.
Yacht owners who sail with their golf clubs close at hand are well served by a growing number of luxurious marinas with berthing that can accommodate superyachts together with a conveniently located courses, facilities and golfing academies. But what if you’re so attached to your yacht, you resent any amount of unnecessary time on terra firms? Thanks to a number of ingenious gadgets designed specifically for the golfing yachting crowd and a design of golf-centric vessel that uses the length of the yacht for the longest holes in golf.
Adding numerous dedicated golf areas to the deck, installing greens and fixing top-deck tee boxes has already helped a numer of well-heeled yacht-owning golfers improve their swing. What has caught the media’s eye, is that this latest craze to take the yachting world by storm has given plenty of thought to what to use at sea as golf balls. Sports enthusiasts and environmentalists alike have praised the yachting scene for its innovation, for the balls used to hit golf off the decks of luxury superyachts all over the world are biodegradable and filled with fish feed.
Designed by ex-professional golfer, Francis Jacquemin, who traded the PGA for the open ocean, the ecologically-friendly golf ball has been widely embraced by the yachting world. Jacquemins’ biodegradable golf balls take around 24 hours to turn into fish feed. His company has also created a range of fun golfing accessories and innovative golfing technologies for yachting golfers, from floating targets to analysing machines that allow you to review your swing from the comfort of your deck.
Jacqueminhas also been involved in the production of the 344-foot-long Fairwei (pronounced "fairway") a 344-foot superyacht design concept, created by award-winning design studio Grey Design. Biodegradable golf balls are part of the package that comes with the world’s most indulgent golf-lover’s vessel. It means losing balls is now for a good cause and lends you the ocean as a green. It is proof that golfers may avoid the water while playing, but at sea it is something they love - and with Tiger Woods and Greg Norman both yacht-owning wealthy golf icons, it is a idea that may just catch on. As well as featuring putting greens, top-deck tee boxes and biodegradable golf balls, the yacht includes all the amenities you would expect at a five-star resort including a swimming pool, spa, and of course, a helipad.
Other examples of golfing megayachts include the Lady Lola, a one-of-a-kind 200-foot vessel that features an automatic tee system on the top deck. It’s accompanied by floating holes that can be released into the water creating a “wet” 18-hole golf course. Another is the M/Y Stargazer,otherwise simply known as the “Golf Yacht”. Available for charter vacations in the Caribbean, the 180-footer was refitted in 2010 and features a bag room with a multitude of demo equipment options, roof-deck tee boxes and helipad - with the services of a professional golf coaching available upon request.
Keen to stick to golf on land? The Caribbean has plenty of top-flight golf courses close to marina facilities. Most have been embedded into the local landscape with idyllic palm-trimmed powdery beaches, fabulous sunshine, cloudless skies and a lengthy golf pedigree. The Caribbean is considered a golfing utopia by golfers used to cooler climes with year-round playing conditions near-perfect. There’s no worry about the weather, thanks to 360 days of sunshine - the only ice you’ll find is in a drink at the 19th.
Some of the finest facilities have been designed by pro golfers such as Tom Lazio and Colin Montgomery. According to the recent reports there are nine new courses in development in the Caribbean - with an additional 21 now at the planning phase and earmarked to open before 2025.
Some of the newest facilities include the Baha Mar set on Nassau’s famous Cable Beach in the Bahamas. Five ritzy hotels, a villa designed by rock star Lenny Kravitz, a 30,000 sq ft luxury spa, 40 restaurants and a casino of epic proportions has been built at a cost of well over $3.5billion but has redefined top-notch golfing holidays in the Caribbean. A state-of-the-art Tournament Players Club (TPC) facility - the first ever in the Bahamas - boasts a Jack Nicklaus signature design with tournament-hosting capabilities. Offering “two courses in one,” a dramatic front nine is framed by ocean views and other water features while the back nine meanders through inland forest. The Baha Mar’s 16th hole has an Island Green deserving of a sharp intake of breath.
Other notable developments in the Caribbean include a doubling of the number of golf courses in St Kitts & Nevis with the addition of a Tom Fazio course at the Christoph Harbour Resort and an 18-hole course at Kittittian Hill. Other lesser-known gems include a club in The Out islands that has “Sip Sip’ comfort stations after the 4th and 16th greens and the 12th tee - Bahamian-style lounges equipped with washrooms and well-stocked shelves of candies, cookies, cocktails and other treats. On Great Guana Cay, the Baker's Bay course is the recipient of rave reviews and, at a touch over 7,327 yards, this Tom Fazio designed Par 72 is notable for its dramatic water views from 11 of the 18 holes. The Out Islands, loosely defined as everything excluding Nassau and Grand Bahama, welcomed the opening of Baker’s Bay in 2010. Watch out for the 18th - it’s an oceanside par-five dramatic finisher with a prevailing winter wind that belches the ball out to sea. Green fees: £65-£75, www.bakersbayclub.com
