Marriott lifts the veil on revamped Royal St. Kitts Golf Club

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - The front nine of the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club opened earlier this year after an extensive renovation that began in spring 2002.

Marriott Golf Management has taken the 27-year-old course in hand and is revamping it tocomplement the new St. Kitts Marriott Resort and the Royal Beach Casino.

The Royal St. Kitts Golf Club features a beautiful new country club-style clubhouse with arestaurant, bar and lounge, locker rooms and a full-service pro shop.

The redesign is being managed by award-winning Canadian architect Thomas McBroom, who isresponsible for the design of notable links such as Rocky Crest (MacTier, Ontario), Bell Bay(Baddack, Nova Scotia) and Kytaja South East (Helsinki, Finland).

The completed front nine, with four sets of tee boxes ranging from 3,624 yards to 2,846 yards,is a links-style layout carpeted in seashore paspalum, a grass designed to handle seawater sprayand grow well when watered with a high-salinity mix.

The nine is highlighted by the 166-yard par-3 sixth hole, with its elevated tee box overlookingthe Atlantic Ocean. The hole culminates in a large, fair green surrounded by waves of bunkers.

"So far we have received glowing feedback on the views, playability and condition of thecourse," says Kurt Greve, Director of Golf.

The back nine of Royal St. Kitts is scheduled to reopen in late 2004, completing a 125-acre, par71 course with 12 lakes and 85 sand bunkers.

Alos opening late in the year is the Faldo Institute by Marriott - a short-game practice area,putting green, practice range and golf instruction provided by PGA Certified Golf ProfessionalStaff.

Where to stay

The St. Kitts Marriott Resort and the Royal Beach Casino are located in the resort area of Frigate Bay on the windward side of St. Kitts Island. The resort offers 648 guest rooms, suites and garden villas, six restaurants, two lounges, a swim-up bar, three swimming pools, a 40,000 square foot casino, the 15,000 square foot full-service Emerald Mist Spa and 12,000 square feet of meeting space.

March 4, 2004