7 2 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

Barbados Golf Club

GOLF &BARBADOS

YOU’VE COMEA LONG WAY

7 3 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

by Roddy Carr

7 4 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

GOLF This nine-hole golf course was the firstreal golf course in Barbados. It is howeverrumoured that British army officers of theBritish Empire’s largest Garrison inBarbados played a 6 hole makeshift courseinside the horseracing track in the 1800’s.This would be consistent with whathappened in many other British colonies inthose days. Rockley continues to operateas a thriving 9 hole course, very suitablefor all levels of golf and the 19th hole isthe best part in this extremely social club!

Sandy Lane - the grande dame ofhotels & resorts in the Caribbean was builtin 1933 and included the original SandyLane golf course with two nines, the upperand lower nines. The golf coursemeandered through the sugarcanelandscape and gullies of Barbados andwhat was left of the magnificent beardedfig trees that were the origin of the nameBarbados. The open plan setting in theSandy Lane villa estate on the platinumWest Coast of Barbados was unique andyears ahead of its time.

It was its iconic status in 1967 thatattracted Charles Forte to buy the hoteland further enhance its world-renownedstatus and reputation as part of theTrusthouse Forte dynasty.

There has always been a fond affinityfor the Irish with Barbados. The soft lilt inthe Bajan accent sits easily on the Irish earand is not unlike the brogue found in Corkor Kerry. I have never heard the word

‘shite’ used (‘shite weather today’) as anadjective anywhere in the world except inIreland and Barbados. The Irish influencegoes back to the Cromwellian days in 1650when 1800 Irish were shipped out ofIreland by Cromwell to Barbados asindentured slaves. They became know asthe red-legs and migrated to St. Andrewson the East Coast as their fair freckled skinfried toiling in the sugarcane fields for theirseven year tenure. The book ‘To Hell orBarbados’ records this ethnic cleansing ofIreland.

In 1998 Sandy Lane was purchased bythree of Ireland’s best know business menand their horseracing English friends whohad been coming to the Island for decadesand had fallen in love with Barbados andits friendly and fun people.

The new owners wanted two of thebest golf courses in the world and toachieve this goal brought in Tom Fazio ofworld acclaim to design the Sandy LaneCountry Club and the now famous GreenMonkey; who’s centre piece is a 22 acreold quarry with 200 foot coral walls. Thetwo new courses cannibalised the ‘uppernine’ and left what is now known by localsas the old nine, which maintains thenostalgic link to the original Sandy Lanecourse.

The Country Club hosted the 2006World Cup of Golf one of golf’s Majorswhich was won by Germany - captained byBernhard Langer. The Green Monkey is a

The 5th fairway at Rockley GolfCourse is famous for being thelanding runway for the first flightfrom Europe across the AtlanticOcean on March 29th 1929.

G O L F

Rockley Golf Course circa 1937

7 5 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

Rockley

Barbados Golf Club

Apes Hill

Royal Westmoreland

G O L F

7 6 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

The new owners (of Sandy Lane) wantedtwo of the best golf courses in the worldand to achieve this goal brought in TomFazio of world acclaim to design the SandyLane Country Club and the now famousGreen Monkey; who’s centre piece is a 22acre old quarry with 200 foot coral walls.

Sandy Lane

7 8 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

‘Trophy’ course and one that people travelfrom all over the world to play. It is a truebucket list golf course.

Over on the South Coast in the mid70’s near the airport the entrepreneurialvision of developing an integrated housingdevelopment around the Southern Golf &Country Club on Durants Plantation fell afoul on two occasions leaving an 18 holewindswept golf course designed by Col.Harris to be quickly engulfed by thetropical bush and disappear for almost 25years. In 1999 a group of locals led bywell-known sailor Ralph Johnson and PeterChesham joined forces with this Irishmanand along with Government support and382 local shareholders embarked on amission to rebuild the Barbados Golf Club.The course with its tag line “Golf for All”and “The Home of Golf in Barbados” wasopened in 2000 and provides a links styletest to 200 plus Bajan members andthousands of visitors each year ataffordable prices.

The Royal Westmoreland 5 starresidential golf development on the WestCoast was the brainchild of local developerMike Pemberton in 1993. He brought inRobert Trent Jones Jnr. who designed

arguably his best golf course that features4 stunning par 3 holes. It is now fullymature and an idealist lifestyle resort thathas hosted several European Seniors Tour.

Last but by no means least on whatcould be considered one of the great golfsites in the world comes Apes Hill. Thisopened in 2009 and lies on 600 acres ofindigenous Barbados land at the top of theIsland with breath-taking views over boththe West Coast & Caribbean sea and the‘Wild’ East Coast with its Atlantic Oceanbackdrop. Thanks to the vision of localpioneer Sir Charles Williams it is one of themost visually spectacular courses in theworld and a full championship test. It is theonly place on the Island that encompassedGolf, Tennis and Polo in its lifestyle setting.

Celebrities like Sir Gary Sobers, BrianLara, Ian Woosnam, Ian Botham, GaryLineker , Padraig Harrington to mentionbut a few are regular sights on the fairwaysin Barbados. The guests come to Barbadosmost years with their families to relax andenjoy what is now regarded as the finestgolf destination in the Caribbean.

Why do they come – They just like itand the local people of Barbados whohave embraced golf and to have fun in a

safe environment. What better reasoncould there be?

Barbados is now about to launch itsBarbados Golf Card which will be availablefor 2017 offering the opportunity to playSandy Lane Country Club, Apes Hill andBarbados Golf Club at very favourablerates. This will allow visitors to experiencegolf at its very best in the Caribbean.

For details go to: www.visitbarbados.com

Roddy CarrEx PGA Tour Professional Senior International Representative forJack Nicklaus DesignVisitor & Friend of Barbados for 40 years

G O L F

Apes Hill

8 0 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

G O L F

Rockley

Rockley

8 2 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

G O L F

Royal Westmoreland

THE SANDYLANE CHARITABLETRUST GOLFTOURNAMENT

8 4 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

Trustees – (from left to right) Derrick Smith, Phillipa Challis,John Lodge, Julian Sacher

The large numbers in attendance. The Barbados Youth Orchestra welcoming the guests to the gala event.

Girls just got to have fun !! A great party atmosphere for a great cause.

The celebrated Golf Day, Dinner and Charity Auction tookplace at the Sandy Lane Country Club for the Sandy LaneCharitable Trust in January 2016 and was another resoundingsuccess.

Once again it was all about raising funds for the challengedchildren of Barbados, some of whom are desperate souls searchingfor better health, a better body and a fair chance in life. Every year the Event sets new benchmarks in raising much-

needed aid for it’s Sunshine Village and the vulnerable children ofBarbados. The Trust is very appreciative of the kindness andgenerosity of many local business people, friends and guests whoattend this popular event. The County Club is always crowded witha who’s who of Barbadian society and sporting celebrities on whathas now been established as one of the highlighted events of theWinter Season. The well-known British comedian Russ Abbott doeshis usual splendid job of a lively, witty and productive auction, inaddition to the popular Silent Auction. Sandy Lane Hotel puts on asumptuous buffet in the beautiful setting of the Country ClubClubhouse and dancing usually follows into the wee hours.

Tremendous work has been achieved in the past year by thissmall charity with a big heart! With their educational initiatives andoutreach programmes, the Trust makes a huge difference in thelives of thousands.

A short video is always presented at the Gala Dinner prior tothe Charity Auction and it is heart-rendering to watch and share thestories and experiences but satisfying to see the Trust makinginroads . There is hardly a dry eye in the house after it’s shown. Thehardest workers throughout the year are Derrick Smith and hisfellow Trustees, Pip Challis, John Lodge and Julian Sacher. Thework of the Trust is truly amazing, especially as it continues to runefficiently with no expenses, thanks to the commitment of theTrustees, Patrons and friends. They are always hard at work joiningforces with other trusts, doing sponsorships and partnering withnew projects like the World Pediatric Project. The Trust takes greatpride that every dollar raised goes directly to providing a better lifefor the needy children of Barbados.

Third team – Andrew and Bernard Heffernan,Penny Rattle and Nick Barham.

8 5 / S P O R T I N G B A R B A D O S 2 0 1 6 / 2 0 Y E A R S

Second team - Joan and John HargreavesWilliam Alexander, Luke Crowson

The winning team for 2016 - Sir Garfield Sobers,Sue Magnier, Derrick Smith & Yvonne Brewer

Sir Kyffin Simpson (centre), Sir Mark and Lady Thatcher.

Sir Martyn Arbib and sir Garfield Sobers standing in front of the portrait donated Jeena Chatrani and purchased by Sir Martyn in the live auction, which he later donated to the Legend Cricket museum in Bridgetown.

The comedian Russ Abbott acting as auctioneer…..

Sir Cliff Richard, Vivien Day (daughter of Grand Patron Derrick Smith) and stars of US TV and Stage, Becky and Chris Lythgoe