In recent years, global headlines about golf in St. Lucia have focused on the development of a dramatic course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. To the outside world, it seemed that this private layout—emphasis on private—was the island’s only golf course. In truth, St. Lucia was already home to another course—one that is open to the public, exists as a complimentary amenity for guests of the island’s three Sandals resorts, and has benefited from a slew of renovations, all of which have elevated the playing experiences that it now provides.

Originally built in 2001 and set in the island’s northernmost region, the 6,744-yard resort course at Sandals Golf and Country Club at Cap Estate benefits from the land’s naturally dramatic contours. The layout meanders through lush tropical landscapes, where wild orchids and bromeliads add dashes of color to the rolling hills. The shape and challenge of the holes themselves is dictated by the contours of the land. In other words, as golfers traverse these undulating fairways, they’ll likely encounter tricky, uneven lies, and they’ll most certainly face demanding approach shots to elevated greens.

As the course approached two decades of play, it was in dire need of some TLC. In 2018, Sandals hired Greg Norman to oversee a necessary renovation and redesign of the property. “What I’m especially proud of is the diamond in the rough that we have out there,” Norman said at the project’s outset. “For us to be able to pull this diamond out of the rough is very special to us.”

Since its extensive renovation, the club has undertaken numerous initiatives to further elevate the golfing experience. Under the expert guidance of course superintendent Laurent Peter, the club’s grounds crew has meticulously enhanced visibility from one hole to the next, offering golfers a breathtaking view of the course’s expansive beauty. Strategic tee boxes have been rebuilt, select green boxes have been recontoured, and the fairways have been curated with premium grasses. Additionally, the course’s irrigation system has been upgraded, ensuring these enhancements will be maintained for years to come.

“By updating the course layout and incorporating state-of-the-art turf, we’ve introduced new challenges and improved overall playability,” says Simone Skinner, the general manager of Sandals Golf and Country Club at Cap Estate. “Our goal was to create a course that not only tests the skills of seasoned players, but also provides a welcoming environment for our Sandals guests, as well as guests from other resorts.”

These renovations have not gone unnoticed. According to Skinner, golfers who were familiar with the course as it previously existed have been delighted by the improved conditions and the course’s fresh challenges. “Our staff has been instrumental in this transformation,” she says, “and their dedication to maintaining the course’s pristine condition has been commendable.”

Since Sandals acquired it in 2017, the course has served as an inclusive amenity to guests at all the island’s Sandals resorts (greens fees are complimentary, but rounds require a $50 cart fee). That said, the golf club is most easily accessed by guests staying at Sandals Grande St. Lucian, which is set along the island’s northwest coast.

Around the time of the course’s first phase of renovation, St. Lucia’s then tourism minister, Dominic Fedee, alluded to the potential impact that the rejuvenated course might have, declaring that it could add “significant value to the product offering of all the hotels in Rodney Bay and in the north of the island.”

More recently, in the wake of the club’s latest initiatives to improve the course, Skinner has echoed Fedee’s sentiments. In the words of the general manager, “This renovation has revitalized our community and reaffirmed our commitment to excellence.”