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Like the prettiest girl at the dance, the tiny island of Anguilla took its time picking a partner. Just 16 miles long and three miles wide, Anguilla makes up for its size with a shoreline that is a Caribbean postcard waiting to be photographed. Already an island paradise, Anguilla could afford to be selective when suitors come a-calling.
Include golf legend Greg Norman as someone who found his calling in Anguilla. The Shark has a keen eye for seeing what others don’t. Norman and St. Regis Resorts were able to look beyond Anguilla’s 33 stunning beaches and see an ideal setting for Temenos, a world class 18-hole golf course.
Prior to November, Anguilla had yet to be introduced to the game of golf. This revelation is not all that surprising when one considers that Anguilla didn’t have phone service until the mid-70s. The pace on Anguilla is calm, serene, or what newcomers often refer to as island time. But as a rule, when Anguilla does decide to pick up the pace and venture into something new, the results are extraordinary.
With or without golf, your initial arrival on Anguilla’s shores is without question “memorable.” In the film Jerry Maguire, Renee Zellweger’s character said it best when she coined the phrase, “You had me at hello.” Your first glance lengthens into a stare when taking in the colors of the surrounding Caribbean Sea. The sapphire blue and turquoise-green waves blend perfectly with the talcum white sand that positions Anguilla’s beaches atop many of the world’s best lists. If a golf course were to be designed on the most northern of the Leeward Islands, it must be something special.
Norman went to great lengths to make sure Temenos exceeded Anguilla’s high standards. If first impressions are everything, then nowhere is this more stunningly evident than on Temenos’ 390-yard 1st hole. With the hand of a diamond cutter, Norman has placed the opening tee box to face the panoramic vistas of neighboring St. Maarten, located a mere 20-minute ferry ride from Anguilla. For those not easily impressed, hold on to your knickers because Temenos is just warming up.
Throughout Temenos’ 7200 yards, Norman adheres to the real estate adage of “location, location, location.” Whereas many Caribbean golf courses are situated a mile or more inland, Temenos fondly embraces Anguilla’s most treasured asset, its pristine shoreline. Norman makes sure that a golfer’s lasting image of Temenos is the ultra-blue Caribbean Sea. In fact, water or ocean views are featured on no less than 13 of Temenos’ 18 holes.
The Temenos design is at once a visual and sensory experience that gives new meaning to the daydream of Caribbean golf. Completing your round is like turning the last page of a favorite novel … one hates to see it end.
Fittingly, the 401-yard, par-4, 18th hole is a scene-stealer you won’t soon forget. It’s only right that the prettiest girl at the dance has a very nice home. The Temenos clubhouse, serving as a backdrop to the 18th green, is a spectacular whitewashed presence, reminiscent of the architecture from the Greek Island of Santorini. The Mediterranean feel is appropriate when one considers that Temenos is the Greek word for “sanctuary.”
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Golfing on a setting like Anguilla is almost too much. After the water, the beach, and now Temenos, the question lingers, “Do I deserve all this?” But then again, considering that golf began in the 15th century and didn’t arrive in Anguilla until last year, Temenos is certainly a cause of celebration.
Golf’s recent presence in Anguilla is a Caribbean tribute to the adage “good things come to those who wait.” For a people and a location that move at the rate of island time, Temenos appears to be a just reward. Yes, the time is right to say “hello” to golf in Anguilla. Temenos seems to be the perfect partner for the prettiest girl at the dance.