News
PGA Village Scheduled for Development on Cat Island in the Bahamas
May 7, 2009 by OceanHome · 4 Comments
NEWTON, MA – May 6, 2009 – The PGA of America and the partners of Cat Island Partners Ltd. broke ground for the first-ever PGA Village to be developed outside of the United States. The official groundbreaking took place on Cat Island in The Bahamas and was attended by a large delegation of Government Officials including the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, Hon. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism and Aviation along with an audience of over 400 local residents and supporters.
Prime Minister Ingraham called the development “a new and never before experienced economic shot-in-the-arm” for one of The Bahamas most underdeveloped islands. Mr. Ingraham congratulated the Cat Island Partnership for keeping their commitment to the government and to the people of Cat Island during these economic challenging times saying he was not one that normally attends these types of ceremonies but has come to know the partners well and they are people who “say what they mean and mean what they say” and is confident the project will be a great thing for Cat Islanders and The Bahamas. The PGA Village® is expected to create over 200 construction jobs and more then 900 permanent positions within the project allowing many native Cat Islander’s who have left in search of meaningful employment to return to their native island.
At a press conference following the Groundbreaking, Cat Island partner, David Southworth, President and CEO of Southworth Development said, “We truly believe that in two to three years, as Phase I of this great project is completed, we will no longer be in a world-wide recession – we actually feel the timing of this development could not be better. We know that in this day and age, customers will not buy until developers have built the amenities and facilities. Because of this, the partnership is committed to the funding and completion of Phase I. Today is the first big step of many to come.”
PGA of American President Jim Remy added, “The PGA of America is excited to be here in partnership with Southworth Development, as we create the first PGA Village® outside the United States, and the first golf course ever on Cat Island. We believe that PGA Village The Bahamas® will soon spur global awareness to the world-class golf opportunities in a nation that is already known for its world-class boating and beaches, as it will become a destination for people to come to play, stay, live and learn the wonderful sport of golf.”
PGA Village® The Bahamas will feature a Rees Jones-designed championship golf course, PGA branded Golf Cottages, a Golf Clubhouse, a PGA Learning and Performance Center, PGA Historical Center and the first phase of the village. Construction of the PGA Village® The Bahamas has begun and is expected to take 24-36 months.
The waterfront property sits on 1,906 acres of pristine Bahamian land and includes over two miles of beachfront. Located 325 miles southeast of Miami and 130 miles southeast of Nassau/Paradise Island, Cat Island is the sixth-largest island in The Bahamas and features the highest elevations in all of The Bahamas, resulting in unmatched views of the ocean and surrounding islands.
Additionally, the residential community will consist of low-density, single-family residential home sites averaging over an acre each; village town homes; PGA-branded golf cottages; a Casino; Tennis Center; and a full-service Beach Club with multiple oceanfront swimming pools, a beach café and cabanas.
For more information contact Nancy Powers at npowers@southworthdevelopment.com or call: 508.548.4969.
For additional story info, please visit World Golf online.
What a shame to ruin a paradise. I think the people of Cat Island and the tourists will regret this decision to ruin this pristine island. I know I will not go back.
I disagree with you, I am married to a bahamain and lived on Cat Island for 10 years. Nothing could ever change the beauty of Cat Island. I think it would be a big change for the people that lives on Cat Island and I think that the PGA Village of the Bahamas is a good opportunity for the Bahamains.
I think this is a geat opportunity for all Cat Islanders to become involed in this development to final build a better community and become small business owners. as customs broker returning home i am looking forward of being apart of history in the making.
I was there on Cat Island exactly 2 weeks after this article was written and drove the dirt roads where this course is supposedly going to be built. I saw a few bulldozers scattered about and some roads “cleared” but it basically looked to me as if nothing at all was happening. Nobody in sight, not a single worker anywhere for miles. I’m no expert on Cat Island, or this project, but I don’t see any golf balls being hit there anytime soon. Wanna talk about it? TSinvestments@aol.com