Coore & Crenshaw’s Point Hardy GC opens in Caribbean

A dramatic golf course opened on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, and all of it is grassed with Pure Dynasty seeded seashore paspalum — developed by Pure-Seed Testing, Inc. and supplied by Atlas Turf International and Pure Seed. 

The Point Hardy Golf Club at the Cabot Saint Lucia project was designed by Coore & Crenshaw and is wrapped around the rocky coastline, featuring a sequence of clifftop oceanside holes. Building the course, though, was a massive challenge, even for Bill Coore’s and Ben Crenshaw’s team. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the world just after construction started, meaning that lead shaper Keith Rhebb remained on the island for more than 250 days, working alone on the course for most of that time.

The rocky nature of the site necessitated capping, but shipping sand to the island would have been prohibitively expensive, so the playing surfaces were formed from a volcanic pumice sand sourced from the island. Unfortunately, this sand had poor drainage characteristics so both carefully planned surface drainage and the right grass choice were essential.

Along with superintendent Damon Di Giorgio, who had managed the grass previously at Playa Grande in the Dominican Republic, Coore & Crenshaw eventually selected Pure Dynasty, the world’s only seeded seashore paspalum currently on the market. Pure Dynasty has been used on many important courses around the world, including Marco Simone in Italy, the venue of the 2023 Ryder Cup, as well as regular professional tour hosts Royal Greens in Saudi Arabia, Mont Choisy and La Réserve in Mauritius. Just a few hundred miles away across the Caribbean Sea, the iconic Casa de Campo course in the Dominican Republic is currently being renovated using Pure Dynasty.

“Paspalum was a natural choice here because of the course’s proximity to the sea, the salt spray and the natural buildup of salts in the soil,” Coore said.

“Atlas Turf and Pure Seed are proud to have Pure Dynasty featured on this phenomenal golf course,” Atlas Turf president John Holmes said. “Where else could the extreme salt tolerance, resistance to heat and disease, and versatile playability of one turfgrass be challenged so magnificently?”

Pure Seed president Crystal Rose-Fricker added that, “Pure Dynasty is the result of 25-plus years of plant breeding and testing work to produce a blend of varieties that provide improved disease resistance and overall turf performance.”

The fact that Pure Dynasty is the only seashore paspalum strain available as a seeded product was also crucial, as Saint Lucia prohibits the importation of vegetative material, making sprigging or sodding impossible. Importantly, the entire course, including the greens, uses the same grass, a decision that Di Giorgio said is working out well and reduces maintenance costs.

“Ben Crenshaw, one of the greatest putters ever to play, told me the greens were rolling well,” he said. “Which was a nice compliment.”