Pointe at Cas en Bas will build the first Nicklaus course on St. Lucia

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. -- When Jack Nicklaus first saw the land that is now known as The Pointe at Cas en Bas on the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean, he described it as perhaps one of the five most spectacular pieces of property he had ever seen. "It's Pebble Beach warm," he added.

The Pointe at Cas en Bas, which includes a private golf club and residential resort, is owned by Point Hardy Development, LLC. In addition to a members-only 18-hole championship Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course -- which will represent the Golden Bear's first design work on St. Lucia -- The Pointe at Cas en Bas will feature 113 luxury villa home sites, a 140-key resort hotel, 224 luxury condominiums and a 20,000-square-foot spa.

The course will be the centerpiece of a site considered one of the most magnificent in the Caribbean. The Pointe encompasses almost 360 acres on the northeast point of St. Lucia, and is part of Cap Estate, a former sugar plantation nestled between the Atlantic Ocean on its north shore and the Caribbean Sea to the south and west. The location, with water on three sides, affords breathtaking views, cooling breezes and a series of almost totally private bays and white sand beaches.

The large bowl shape of the property provides a sense of exclusivity and privacy on the home sites, and being surrounded on three sides by water also provides a sense of greater security. Rare elevation changes that vary from sea level to 350 feet allow for wonderful views of the ocean, beaches and golf course.

Nicklaus' reference to "Pebble Beach warm" may be explained by the fact that his vision for the course includes seven holes that play parallel to the water, and 11 more with views of the ocean -- all backdropped by a tropical island where the yearly average temperature of 82 degrees actually feels cooler due to the prevailing trade winds.

Copyright 2006 PGA.com. All rights reserved.