Baha Mar has fired the gun on its Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, announcing that the major construction and landscaping project will go to Bahamian contractors.
The 18-hole course, carved into the hilly landscape on the other side of the Bahamian Riviera, has begun clearing "course lines", and a conceptual layout is now taking shape. Jack Nicklaus, the legendary golfer, already visited the site once last December. He plans to return soon, as full-scale construction is just one month away. The target date for its launch is December 2013 - a full year before the grand opening of Baha Mar.
"The first hole will play down from the old water tower," said Tommy Jones, vice president of operations development. "They will lay it out from there, down towards Baha Mar Boulevard. Clearing course lines will allow architects to drive through and get a sense for how it plays." While the elite course is considered an amenity of the up-and-coming $2.6 billion resort, the Baha Mar executive revealed that it has been designed for public access. That should come as welcomed news to tourists and locals alike. Cable Beach Golf Course, the last remaining public course in the capital, is set for demolition as part of the Jack Nicklaus experience.
A tee-time policy must be considered for walk ons, but Jones said it will indeed be available to the public. Construction, he explained, will first involve the actual molding of the course, followed by extensive landscaping. Baha Mar will benefit from having both an ocean and lake side view at different points on the course. At least one hole playing into Lake Cunningham, he revealed.
As previously reported by Guardian Business, a pre-Columbus cave, discovered during the initial survey of the area, is also being teed up as perhaps the most unusual attraction. "We'll preserve it and ensure it's not ruined," said Laura Pinder, the environmental monitor for the resort. "And it becomes a feature of the golf course." Golfers will not be permitted in the cave, but signage should be incorporated as part of the experience. Jones told Guardian Business that Baha Mar is now accepting bids for the construction contracts. "It's a sizable project," he said.
"The bulk will be local. We have architects designing the course and clubhouse, but the actual construction and landscaping should be local. We're still getting the bids and they're being reviewed. We see this as an element that the local industry can really get very involved in." For the clubhouse, the mega resort recently held a design competition, the results of which should be made public soon. The facility will have a bar and grill and other amenities, Jones explained, and up to 60 Bahamians can expect employment throughout the elite course by the time it's completed in December 2013.
By going public, it should indeed serve as an asset for both Baha Mar and the rest of the tourism scene. In addition to the course, Baha Mar backs out onto hundreds of acres of wilderness and wetlands. Of the 1,000 acres included under its banner, approximately half is considered part of a protective ecosystem. Baha Mar is contributing $2 million to the creation of this wildlife reserve.
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