Cayman Islands Golf Gets Major Investment
DART To Make Major Investment into Golf Facilities on Grand Cayman
The North Sound Golf Club, Cayman’s only championship 18-hole course, is to get a major cash injection to improve the facilities.
Developer Mike Ryan said on Tuesday that a company affiliated with the Dart Group has invested in the North Sound Golf Club.
“After discussions and interactions that have been going on for more than a year and a half, we’ve come to an agreement for [the Dart Group] to make an investment in golf,” Mr. Ryan said. “This allows us to make the long-term commitment to move the North Sound â?¨Club forward.”
Mr. Ryan said he was not at liberty to discuss the overall capital structure of the deal with Dart, or the potential impact it would have on his Dragon Bay development.
“The first part of Dragon Bay was dealing with golf and to look at the development after that. For the moment, the focus is golf.”
Mr. Ryan said he has always recognised the importance of golf to Cayman’s tourism product and to its development product.
“But it can’t just be golf for golf sake; it has to be world class golf to be able to attract the kind of people we’re trying to attract to Cayman,”
“Fortunately for golf in the Cayman Islands and for the tourism product in the Cayman Islands, Dart shared the same view about the importance of golf for the Island’s tourism and development products, and for its competitiveness.”
The investment will allow for a host of improvements at the North Sound Club, including:
- Renovating the clubhouse
- New bathroom and locker room facilities
- Renovating the bar area
- Improved cart paths
- Renovating the bunkers
- Improving the landscaping by the clubhouse and on the course
- General upgrades to the equipment and facilities
It’s possible the improvement might go even farther; Mr. Ryan said they were looking into the possibility of upgrading the course into a signature championship 18-hole course where major tournaments could be played.
Mr. Ryan said 60 per cent of the North Sound Club’s available gold memberships have been subscribed, as well as half its individual memberships.
“We have already hit our target for corporate memberships, but that was only our target and we can still increase that, so there are some available.”
The North Sound Club will remain open to the public for the foreseeable future.
