Greg Norman, the original designer of the 18-hole golf course in Anguilla, formerly owned by CuisinArt Resort and Spa, but now the property of Aurora Anguilla Resort, has met a small number of Anguillian children interested in learning to play golf.
This is according to the Elected Representative for District 7, West End, Mr. Cardigan Connor who, as a former cricketer, is fully-acquainted with the professional golfer who ranks highly in the sport.
Speaking during the Opposition’s radio talk show, Just the Facts, on Monday, October 18, Mr. Connor said Mr. Norman and his team, who designed the CuisinArt golf course in 2003, were now back in Anguilla. They are redesigning the golf course for the new owner, Mr. Richard Schulze, who is also a keen golfer. Mr. Connor stated that the golf course was regarded as having been among the top 100 in the Caribbean – but Mr. Schulze now wants it to be in the top 100 in the world.
“In order to get to that stage, they had to re-grass all the fairways and greenery areas and everything had to be ripped up,” Mr. Connor stated. “They were hoping to have it reopened on the first of November, or early December, but it is more likely to be in May or June next year.
“I took along four youngsters to meet Greg Norman as the whole idea is that they want to build an academy so that it gives an opportunity for all Anguillians to learn the game. I think it is also a great opportunity for scholarships going forward. Most Anguillians may have never been to the golf course because they would have seen it as too expensive; as an elitist sport; and only visitors can afford to play there. So the whole idea is to make it affordable to the youngsters – by encouraging them to play, as part of youth development, and maybe within the next ten or fifteen years the hope of an Anguillian playing out there on the circuit is not farfetched.
“Greg Norman is Australian. We talk a lot about cricket because a lot of the cricketers that I would have played against are cricketers that he knows. We are hoping to a degree that it [the opportunity for Anguillian children to play golf] works out very well.”
