NEWTON, Mass. – The PGA of America and the partners of Cat Island Partners Ltd. broke ground on Friday, April 24th for the first-ever PGA Village(R) to be developed outside of the United States. The official groundbreaking took place on Cat Island in The Bahamas and was attended by a large delegation of Government Officials including the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, Hon. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism and Aviation along with an audience of over 400 local residents and supporters.
Prime Minister Ingraham called the development “A new and never before experienced economic shot-in-the-arm” for one of The Bahamas most underdeveloped islands. Mr. Ingraham congratulated the Cat Island Partnership for keeping their commitment to the government and to the people of Cat Island during these economic challenging times saying he was not one that normally attends these types of ceremonies but has come to know the partners well and they are people who “say what they mean and mean what they say” and is confident the project will be a great thing for Cat Islanders and The Bahamas. The PGA Village(R) is expected to create over 200 construction jobs and more then 900 permanent positions within the project allowing many native Cat Islander’s who have left in search of meaningful employment to return to their native island.
At a press conference following the Groundbreaking, Cat Island partner, David Southworth, President and CEO of Southworth Development said, “We truly believe that in two to three years, as Phase I of this great project is completed, we will no longer be in a world-wide recession — we actually feel the timing of this development could not be better. We know that in this day and age, customers will not buy until developers have built the amenities and facilities. Because of this, the partnership is committed to the funding and completion of Phase I. Today is the first big step of many to come.”
PGA Village Cat Island Groundbreaking with Ron Vick, Joe Steranka-CEO PGA of America, Jim Remy-President PGA of America, Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Hubart Ingraham, David Southworth, Heath Shelton & Rick Scott.
(PRNewsFoto/Southworth Development)
PGA of America President Jim Remy added, “The PGA of America is excited to be here in partnership with Southworth Development, as we create the first PGA Village(R) outside the United States, and the first golf course ever on Cat Island. We believe that PGA Village The Bahamas(R) will soon spur global awareness to the world-class golf opportunities in a nation that is already known for its world-class boating and beaches, as it will become a destination for people to come to play, stay, live and learn the wonderful sport of golf.”
PGA Village(R) The Bahamas will feature a Rees Jones-designed championship golf course, PGA branded Golf Cottages, a Golf Clubhouse, a PGA Learning and Performance Center, PGA Historical Center and the first phase of the village. Construction of the PGA Village(R) The Bahamas has begun and is expected to take 24-36 months.
The waterfront property sits on 1,906 acres of pristine Bahamian land and includes over two miles of beachfront. Located 325 miles southeast of Miami and 130 miles southeast of Nassau/Paradise Island, Cat Island is the sixth-largest island in The Bahamas and features the highest elevations in all of The Bahamas, resulting in unmatched views of the ocean and surrounding islands.
Additionally, the residential community will consist of low-density, single-family residential home sites averaging over an acre each; village town homes; PGA-branded golf cottages; a Casino; Tennis Center; and a full-service Beach Club with multiple oceanfront swimming pools, a beach cafe and cabanas.
