Pirates Week festivities may be on but local golf continues to aim for the greens.
The 13th Annual Cayman Islands Golf Association Pairs tournament will be held at the North Sound Golf Club on Saturday, 19 November. It is a very popular event on the association’s event calendar and has brought out a record number of golfers over the past years.
The tournament is conducted by better ball stroke play over 18 holes competed for by teams of two amateur golfers (men, ladies or mixed). Last year, Karoly Szuchs and Mark Williams took the top prize at the event out of over 100 golfers.
All levels of golfers are encouraged to compete, both veterans to the game and those looking to complete a full round of 18 holes for the first time. Handicaps for each of the teams will be in accordance with United States Golf Association recommendations for better ball stroke play competition involving mixed teams. Men will play from the blue tees and ladies from the red tees. The handicap limits are men – 24 and ladies – 30.
News of the tournament comes after members of North Sound were advised by letter last week that their memberships will not be renewed. The letter, which was dated 7 November and was signed by North Sound General Manager Davy Ebanks, noted memberships expired on 16 November.
Mike Ryan, developer of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and the Dragon Bay project – of which the North Sound Club is part – said he was not going to close the golf course immediately and was going to try his best to keep it open going forward.
“But I don’t know if I can keep it going,” Ryan said. “I’m not going to keep writing a check every month.”
Ryan said the shortfall of revenue against expenses was between $60,000 and $100,000 every month, with the single largest expense being water for the grass on the course.
“We’re trying to make this a turning point to make this good news.”
Premier McKeeva Bush said he was hoping to meet with Ryan to discuss the situation with the golf course last week. He said he had recently received a letter from the golf association about the possible closure of the North Sound Club.
After highlighting the importance of the North Sound Club to tourism, residents, the junior golf programme and to charity golf tournaments, the letter states the association believes it is important to support the current ownership of the golf course to ensure it becomes financially viable.
“For that reason, we ask that the Cayman Islands government consider providing the requisite support to the North Sound Club in order to ensure that the golf course remains open,” the letter read.
All members of the public are encouraged to come out and participate in the last major golf association tournament of the 2011 calendar. Deadline for entry is Wednesday 16 November and the draw will be done Thursday, 17 November.
Tee times will be posted online at ciga.ky.
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