Apes Hills Club, an upscale golf and residential community currently taking shape in St. James, Barbados, has welcomed a new member to its management team. The original partnership between Sir Charles Williams, owner of the largest construction company in Barbados, and Landmark Land Company, one of the world’s most successful resort and residential developers, has been expanded to include Wentworth Club, the renowned golf and country club in the Surrey heathlands outside London. The development, slated to open in late 2008, will be identified as Apes Hill Club, a Wentworth Landmark Community.
According to Sir Charles Williams, "I realized that to fulfill my dream of preserving Apes Hill, I had to have experienced, sympathetic partners to create a world-class lifestyle and sporting development. Landmark and now Wentworth have been chosen because both are the best in their respective businesses."
Gerald G. Barton, Landmark’s chairman, said, "We are thrilled and humbled to be involved in the development of real estate so beautiful and so precious as Apes Hill in Barbados. We are especially proud to be partnering with Wentworth, one of the finest and most prestigious clubs in Europe."
Julian Small, managing director of Wentworth, noted that his team "will bring our expertise to ensure that Apes Hill delivers a level of hospitality excellence that is synonymous with Wentworth. Essentially, we’ve been brought in to create a sense of community in keeping with the standards set by Wentworth and enjoyed by our members. We are delighted to be working with partners who are as committed as we are to achieving the highest level of service. Our goal is to become nothing less than the finest resort community in the Caribbean."
Small added that with its two-way views of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, the site is "without question one of the finest pieces of land for a real estate and golf development in the islands." Barbados itself is one of the premier destinations in the West Indies and enjoys a strong British patronage. This is the first time that Wentworth, revered for its golf and country club facilities, has attached its name to another venture. Wentworth will train staff, manage all aspects of the club’s amenity program and ensure that member expectations are exceeded.
Set on an historic plantation circa 1686, Apes Hills Club is located on the island’s crest at nearly 1,000 feet above sea level. The 470-acre development is a short downhill drive to the Platinum Coast, its white sandy beaches washed by the Caribbean Sea. Four miles to the east is the windward coast, which fronts the wave-tossed Atlantic Ocean. Apes Hill Club has panoramic sea views in all directions and is cooled by pleasant trade winds.
The club’s 18-hole, championship-caliber golf course has been designed to take full advantage of an expansive site that transitions from rolling meadows and thick jungle to small lakes and old quarries. Elevated tees offer magnificent views of the island’s east and west coasts. Multiple sets of tees, ranging from 7,049 yards for low handicappers to 5,131 yards for women, seniors, juniors and beginners, will present an enjoyable test to players at all ability levels. A spacious practice facility is also in the works.
The land at Apes Hills Club has been divided into eight neighborhoods, with each neighborhood named after a plantation field name, including Moonshine Ridge, Garden Wall, Great Hill and Cabbage Tree Green. The community’s entrance, road layouts, lot configurations and landscaping take their cue from nature and are designed to blend with the site’s ecology. Due to the exceptional natural beauty of the former plantation, two-thirds of the club’s acreage will remain as open space, ensuring that each resident may take maximum advantage of the exquisite tropical setting. At completion, the low-density community will comprise a Bajan-themed collection of single-family homes and cluster units.
Apes Hill Club will feature a relaxed lifestyle focused on indoor/outdoor living and an array of activities to entertain the entire family. A nature garden will invite residents to walk, sit and read, or simply observe and study indigenous plants and flowers, each of which will be clearly identified. A lavish spa facility will be integrated into this natural environment. The tennis center will offer instruction and a variety of playing surfaces. A facility designed to entertain children is also planned. In addition, the club’s world-class Waterhall Polo Centre will include a full-sized polo field with resident coach.
Construction at Apes Hills Club has been underway since summer, 2005. Lots are currently for sale or pre-sale.
For more information, please visit www.apeshillclub.com.
Sir Charles Williams, whose family emigrated from England to Barbados in 1652, heads Williams Construction, which has been responsible for many of the largest construction projects in Barbados and the eastern Caribbean. His Knighthood, conferred in 2000, takes into account years of dedicated service in construction, agriculture, dairying and other business ventures. It also honors Sir Charles’s contribution to sports. A well-known figure on the polo field and a club captain for over 30 years, he has initiated sponsorship for numerous other sports activities and clubs in Barbados. In addition, Apes Hill Club is sponsoring an English high goal polo team for the 2007 season. Among his family members involved in Apes Hills Club is daughter-in-law and director of sales Linda Williams, who successfully sold out real estate inventory at Port St. Charles, an exclusive residential marina development in Barbados. For more information, please visit www.cow.bb.
Landmark Land Company, for 35 years a leader in developing America’s best-loved golf communities, including Oak Tree, La Quinta, PGA West and Kiawah Island, recently expanded its reach with new developments in Europe and the Caribbean, most notably at Apes Hills Club in Barbados. Landmark’s core philosophy is to preserve and enhance the natural character of each property it develops in order to provide its residents and their guests a unique golf and lifestyle experience while respecting and contributing to the local community and natural environment. A vertically integrated company, Landmark’s corporate structure enables it to conceive, design, finance, develop, market and operate resort and lifestyle communities. For more information, please visit www.landmarklandco.com.
Wentworth, one of Britain’s most venerable clubs (c. 1924), is located in the exclusive Virginia Water area west of London. Anchored by a distinctive castellated clubhouse, the club offers three outstanding 18-hole courses plus a sporty nine-hole layout, a Tennis & Health Club with 15 outdoor courts and four playing surfaces, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, aerobics studio, full-service spa, overnight accommodations, extensive banqueting facilities, as well as lounges, bars, restaurants and shops. Wentworth’s famed West Course, designed by Harry Colt, hosted the 1953 Ryder Cup and has been the venue of the World Match Play Championship since 1964 and the PGA Championship since 1984. It is ranked among the finest inland courses in the world. Ernie Els, who lives on the estate, is the club’s touring professional. For more information, please visit www.wentworthclub.com.
Contact:
Linda Williams
Director of Sales
Apes Hill Club
246-432-4500
lwilliams@apeshillclub.com
Brian McCallen
Director of Communications
Landmark Land Company
860-572-7942
bmccallen@landmarklandco.com
Annie Nicholson
Marketing and Communications Manager
Wentworth Club
0044 1344 846 329
anicholson@wentworthclub.com
