Destination Golf Global Guide (Winter 2018) * | Page 39

An idyllic golf setting. Golf’s Seven Wonders What catches about 90 percent of the golfers who play Emerald Reef off guard is the fact that they’re playing on this wondrous landscape because they’re on vacation. This usually means they’re more relaxed. This could also mean that Great Exuma’s main drawing card is what can be a golfer’s undoing. On any given day at Emerald Reef Golf Club, the question becomes, “Will the Caribbean Sea be your friend or foe? The water surrounding Emerald Reef Golf Club is “Pirates of the Caribbean” turquoise. There’s no kidding on this claim. The south end of the island is the location for the beach scenes from Johnny Depp’s movie. Now insert the creative mind of Greg Norman on this romantic island setting, and you have a golf course that might be the Eighth Wonder of the World. Emerald Reef Golf Head Professional Rich Gibson described his course this way, “If you go to Paris, can you imagine not seeing the Eiffel Tower? For golfers vacationing on Great Exuma, to stay here and not experience Emerald Reef is something you’ll forever regret. That’s how beautiful our course is.” Lessons from the Best After 27 years as the Golf Professional at Cable Beach Golf Course in Nassau, Gibson arrived at Emerald Reef in 2013 and quickly tamed Greg Norman’s Caribbean crown jewel. In fact, Gibson owns the course record with nines of 36 and 30, for a scorching 66 over 18 holes. For golfers looking to improve their game while on Great Exuma, Gibson has a unique pedigree for fine tuning your game. “I was taught by Ken Venturi and Bob Toski,” Gibson said. The long and lean Gibson confided that for one whole week under Toski, he hit nothing but wedges. The first goal was to land each golf ball within a five foot radius of the others. The second goal was to get up and down within 100 yards. Gibson regularly accomplishes this goal. Imagine Gibson teaching you what Venturi and Toski taught him. Volume 4 • Issue 46 39