LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT Southworth Development LLC, a Massachusetts-based company led by David Southworth, owns both former Ritz Carlton properties. Both were love at first sight for him.“ I thought it was spectacular,” he said of Creighton Farms, which will host the 2017 VSGA Amateur Championship.“ We bought it in 2009 and thought it would be a good investment. It has turned out to be just that, but more importantly it’ s a property where we got to build the clubhouse and finish off other amenities to really make it our own. Besides being financially successful, it’ s one we are so proud of.”
At The Abaco Club, located on Great Abaco Island, an hour’ s flight from the east coast of Florida, Southworth joined with a group of homeowners to purchase the property in late 2014.
“ We first started by kind of restoring the credibility of the community and upgrading the facilities,” he says.“ A new clubhouse is still on the drawing board but we will soon start construction of a new marina( expected to be completed in the first half of 2017). We already are seeing good real estate sales and it’ s a beautiful product. No question it was like falling in love again. I remember thinking to myself if we don’ t buy it, I still want to buy a winter home here anyway. I was willing to go live in someone else’ s community it was so nice.”
Although private, non-members can visit The Abaco Club up to three times with a limit of 14 days per visit. Nightly rates for one-bedroom cabanas overlooking the opening holes of the community’ s golf course range from $ 495 to $ 795( high season is January through March), while multi-bedroom homes are also available for both short-term accommodations and real estate ownership. An international non-resident golf membership requires a $ 10,000 initiation fee plus $ 5,250 annual dues; that includes 20 tee times annually plus full use of all club facilities. The property, located 25 minutes from Marsh Harbour Airport, is accessible via direct flights from Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando, Florida; and Nassau in the Bahamas.
Members also benefit from a reciprocity program among Southworth-owned properties, which include Willowbend and Renaissance in Massachusetts, Meredith Bay in New Hampshire, and Machrihanish Dunes in Scotland.
Scott Andrews, a Richmond native who grew up playing at The Country Club of Virginia, is a member at both Creighton Farms and the Abaco Club. He has owned a cottage at the latter since 2006 and was part of the homeowners group who banded together with Southworth to buy the club from Ritz Carlton in late 2014.
“ I found myself totally fascinated by the physical location,” says the 57-year-old Middleburg resident.“ I’ m an early morning guy so I watch the sun come up over the ocean. Plus, the course is very unique for the Bahamas.”
The 7,123-yard Abaco Club layout was built to be a“ tropical links,” which combines green complexes backdropped by palm trees with ever-changing winds that reward a lower ball flight and tend to narrow the largely generous landing areas off the tee.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE COURSES
32 V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER / O CTOBER 2016 vsga. org