Greg Normans Highly Anticipated Blue Shark Golf Club Debuts in 2008

The Bahamas' New World-Class Course Poised to Become a Caribbean Leader

    NASSAU, Bahamas, Jan. 22 // -- On January 21, VIP guests celebrated the preview of the Blue Shark Golf Club, designed by legendary Greg Norman. Poised to be a leader in the region, the par-72 course is the foundation for a billion dollar resort development led by New York-based entrepreneur and master developer Roger Stein. The project will encompass luxury hotels, casino, marina, tennis center, spa, and real estate components.

    (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080122/CLTU065 )

    Tee off amid the genteel ruins of a British colonial plantation. Greg Norman, renowned course designer and architect, centered the new Blue Shark Golf Club on the great house and outer buildings located between the 11th and 12th tees. Players can further experience the Caribbean's past near the 15th and 17th greens with the "blue holes," subterranean links sacred to the aboriginal Lucayans. The entire area sprawls over 160 acres -- the plantation once known as "The Promised Land".

    Opening in the next six months, this course blends Nassau's history with modern designs -- all spiced by the challenging "Sharks' Teeth" series of holes. Norman redesigned the former grounds of the South Ocean Golf Club, lengthening the course to nearly 7,200 yards. The par-72 course is the area's first to offer a forecaddie program, ensuring dedicated individual service and a smooth, seamless game. The work is Norman's most elegant and intricate yet.

    "Blue Shark offered a rare opportunity as a course designer," Norman explains. "It was a challenge and an inspiration to transform a popular and well-designed existing layout into a new and entirely distinctive golfing experience."

    One of his highlights, the "Sharks' Teeth" (holes 10, 11 and 12) will challenge players with strategically placed bunkers, distinctive terrains, wetlands and fresh-water lakes. The course rewards any players who master these holes without a bogey.

    Norman's latest project will impress players of all experience levels with unparalleled design in blending the natural topography, amazing Caribbean views and striking vegetation. Inspiration comes easy in this abundant landscape, shaded by the remains of Bahamian broadleaf coppice, described by Columbus as the "marvelous groves". The peacock-colored ocean unfurls behind the course. But water isn't merely a backdrop here; the mysterious Blue Holes connect underground to the Caribbean Sea.

    "Norman was brilliant in preserving the best elements of the pre-existing course and dramatically enhancing and modernizing them," said Stein. "Greg is a one-of-a-kind visionary. He saw things others didn't. The finished product speaks for itself."

    About Blue Shark Golf Club

    The semi-private Blue Shark Golf Club features an 18-hole, par-72 course that plays for 7,200 yards designed by golfer and course architect Greg Norman. The course is the anchor for a new development on New Providence, which will encompass an array of luxury travel experiences and real estate opportunities for the seasoned traveler. Visit http://www.bluesharkgolf.com for further details on the club.