By Sean Dudley  From Golf Course Architecture

A new golf course is to open later this year on the Caribbean island of St Kitts.

Irie Fields has been designed by a team from European Golf Design (EGD) in partnership with Ian Woosnam.

The course will form part of the Belle Mont Farm on Kittitian Hill development, and has been created with guidance from the Golf Environment Organization (GEO).

Thanks to the project’s focus on positive social and environment impact, Irie Fields is the first golf course globally to attain the GEO Certified Development status.

“From the very start I knew I wanted Irie Fields golf course to blend the unique culture of the island with a sustainable ethos to create something that was truly Kittitian, for the local community and visiting tourists alike,” said Val Kempadoo, the man behind the Belle Mont Farm on Kittitian Hill development. “From selecting the location to siting the bunkers, the environment, the community and resource efficiencies have come first.”

More than 95 per cent of the staff involved in constructing the course came from St Kitts, while 97 per cent of the materials used in the construction were sourced from the island.

“Sustainability was integral in everything we did at Irie Fields, from the moment we picked up our pencils through to seeding the last hole,” said Gary Johnston, designer at European Golf Design, who led the project. “We are incredibly proud to have been part of this project. We have already recommended the GEO Developments programme to other developers and we hope that Irie Fields is just the first of many golf courses that we are involved with that will gain the GEO Certified Development mark.”

“Golf is stepping up and taking its responsibility and its opportunities seriously, and we are honoured to work with so many individuals and organisations that show real leadership in the filed of sustainable golf,” said Jonathan Smith, CEO at GEO.

The par 71, 18-hole course is scheduled to open in mid-2016.

Kempadoo added: “While we had the vision, central to implementing it has been the support of EGD and guidance from GEO and I am confident that by working together we have created something which will bring true benefit to the people and nature of the island and a real, enjoyable Kittitian experience for our visitors for generations to come.”

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