How to Play Golf at Cabot St. Lucia

Tackling the clifftop holes and dramatic shores of Cabot St. Lucia's Point Hardy Golf Club is an experience every golfer dreams of, but its beauty is matched only by its challenge. To score well here, you need more than just a good swing, you need a smart plan. This guide provides a professional strategy for navigating its most famous stretches, from conquering the ocean holes to managing the inland elevation changes, helping you focus your game and play with confidence on this incredible course.

Before You Tee Off: The Cabot Mindset

Success at Point Hardy begins before your first swing. Designed by the acclaimed team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, this course tests your decision-making as much as your ball-striking. Understanding a few core principles will shape your entire approach to the round.

Embrace the Wind

The first and most dominant force you'll face is the wind. It's not a question of *if* it will blow, but *how much* and from what direction. Fighting the wind is a losing battle. The goal is to work with it. Before you even head to the first tee, spend time on the range hitting low, controlled shots. Practice "knockdown" shots where you take one or two extra clubs, choke down on the grip, and make a three-quarter swing. This lower, more penetrating ball flight will be your best friend all day. When in doubt, club up and swing smooth.

The Coore & Crenshaw Philosophy

Coore & Crenshaw designs reward thoughtful play. They give you options. The fairways are often wide, but a specific side of the fairway will always provide a better angle into the green. Spend a moment on each tee box to think a-shot-ahead. Where is the pin? What side of the fairway opens up the green and takes the biggest trouble out of play? A driver isn't always the answer. Sometimes, a well-placed 3-wood or hybrid is the far smarter play, setting you up for success on your approach.

Playing the Jaw-Dropping Ocean Holes

The stretch of holes along the Caribbean Sea is what makes Cabot St. Lucia legendary. They are visually intimidating and demand your full commitment. Fear and indecision are the cause of most big numbers here.

The Approach on the Par-4 8th

The tee shot on the 8th hole plays inland, but the approach shot introduces you to the drama of Point Hardy Cove. You'll likely be hitting a mid-to-short iron into a greensite perched on the cliff edge. The visual distraction is immense, and any shot that tugs left is gone.

Your Game Plan:

• Take an extra half-club to ensure you carry the trouble short of the green. The wind here tends to swirl, and coming up short is not an option.
• Aim for the center of the green. This cannot be overstated. Don't be a hero and attack a left pin location. A putt of 30 feet from the middle of the green is infinitely better than a reload from the fairway.
• Stay balanced. It's easy to get anxious and quicken your tempo. As I teach all golfers, a stable stance where you feel 50/50 in your weight distribution is essential for consistent contact. Feel your feet planted and make a smooth turn, trusting your setup will produce a good result.

The Pivotal Par-3 17th

This is the postcard hole, a breathtaking par-3 playing over its own private cove to a green that hangs on the opposing cliff. It's one of the most stunning shots in golf, and one of the most demanding.

Your Game Plan:

• Club selection is everything. Get the yardage, then assess the wind. Is it helping, hurting, or crossing? Depending on the strength, you could be hitting anything from a 5-iron to a 3-wood. It will almost always play longer than the number suggests. Taking one, or even two, extra clubs and swinging easy is the "pro" play.
• Identify the safe miss. The entire left side of this hole is a beautiful but unforgiving abyss. The bailout area is short and to the right of the green. If you must miss, miss there. A chip from that position gives you a chance at par, a ball in the cove does not.
• Commit to the shot line. Once you've chosen your club and your target (which should be the center or right-center of the green), commit fully. Pick a specific spot in the distance and try to hit your ball over it. A timid, decelerating swing is the one that sends the ball offline.

The Heroic Finishing Hole: The Par-5 18th

The 18th hole is a masterful bookend to the round - a sweeping, strategic three-shotter that brings the cove back into play down the entire left side. It demands three precise shots to finish your round on a high note.

Your Game Plan:

• Tee Shot: The temptation is to hug the left side for a shorter route home, but the smart play is to aim down the right half of the fairway. This takes the cliff-edge entirely out of play and gives you a wide landing area.
• The Second Shot: This is the most important decision on the hole. For 99% of golfers, this is a layup. Don't be fooled into thinking you can get home in two. The green is heavily protected, and a miss leads to a bogey or worse. The goal is to lay up to your favorite full-wedge distance. If you love your 100-yard shot, leave yourself 100 yards. Don't just whack a club down there, hit it to a specific number.
• The Approach: You’re left with a wedge or short iron into a well-bunkered green. Once again, the middle of the green is your friend. Factor in the wind from the sea and choose your club accordingly. A two-putt par to finish on this magnificent hole is a fantastic achievement.

Strategy for the "Other" Holes: Where You Score

While the ocean holes provide the spectacle, the inland holes are where you build your score. These holes feature significant elevation changes and reward strategic know-how.

Mastering the Uphills and Downhills

Many inland holes play significantly uphill or downhill. This has a major impact on club selection.

• Uphill Shots: A shot playing uphill will require more club - often one or two clubs more than the flat yardage. Remember that a ball landing on an upslope will stop very quickly, so you need to fly it all the way to the pin. To ensure a solid strike, resist the urge to "lift" the ball. Maintain your setup posture and turn through the shot, let the loft of the club do the work.
• Downhill Shots: These require less club, but present their own challenges. A downhill lie can make it easy to hit the ball thin. To counter this, widen your stance slightly for stability and try to match your shoulders to the slope of the hill. A smooth, controlled swing is much more effective than trying to hit it full-out.

Putting on Coore & Crenshaw Greens

Greens here are large, subtly contoured, and will test your green-reading skills. Get a feel for the speed on the practice green before you play. A universal rule on coastal courses like this is: when in doubt, the ball will break towards the ocean. Learn to trust that gravitational pull, even when your eyes tell you otherwise. The best approach is to focus on your pace. Dying the ball at the hole will give the subtle breaks a chance to take effect and will leave you with short, stress-free second putts.

Final Thoughts

Playing golf at Cabot St. Lucia is an exercise in smart course management, mastering your ball flight in the wind, and embracing the spectacular challenge of its clifftop design. By picking conservative targets, making committed swings, and staying patient, you can navigate Point Hardy with confidence and create memories that will last a lifetime.

There will be moments on the course when you're between clubs or staring at a difficult lie, feeling uncertain about the right play. This is where having an expert opinion can change everything. We designed Caddie AI to be that on-demand golf brain, giving you immediate, personalized strategy for any situation right when you need it. By analyzing the hole layout or even a photo of your ball's lie, I provide simple, smart advice so you'll always have a clear plan, allowing you to focus on simply hitting a great golf shot.