Hi-tech venue designed by legendary Tim Cutshall, unique to and unrivalled in the Caribbean
Apes Hill Barbados, the new luxury golf resort and real-estate community, recently announced that its new Performance Centre is open and providing state-of-art instruction and other golf experiences that are unrivalled in the Caribbean.
The luxury resort recently opened its reimagined 18-hole championship golf course to its members after undergoing extensive investment and enhancements since being purchased by Canadian businessman Glenn Chamandy in 2019.
Following the layout’s redesign – masterminded by legendary architect Ron Kirby – the Performance Centre represents another major step in the evolution of Apes Hill Barbados.
Aided by the prowess of Tim Cutshall – the president of IASports LLC, a global leader in designing hi-tech teaching facilities – the Performance Centre features two state-of-the-art coaching bays equipped to improve every aspect of a golfer’s game. Both bays are tailored to a different specific focus, and they combine to create one of the most comprehensive golf development experiences anywhere in the world.
Apes Hill Barbados’ Performance Centre utilizes some of the most celebrated technology in the industry, including Swing Catalyst, golf’s most popular video analysis software. In one bay, coaches can blend feedback from cameras and a highly sensitive balance plate to find and correct even the smallest nuances in a golfer’s swing.
Meanwhile, the centre’s PuttView interactive putting mat is the perfect domain for players to hone their short game and scoring skills, with augmented reality projections and a tracking system to analyse every aspect of a putt. Tailor-made challenges develop core skills such as accuracy in an engaging and entertaining way.
Through interactive games such as those offered by PuttView, the Performance Centre aims to make golf accessible for players of all ages without compromising the offering for more advanced golfers.
The second teaching bay at the centre boasts the same analysis capabilities, as well as a bespoke fitting unit.
An extensive range of fitness equipment allows coaches to assess a player’s physical stature and condition with regards to their golf and recommends personalised training schedules to take their game to the next level. This approach highlights Apes Hill Barbados’ commitment to training every golfer individually, no matter their current ability, as they strive for improvement.
“We can tick every box when it comes to game improvement and for every type of player,” said Jody Addison, Director of Golf, Apes Hill Barbados. “Tim Cutshall has built a reputation as the best in the business when it comes to designing high-end teaching facilities and we are proud to have worked with him on the development of our new Performance Centre.”
Apes Hill Barbados offers something all golfers covet – instant, responsive feedback and tailored individual plans to help them improve. The better golfers play, the more fun the game.
“We have all the technology needed for that to make teaching engaging and more effective,” said Addison. “Until now, elite amateurs in the Caribbean would have to travel to the United States to hone their game in a teaching facility like this, but now they don’t have to.”
Commenting on the Performance Centre, Cutshall said: “I have worked on hundreds of golf facilities all around the world, but Apes Hill sets itself apart for its location and the design of the building. I would put this in my top five. I have never worked on a design like this and there is nothing like this in the Caribbean. Someone can come in here who is a complete novice who has never picked up a golf club, and by the end of the day have a good idea of how to play the game of golf, while a very good player can fine-tune their skill level.”
Standing 1,000 feet above sea level, Apes Hill Barbados delivers a complete golf offering suitable for all levels of player. The redesigned course opened exclusively to members last November following the completion of Kirby’s work and is beautifully crafted around the surrounding landscape and indigenous tropical forests.
Sustainability is at the forefront of the resort’s long-term DNA – designed to make it the most environmentally responsible golf course development in the Caribbean. Underscoring this mandate is Apes Hill Barbados’ work with Audubon International, the non-profit organization that helps places employ environmental best practices and protect the areas where people live, work, and play.
Fairways and tees have been re-laid using the more drought tolerant Zoysia Zorro grass and the greens with TifEagle. The resistance of these grasses to insects also further reduces the reliance on fertilization and use of pesticides, with a view to Apes Hill Barbados eventually becoming chemical-free.
Complementing the championship layout is a family friendly par-3 course, a unique 19th hole to an island green and uncompromisingly high-quality practice and clubhouse facilities.
Apes Hill Barbados is also home to a developing range of accommodation options, with a portfolio of stunning real estate on site alongside golf vacation properties set to allow guests to stay and play from later this year.
Visitors can enjoy an array of wellness and sporting experiences from nature walks and hikes to paddle and lawn tennis. A world-class spa is in development, creating new ways to relax in the heart of one of the world’s most beautiful and enriching island experiences.
For more information: www.apeshill.com
