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"Prized booty:
The Buccaneer Resort in St. Croix...is considered to be the most
scenic layout on St. Croix. A trio of holes plays along one of
the resort's three pristine white sand beaches, considered to be
among the Caribbean's finest." (Travel and Leisure Golf, 2007)
A par 70, 18-hole golf course encompassing 5,668 yards with
spectacular views of the Caribbean Sea from 13 holes, The
Buccaneer Golf Course was designed by Bob Joyce in 1973.
Challenging, yet very playable, The Buccaneer is an ideal resort
course - minutes from your guest room door, rounds of less than
four hours, and fun for golfers of all skill levels!
Senator Edward
Kennedy remarked after playing the #3 signature hole, " The
only problem with this hole is that it's so beautiful, you don't
want to leave the green."
In line with
the Buccaneer Resort's continuing pledge to upgrade the
facility, we have changed holes 10 and 11. The tenth hole now
plays as a 261-yard par 4 from the white tees (353 from the
blues). We've also eliminated the blind tee shot on the eleventh
hole, which is now a more straightforward 181-yard par 3. Says
The Buccaneer's Head Professional, Tim Johnston, "These changes
have not only made the golf course a better course, it will also
be more enjoyable for everyone. Neither hole was as interesting
as it could be, but in the new design, we think we've added
something special and dropped the course's weaker holes. Plus,
we've eliminated back-to-back par 3s and created a 'friendlier'
start to the back nine." Total yardage for the course will
remain about the same, although it will be a little more
challenging to play.
Course Ratings and Slope
Blues 68.2/118
Whites (men) 65.7/112
Whites (women) 69.4/125
Reds 66.2/113
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Meet our Pros
The Buccaneer is proud to be the only
resort in the Caribbean with both a PGA Professional and an LPGA
Member on staff. This gives Buccaneer golfers the opportunity to
learn the game from either a man or a woman, depending on whom they
feel most comfortable with.
Tim Johnston has served as Golf Pro at The Buccaneer for 32 years.
Originally from upstate New York, Tim worked at a couple of other
Caribbean resorts before soon finding his home at The Buccaneer.
In his long tenure at the resort, Tim has memorized every nuance of
the curvaceous 18-hole course. "What makes The Buccaneer's course
unique is not only that it's a seaside course with many stunning
views of the Caribbean, but that there is such a variety of holes."
He believes the course is reachable and playable by the average
player. Tim says when it comes to repeat guests, "when I see their
names on the arrival sheet, I just go ahead and book them for the
next day. This is one of the advantages of The Buccaneer, we get to
meet and know all the guests.""
Jeanne Johnston has been managing the Golf Pro Shop for twelve
years. She joined the LPGA as a Teaching Professional in 2004 and
conducts most of the clinics and instructional events held at the
resort. Jeanne and Tim both give private lessons. "I love teaching
because it's rewarding to help other people discover their
potential, and everyone usually leaves with a big smile on their
face," says Jeanne. "It's great to help an experienced golfer who is
experiencing problems; very often it's just a matter of tweaking a
thing or two. But my greatest pleasure comes in introducing
non-golfers to the game. My goal is to make the swing as simple as
possible and to have golfers leave knowing how to practice what
they've learned. |
