An island getaway – for most travelers – conjures up scenes of wide sandy beaches, clear warm waters and long days of doing, well, nothing. The Abaco Club on Winding Bay has been delivering such experiences for more than two decades. In other words, the nearly 600-acre Bahamas private club delivers as little or as much as its members desire.
Want to sit on the beach? The Abaco Club has two miles of white sand beach that hugs the island’s turquoise blue waters. Want to play the Bahamas’ best golf course?
The Club’s Tom Mackenzie/ Donald Steele-designed layout (7,111 yards from the tips, par 72) plays above those same waters. The Club recently began a course improvement project whereby the seventh hole is being relocated and lengthened. Also, new tee boxes on the sixth, eighth and ninth holes will stretch out the course to more than 7,200 yards. https://theabacoclub.com/
The course’s final three holes combine to truly make the design memorable. The dogleg right, 16th hole, for example, a 385-yard, par-4 from the tips, plays over a quarry; the 17th (204 yards from the tips) is a par-3 that plays slightly downhill and predominantly into the wind; the 18th (572 yards from the tips), is a par-5 that plays along the ocean and towards the point
The Club – developed by Southworth – also has an array of watersports, boating excursions from the Yacht Club and Marina, and fishing expeditions pursuing trophy bonefish and deep-sea marlin. Hole in the Wall, located at the southern tip of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas, is famous for its strong currents and diverse marine life, each of which make it ideal for targeting marlin, wahoo and yellowfin tuna.
Signature events, such as Lobster Fest in August, keep Abaco Club members (approximately 400) and guests coming back at all times of the year. And it’s all set in the more laid-back settings you’ll find – even by island standards.
“We’re about making memories, connecting families and making new friends,’’ said Kristi Hull, the Club’s director of sales. “It’s all about community. People tend to meet on the pickleball court, which is active around 9 am, and at the golf course. They like to swim, paddle board and take a kayak to Sugar Cay to play with the turtles.’’
Among the Club’s newer amenities are the 18-hole “El Diablo” Putting Course designed by Open Champion Darren Clarke, and the “Wake Field” sports field, named after late former MLB pitcher Tim Wakefield and patterned after Boston’s iconic historic – Fenway Park. The field serves as a popular venue for wiffle ball, kickball and outdoor movie nights. Make sure to pay a visit to the taco truck on the golf course’s fifth hole – popular for players as well as beach walkers.
The Club’s new racquet facility – The Stables – will feature four tennis courts, four padel courts, additional pickleball courts, a three-acre park and 50,000-square-foot pond with a fishing dock
In addition, construction is underway on the New Winding Bay Club, a new beach club set to become the community’s central gathering place and another amenity that will set the property apart. Set for completion this fall, the Bay Club will feature a resort-style infinity edge pool and hot tub, bar and clubhouse, cinema and game room, boutique and an adults-only “19th Hole” member lounge.
“We want to be the ‘action’ on the beach,’’ Hull said of the Bay Club.
For more action, The Abaco Club’s newest neighborhood, – The Cays- is nearly sold out of Phase One with Phase Two expected to launch sales this summer. The villa residences, Hull said, embrace authentic Bahamian architecture and an “unparalleled’’ island lifestyle. Current real estate pricing ranges from $4.4 million to $12 million.
Photos Courtesy of the Abaco Club on Winding Bay