The announcement was made earlier today at a luncheon held at the Angus Glen Golf Club.

“The GAO partnership represents a dynamic opportunity for St Kitts & Nevis to showcase the beauty and challenges of our golf courses to one of Canada’s strongest consumer segments,” said the Hon. Mr. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, International Trade, Industry and Commerce. “For the GAO to select St. Kitts & Nevis as an overseas venue for a sanctioned event underscores the emergence of our islands as a premier golf destination that’s only going to get better when we welcome our new courses at Kittitian Hill and Christophe Harbour. On behalf of our stakeholders and the people of St. Kitts & Nevis, we look forward to welcoming the many GAO members and staff that will come to our shores in the years ahead.”

Participating golfers from the GAO will travel to St. Kitts on a 7-night package that includes accommodations at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, meals, receptions, tournament play, awards and more.

“Our members are very well traveled and can get themselves to Myrtle Beach, Miami, Jamaica and many other well-known and popular golf destinations,” said Chris Osborne, President of the GAO.  “What we want to give them is something new, something different, something special… and St. Kitts is all of that.”

Golf is one of the most lucrative niche markets that can contribute to a destination’s economy. More golfers live and play in the province of Ontario than any other region of Canada and Canada represents the second largest source market in North America for air passenger arrivals. There are 6 million golfers in Canada and those who travel overseas to play golf spend 4.5 billion, representing a significant potential market for St. Kitts & Nevis.

In addition to the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club and, on Nevis, the Robert Trent Jones II course at Four Seasons Resort Nevis Golf Club, the twin-island federation will soon be home to the hillside Irie Fields championship course designed by Ian Woosnam at Kittitian Hill, which currently has 9 holes open with the remaining 9 holes to open by the end of this year, and a Tom Fazio championship course at Christophe Harbour on St. Kitts’ southeast peninsula scheduled to open in 2017.  Together, they create a collection of championship courses unmatched in a destination of St. Kitts and Nevis’ size.

Further to the 2Ball Invitational, other signature golf events continue to be developed that showcase St. Kitts & Nevis as a golf destination.  In May 2016, the island will host a second new event, the LINKS Magazine St. Kitts Couples Invitational. Entering its 6th year, the Admiral’s Cup Pro-Am is scheduled to take place February 7-11, 2016 and continues to grow in popularity among golf club teams.

In 2014, LINKS Magazine included St. Kitts & Nevis in its newly created ranking of the Top 25 Islands in the world for golf travel and it is one of just seven Caribbean islands on the list.

About Golf Association of Ontario
The Golf Association of Ontario is the Provincial Sport Organization for golf sharing a passion for golf, preserving the past, building the future, and championing golf’s best interests for everyone who enjoys the sport. The majority of individual members are at Private and Semi Private Clubs, but the association also offers opportunities for individuals to join directly as members of a Public Player Program. Currently, the GAO represents over 420 Member Clubs and over 115,000 individuals making it one of the largest Amateur Golf Associations in the world.