There are few people who can rival Jody Addison when it comes to having the best introduction to life as a club professional.

After kick-starting his teaching career at Royal Liverpool – where he would spend six years working his way up to the role of head assistant pro – Addison ventured south to the sacred golfing manor that is Sunningdale. The two clubs may be in stark contrast to one another in terms of their set-up and the golfing test they deliver, but in stature and pedigree, sit side-by-side at the summit of English golf.

But it was at another venue some 10,000 miles away on the famous Melbourne Sandbelt where Addison first experienced the true buzz and lifestyle that comes with a thriving golf resort.

The Sandhurst Club may not have carried the reputation of Royal Liverpool or Sunningdale – despite the venue being home to the Australian PGA – but such was the hive of activity that Addison realised it was the blueprint for how modern lifestyle resorts could thrive alongside the traditional methods of the long-standing members’ club.

“It gave me an understanding that unless you were at the very top end of the club ladder, then you had to offer more than just golf,” says Addison, a PGA advanced professional in the UK and Australia who also holds PGA Advanced status in Golf Coaching.

“At those clubs where there is so much history, the golf sells itself. People dare not give up their membership for the fear of not getting back in. You pay whatever it is to be a member and that is that.

“But you must be in the very top tier otherwise you will not survive now. Joining fees and waiting lists have their place at these clubs but people won’t pay them or wait on them if they know they can get a better experience elsewhere.

“The Sandhurst Club looked to get as many people through the door as they could because they knew they would spend money somewhere; they wanted to get people on the golf courses and with 1,200 members they did just that, but they wanted to get people into the health club and spa; they wanted to sell wedding packages. They did not want to rely on the golf alone.”

It is this outlook that Addison has taken with him on the next leg of a career where his eyes are always open to the challenge as director of golf at Apes Hill Barbados.

Having been in the role a little over a year, Addison has enjoyed a front-row seat during one of the most exciting developments with the course having recently reopened to its members following a redesign by acclaimed designer Ron Kirby and heavy investment from Canadian owner and investor Glenn J. Chamandy.

The 18-hole championship layout – with its reputation for being a bucket-list venue – has been turning heads since Kirby first started work on it in 2019 and is set to establish itself as one of the best courses in the Caribbean.

Yet there is so much more to the Apes Hill story. The resort is an ultra-experiential community where a thriving real-estate project is underway with a phased opening throughout 2023.

Nature reigns supreme across 475 acres made up of undulating gullies and tropical vegetation in a community for golf lovers and those seeking an exceptional lifestyle in an inspiring setting. Recreational facilities include nature hiking trails, fishing, fitness courts and a health club.

The venue is in the process of adding a par-3 layout that will be perfect for both those looking to sharpen up their short games and families who don’t want to take on the full 18 holes.

An island-style 19th hole brings another element of fun to your visit while a state-of-the-art performance centre is being hailed as one of the best in the world, with a modern and contemporary clubhouse set to complement the rugged beauty of its natural surroundings.

“If you have never been to Barbados and you want to play golf, then Apes Hill is a must-play layout,” Addison says.

“There are unique views over the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. It is a fantastic piece of land – and the course is so well-rounded with not just one unique-selling point.

“But I would say that Apes Hill is a cross-generational venue that can be enjoyed by all. By that I do not think, as good and as exciting as the golf course is, that it is only about that.

“We want people to come and play a fantastic course, but our Performance Centre matches up with anything there is in a global sense and not just the Caribbean, while the par-3 course is a really nice addition for people who don’t necessarily want to tackle the main layout.”

Another key factor in the vision for Addison and Apes Hill Barbados comes with sustainability. The fairways have been re-laid with drought-tolerant turf Zorro Zoysia and the greens with Bermuda grass, TifEagle, which will help reduce the number of sprinklers needed from 1,800 to 800.

To add to this, the construction of a reservoir that can hold 58 million gallons of rainwater will help fully irrigate the resort, while hundreds of trees, fruits and vegetables have been planted around the property.

“When we started from scratch, we were able to have that conversation as to what you really want to do.” Addison says.

“Starting this project in recent years has allowed us to create the course with sustainability at the forefront of our minds. As a result, we are impacting on the environment far less.”

Addison says golfers will be beguiled by Kirby’s design, claiming the layout has been beautifully crafted throughout. After a gentle opening, the course begins to bare its teeth with some high-drama tee shots adding to the challenge and a run of holes on the inward stretch with jaw-dropping views, especially from the 12th to the 15th, before reaching the layout’s signature Cave Hole at 16.

“That hole really does have the DNA of Barbados,” Addison laughs. “You have the cave in the background, water in front of the tee, and from the Championship tee you can see the Atlantic Ocean behind you and the Caribbean Sea in front. You have palm trees, monkeys, coral rocks – it covers everything that Barbados is genetically famous for.”

Like all new developments, Addison’s first year at Apes Hill has not always been smooth with lengthy lead times making stock management difficult.

But overall, it has been a challenge he has been determined to meet head on, utilising the skills honed from 19 years in the industry where he has always kept an eye on the bigger picture with the opportunity to stamp his own mark on matters.

“When I started out in the industry all those years ago at Royal Liverpool, my role was very much all based around golf operations, and although it was different at Sunningdale in terms of the environment I was in, I knew if I was to develop my skillset into a more senior role, I needed to become more rounded.

“Being exposed to all areas of the golf resort, as I was at Sandhurst, taught me so much and it is what I am seeing and appreciating at Apes Hill.

“But what I have really loved and appreciated is having the opportunity to work and be part of a project where you are seeing something develop from a blank canvas. Everything has been thought through in great detail and because of that I think we have something very special on our hands at Apes Hill Barbados.”