THE ABACO CLUB, an exclusive lifestyle club and resort-style community situated along the shores of Winding Bay in the Bahamas, has plans to add 36 beachfront villa residences known as The Cays. Developed and managed by Southworth Development, the private Bahamian club’s expansion also includes a beach club with an oceanfront pool, new wellness offerings, […]

It’s no surprise that the pandemic changed the way people viewed the world and went about their daily lives. One thing that became clear is that having a safe place to go in the event of another spike or global virus is important to many. And for some, that meant having access to paradise.

First came signature golf courses, then beach clubs, and now all eyes are on pickleball courts.

A new residential neighborhood of 36 oceanfront homes, from a team of world-class planners and designers, will soon grace a two-mile stretch of beach in the Bahamas. The Cays will be a new neighborhood created to complement the existing Abaco Club on Winding Bay. The club was designed primarily to serve the owners of second, […]

Golf communities in vacation destinations are revamping their courses, their facilities and their recreational offerings to attract younger buyers and visitors. But what seems to unify their approach in warm weather destinations around the Caribbean, the Bahamas and the coastal areas of the southern United States can be summed up in one word: pickleball.

Why belong to just one private club when you can enjoy full membership privileges at five of them? That’s the idea be-hind the unique reciprocity program offered by Southworth Development, owner and manager of two luxe private clubs in Massachusetts and three more in other highly desirable destinations. Thanks to this program, members at Renaissance […]

Unlike its boisterous counterparts in the Bahamas, The Abaco Club on Winding Bay is a quiet refuge from the world. Abaco is home to a Scottish-style links course — that’s right, a links course in the Bahamas — designed by Donald Steel and Tom Mackenzie. Sadly, in September 2019, Category 5 Hurricane Dorian wreaked havoc […]

When Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas on Labor Day, 2019, it left death and destruction in its wake. In Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco, and at the Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club on Great Guana Cay, the destruction was almost total. Yet just 18 miles away, The Abaco Club fared well enough to reopen […]

Korn Ferry Tour, together with the PGA TOUR, raised $10,000 for the Abaco-Winding Bay Relief Fund at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, which was held at Baha Mar this year as recovery efforts continued on Abaco. Abaco Club Superintendent Matt DiMase and the club’s maintenance crew were on site to accept the generous contribution.

Dr. Jim Hull has been traveling bringing his mobile medical unit all around Abaco offering medical care to residents in need.  The mobile medical unit was purchased with the funds from The Abaco-Winding Bay Relief Fund.

In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Dorian’s destruction, The Abaco Club launched relief efforts to support those impacted on the island. In this Golf Digest article, Brian Wacker highlights the Club’s GoFundMe page, the relief efforts already underway, and how you can help survivors.

Whatever you envision to get away from it all—a secluded beach, a beach bar, a golf course’s oceanside green, a soothing spa treatment—it can be found at The Abaco Club. And as Southern Boating‘s Steve Davis discovered on his recent visit, it’s also the ideal place for boaters to drop anchor.

When a vacation leaves a lasting impression, some trade conference calls for spa treatments and make paradise their permanent home. Luxe Getaways describes why the barefoot luxury of The Abaco Club is an “Ultimate Community to Call Home.”

“Whether it is a quaint beach cabana, a cottage overlooking the bay or a gorgeous seaside estate all your home-owning ocean dreams can come true,” writes Natalie Deane in this Toronto Sun feature.

On his recent visit, Bill Springer of Ocean Home magazine discovered the countless reasons why Abaco Club visitors soon become members.

The only difference between The Abaco Club and the links courses of the old country? The warm, beautiful weather, according to this feature in The Golfer showcasing the best Caribbean links courses.

For those in search of a wonderful golf course and a luxurious island getaway, look to The Abaco Club – offering a home-away-from-home experience as detailed in this Women & Golf feature.

Beautiful sunsets, outstanding service, and a growing list of amenities on this 453-acre slice of paradise. As Nicole Muj of azureazure magazine discovered on a recent visit, you don’t need to be a golf aficionado to appreciate the splendors of The Abaco Club.

Leigh McKay describes The Abaco Club as a sanctuary for saltwater enthusiasts, avid golfers, trophy-seeking anglers, and land-lubbers alike. Read more about the club’s extensive relaxation/recreation menu in the winter issue of Northeast Golf.

Michael J. Solender recounts his lavish visit to The Abaco Club in this Craveable Carolinas feature. As he describes it, the club is a place where “cares float away with the tide.”

Never one to rest on its laurels, The Abaco Club has plans to enhance the barefoot luxury island experience with a new marina, yacht club, market, beach club, and multi-unit residential buildings. Learn more in this Golf Central feature by Dove Jones.

With its miles of powder-soft beach, a championship links golf course, world-class boating and fishing, and stunning accommodations, The Abaco Club ticks every box for an island oasis and makes the word “luxury” seem like an understatement. Read more in this winter edition of Jet Set Magazine.

As Margie Goldsmith learned during her visit, you don’t have to be an avid golfer or fisherman to enjoy the splendor of The Abaco Club. In this Wine Dine & Travel Magazine feature, Margie indulged in a much-needed reset in The Bahamas.

Discover paradise as Tony Leodora tours the Club and the Abaco islands with members of our staff in this Traveling Golfer showcase.

“…But don’t expect it to stay that way for long,” advises Jared Paul Stern of JustLuxe magazine. Stern describes the Club as a combination of a sporting club and a residential enclave offering a list of resort-style amenities that will have you looking at taking up permanent residence after just one visit.

The Abaco Club is a lifestyle; one that boasts so much more than golf, including an array of water sports, tennis, infinity pool, and spa, and as Alison Root details in this Women & Golf feature, there is an itinerary for all interests!

As Peta Phipps of Caribbean Living experienced during her visit earlier this year, combining relaxed luxury with authentic Bahamian experiences is what The Abaco Club is all about.

After assuming ownership of The Abaco Club in 2014, Southworth Development has continued enhancing its 500-acre oasis, beginning with its 7,111-yard gem of a tropical links course. With those renovations complete, Southworth is turning its sights to amenities galore. What’s in store for Club homeowners and members? Westchester Magazine‘s Dave Donelson shares more in this 2018 golf […]

Tranquillity. Solitude. Barefoot luxury. They’re all a part of The Abaco Club’s model, and, as Shaun Tolson of Ocean Home magazine discovered on his recent visit, it only takes one visit to embrace its appeal.

In its upcoming summer issue, Go Magazine’s Mike  Dojc  describes how he came to expect the unexpected during his visit to the Club last March. From a stress-melting massage to chasing lobsters on a charter expedition, bliss and adventure was at every turn.

As a follow up to her December feature in Forbes Life on why The Abaco Club is the ultimate winter destination, Carrie Coolidge highlights the Club as one of the best in private golf club experiences.

Members, residents, and visitors know it to be true: The Abaco Club is nothing short of a tropical sanctuary and calling it home is like a dream come true. Camilla McLaughlin  of  Unique Homes experienced this for herself on a recent visit to the Club.

The Abaco Club specializes in things money can’t buy: pristine white-sand beach, stunning sunsets, world-class fishing, one-of-a-kind tropical links golf—all the makings of a luxurious, secluded retreat. Avid Golfer‘s Art Stricklin recently discovered our little piece of paradise, writing about it in this February feature.

ForbesLife‘s Carrie Coolidge shares why The Abaco Club is the ultimate winter destination.

The Abaco Club is a luxe haven you won’t want to leave, and you don’t have to. Vanessa Pascale of Miami Living magazine calls the Club “a vacation destination where beauty is seen around every bend turned.”

Relax, recreate, and rejuvenate-The Abaco Club is the ideal tropical paradise to do all three, as highlighted in  The Globe and Mail’s   November feature.

The Abaco Club was highlighted in a recent installment of the Where to Golf Next newsletter as part of a new series on private golf course communities throughout the country, focusing on the people and amenities that make them unique.

All golf destinations are not created equal. The Abaco Club is a private sporting club that serves as a warm-weather oasis for captains of industry from all over the globe and is the antithesis of the typical garish resort. Even more reason for golfers to visit? Its stunning links-style golf course.

From its  links golf course to its tranquil location on Winding Bay, The Abaco Club offers golfers the ultimate opportunity to play and stay in real luxury.

The Abaco Club’s scenic 5th hole was recently named as one the Word’s 18 Most Beautiful Golf Holes by CNN Travel.

This magnificent tropical links course reigns supreme at the top of the Bahamian Leaderboard.

The Abaco Club was recently featured in Upscale, a trendy lifestyle magazine out of Atlanta, Georgia. Experience all that The Abaco Club has to offer to the luxury traveler – Bahamian spa treatments, secluded beaches, and other 5-star amenities.

There’s certain obvious benefits to staying in a hotel – the daily turndown service, the posh robes – but some hotels do one better with their perks. From grill space to on-site vespas to the world’s largest climbing wall, here are the stays with the best benefits.

Luxury travel bloggers, Compass & Twine, recently spent some time at The Abaco Club – enjoying all that the Club has to offer. From bone fishing, to golf, spa treatments, and the rest of the island that The Abaco Club gets to call home to.

At first glance, it may have looked to Golf Channel viewers around the world like the 2017 Scottish Open was be contested for but for a few things. The January date, for one. The warm sunshine, for another. And then there were palm trees.

Unique Homes, the leading media brand for luxury real estate, recently interviewed David Southworth on his inspirations, Southworth Development, and some of his favorite career projects.

Andrew Landry was just 2-over after seven holes Sunday after entering the final round with a share of the lead, but the 29-year-old Texan posted two eagles on the way in to come from behind for a three-shot victory over Jimmy Gunn at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club.  

Abaco is soon to host its first-ever official PGA Tour-sanctioned event. The Web.com Tour, in conjunction with The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and bd Global, LLC, announced that The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic will be held at The Abaco Club the week of January 19-25, featuring a 132-player field and $600,000 purse, with the winner […]

The 2017 Web.com Tour season will open with two events hosted in the  Bahamas next month over the course of a three-week stretch – The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic (January 5-11) at Sandals Emerald Bay, and The Bahamas Abaco Classic (January 19-25) at The Abaco Club.

There are a lot of positives to the Web.com Tour’s announcement that it will begin its 28th season with two events in the Bahamas, the most significant development being that each tournament will begin, rather than end, on Sunday.

The Web.com Tour, in conjunction with The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and bd Global, LLC, last week announced two new events in The Bahamas for its 2017 season. The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic will be contested at Sandals Emerald Bay the week of January 5-11, while The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic will be held at […]

The PGA Tour’s feeder circuit will begin its campaign with two events in the Bahamas, the tour announced on Wednesday. The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic will be played at Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course starting Jan. 5, with the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic to be held at the Abaco Club the week of Jan. 19.

Not too long ago, there was only “must have” for a new resort – golf. Now, the number of features and amenities almost considered mandatory continues to grow, while qualities such as authenticity, heritage and ties to the local culture are emerging as important characteristics. Golf still ranks near the top in desirable resort attributes, […]

With golf’s greatest team event on the horizon, in which the fortunate few test their talents and guts on an international stage for golf immortality–I’m talking about the Coyne Cup, of course–I visited with one of this year’s Ryder Cup captains, seeking counsel for my own upcoming captaincy of Team Coyne versus the coddled and […]

There is a challenging Donald Steel golf course that Darren Clarke can view from his house atop a hill at the stylish Abaco Club, but on the occasion of his 48th birthday last month, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain was more interested in bright blue waters than green paspalum fairways. Down below, glassy Winding Bay and […]

NCG caught up with the Northern Irishman in the Bahamas – fits the persona doesn’t it? – at The Abaco Club, which he has been a member of since it opened over a decade ago. He retreats here whenever he can, and indeed it provided the platform for his Open triumph…

Simply mention that you are going to The Bahamas, stand back, and watch the predictable reaction of friends and family as they exhibit an unattractive mix of astonished disbelief and undiluted envy.

THE BAHAMAS: Golf in the tropics often gets a bad rap. People from all over the world dream of teeing it up and enjoying a relaxing vacation here amongst the picture-postcard palms. But all too often, Caribbean golf courses are flat and featureless—or they’re affiliated with big resorts that care more about cramming guests into hotel rooms than providing a first-class experience. The Abaco Club is different.

Mention you are going to the Bahamas, stand back and watch the predictable reaction of friends and family as they exhibit an unattractive mix of astonished disbelief and undiluted envy. The fact that these inoffensive islands lying just off the southern tip of Florida have come to be synonymous with self-indulgence…

There is a bit of alchemy involved in discovering beautiful properties and transforming them into luxurious, dynamic residential communities. David Southworth, founder of Southworth Development, has been successfully working that kind of magic for decades. Southworth’s current six properties, ranging in location from Cape Cod to the Caribbean, span diverse geographies but share the hallmark standards of natural beauty, resort-style living and first-class amenities.

It’s a Wednesday at The Abaco Club, which means that it’s rib night at Buster’s , the beachside bar along Winding Bay where a local rake-and-scrape performer is putting his unique spin on old pop standards.

Ever since Columbus returned home from the tropics with tales of the region’s warm, gentle climate and its beautiful, natural environment, the Bahamas have been a dream destination for people from across the globe. Most come to escape the cold slap of winter, to dip their toes in crystal-clear waters, and to shed every article of clothing they can while relaxing and soaking-in the sun.

It’s not hard to understand why Christopher Columbus ordered his crew to drop anchor when he stumbled upon The Bahamas back in 1492.
The real question is: how did he ever convince those hardy sailors to leave? This is Paradise with a capital P.

“The Abaco Club has everything money can’t buy,” said David Southworth, president and CEO of Southworth Development. “It’s a gorgeous setting, with a well thought out master plan and a passionate membership. It’s a perfect complement to our existing properties and we look forward to taking this world-class facility to an even higher level.”