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4 weeks ago
It’s not about the arms, it’s not about the shoulders, it’s not about the legs – it’s all about this. This here,’ says golfing legend Gary Player, punching himself repeatedly in the stomach before belting an innocent golf ball 300 yards into oblivion.
Player – nicknamed ‘the Black Knight’ on account of his penchant for all-black clothing – celebrated his 89th birthday on 1 November and, in typically droll fashion, claims to have ‘hit more golf balls than any other leading player of my generation’. Why? ‘Because all the others are dead…’
In contrast, the South African-born, nine-times major championship winner and World Golf Hall of Famer is so very much alive that people half his age struggle to keep pace as he strides away from the driving range towards the first hole at The Peaks, his latest course design and the first golfing venue to be developed in Montenegro.
Currently under construction, with nine holes due to be completed in 2026 and all 18 finished by 2028, the course joins only 10 percent in the world with sea views from every hole.
Steep gradients will mean an elevation difference of more than 200 metres between the highest and lowest points, resulting in fairways of a multi-tiered design and relatively small greens – but, says Player, the course will appeal to golfers of all levels of experience and ability. ‘We’ve designed it to be enjoyable for everyone, not daunting – one of the great things about golf is that it can be the most inclusive game in the world. Anyone from the age of nine to 90 can enjoy it.’
Once completed, The Peaks will also feature a swish clubhouse, a fully-equipped driving range, a training academy and Luštica Bay’s first golf residences, the initial phase of which, the Botanika neighbourhood, will comprise 44 high-end villas, 21 townhouses and 80 apartments.
The course and its homes will be the pièce de résistance of a remarkable project that has been gradually taking shape during the past decade on Montenegro’s delightful Luštica Peninsula, which so far includes a sweeping superyacht marina with 115 berths and a brand new, impressively traditional-looking village that scrambles up the rocky hillside and faces the glittering Adriatic. Six more hotels are planned.
The Luštica peninsula on which the €1.5bn development is taking shape links the Adriatic with Boka Bay, a UNESCO-protected heritage site, and will eventually accommodate 3,000 apartments, 300 villas with sea views and seven hotels (including the five-star Chedi Luštica Bay hotel, already in situ).
A few minutes’ drive away you’ll find Centrale, an urban enclave that’s described as ‘the beating heart’ of Luštica Bay, complete with its own piazza which serves as a node connecting multiple small streets that are gradually being populated with bars, restaurants and shops.
A fourth and final neighbourhood yet to get under way will be called Horizon, an additional collection of homes which will be built on elevated ground overlooking the bay – and the horizon of the Adriatic.
While the number of proposed properties may seem large, developer Orascom has a track record of creating enclaves that enhance, rather than detract, from the places in which they are built. Examples include Andermatt Swiss Alps (a little known and fairly desolate place before being transformed into a cool, luxury resort) and El Gouna on the Red Sea in Egypt.
As with both of the above, the completed Luštica Bay development will leave the large majority of the area within its curtilage natural, with just 10 percent of the total site of 690 hectares (that’s five times the size of Monaco) remaining untouched.
But if you’re looking for what remains an undiscovered haven of peace, tranquility, luxury and generally fabulous weather, I would recommend a visit to Luštica sooner rather than later – because it seems set to become a hot spot that will put Montenegro well and truly on the tourist map.
It’s easy to get to, with a trio of airports nearby, all of which have car hire facilities to enable this mountainous, historic and truly spectacular country to be explored to the full.
That said, there’s more than enough to do in Lustica Bay itself ranging from its five beaches and near seven kilometres of coastline to the vibrant night (and day) spots around the Marina Village and in Centrale.
Just be careful not to overindulge – as the Black Knight says, ‘it’s all about the stomach…’
For more information, visit lusticabay.com.
