Welcome to Canouan

Canouan, Carib for "island of turtles", was until a few years ago one of the less developed islands of the Grenadines. Until the late 18th century the island was inhabited by various Indian tribes until the British finally succeeded in defeating the last of these, the Caribs.

After that a sugar and cotton plantation was established by the Snagg family; they also founded a small boat building/whaling station. When a hurricane devastated most of the plantation in 1921 and Henry Snagg died in 1924 the population of 700 was left to fend for itself by farming, fishing and some worked in the then only hotel, Canouan Beach Hotel.

Recently the north of the island has been sold to a development company which has done much to improve the infrastructure of Canouan and built the luxury Raffles resort, 18 hole golf course and casino. The airport has been enlarged permitting easy access to the island by American Eagle.
Update: From the first of July 2004 the resort will be under the capable management of the famous Raffles chain.

Attractions: beautiful beaches, great hiking, watersports and golf.

Accommodation: A very luxurious 6 bedroom villa!

Press release January 10th 2006: 
Trump Seeks 100 Golfers for $1 Million Invitational
Billionaire Donald J. Trump is looking for 100 golfers to participate in the “Trump Million Dollar Invitational,” a high-stakes golf tournament that will take place in May. The inaugural event will be broadcast worldwide from the Trump International Golf Club at Raffles Resort Canouan Island, The Grenadines.

At a press conference on January 10th at Trump Tower in Manhattan, Trump issued a challenge to golfers around the world: “I am going to personally give $1 million to the one golfer who can prove they have the skill and nerve it takes to survive under the most extreme pressure on one of the world’s most demanding courses. Because I’m not going to just give $1 million away – they’re going to have to take it.”

The event will be held May 21-26. Participation is open to all professional or amateur golfers 18 years of age or older who are not currently members of the PGA, LPGA, Champions, Nationwide or European tours. Entries will be accepted from January 10 through March 31, 2006 at www.trumpmilliondollar.com.

As an invitation-only event, a maximum of 100 players will compete in the 54-hole stroke-play tournament. The entry fee is $15,000 per player. All entry fees collected will be awarded, creating a $1.5 million dollar prize pool. Players are responsible for all travel, lodging, meals and other expenses associated with their participation in the event.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf will be presenting sponsor of the 2006 Trump Million Dollar Invitational. In addition, TaylorMade is the official golf equipment sponsor, adidas is the official apparel/footwear sponsor and Maxfli is the official ball sponsor. “We believe this is going to be a very unique and exciting golf event," said Mark King, TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s CEO. "It is a great fit with our family of brands because it shares our passion for golf, relies on great performances and embraces the spirit of competition. We are proud to partner with the Trump organization to bring this event to life."

Andy Batkin, CEO of Innovative Media Solutions (IMS), noted, “There are no stronger world-class brands than Trump, TaylorMade-adidas and Raffles Resorts. Anyone competing in this event is in for the golf experience of a lifetime on one of the world’s great golf courses in the paradise that is Canouan Island.” The Trump Million Dollar Invitational is a production of Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based IMS and Winnercomm, Inc., America’s largest independent sports production company.

Named “Best of the Best” in 2005 by Robb Report, the Trump International Golf Club at Raffles Resort is one of the Caribbean’s few world-class golf courses. Designed by Jim Fazio, the 18-hole, par-72 course demands accuracy and finesse. The course covers 140 acres that run along the sea, a flat coastal plain and carved hillsides above the bay and resort.

The Event

The Trump Million Dollar Invitational is a three-day, 54-hole stroke-play competition without the benefit of handicap. Players with the 10 lowest scores will advance to the Grand Prize Matches on May 26, 2006. Ties will be broken by a playoff at the Trump International Golf Club and will continue until there are 10 players left who will move on to the Grand Prize Match.

The 10 Grand Prize Match finalists will compete in a nine-hole playoff, where one player will be eliminated on each hole until there are only two players left. The final two will then play the last hole for the $1 million Grand Prize. Ties on each hole will be broken by participation in a skills competition by all players who are tied for the highest score on each hole until one player is eliminated. Skills, which include putting, chipping, sand shots and driving accuracy, will be chosen at the discretion of the tournament director and fully disclosed prior to the commencement of the Grand Prize Matches.

Additional prize monies will be awarded as follows:

2nd Place: $150,000
3rd Place: $90,000
4th Place: $65,000
5th Place: $45,000
6th Place: $40,000
7th Place: $35,000
8th Place: $30,000
9th Place: $25,000
10th Place: $20,000

The Trump Million Dollar Invitational will be televised by ESPN in July 2006 and distributed worldwide. Further details can be found on the event’s website.
 

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