Vacations to the Caribbean are usually about chilling out with a beer on the beach, with the golf options limited to a casual round on a bland resort course that's more of an afterthought than an attraction. Anguilla still offers half of that proposition, but the island's golf appeal has taken a quantum leap forward.

Designed by Greg Norman, Temenos Golf Club opened in November at the St. Regis Resort, and has one of the most memorable opening holes anywhere: stunning panoramas of St. Maarten and the Caribbean Sea, followed by a four-story drop to a green that sits dangerously close to a saltwater lagoon.

With its charitably wide fairways and large but shallow bunkers, the 7,063-yard, par- 72 track is an ideal vacation course. Still, you'll find plenty of challenge here: from the dune-laced, 440-yard 16th hole, which climbs to an elevated green overlooking Rendezvous Bay, to the beachside double-green that serves Nos. 2 and 10. Time will tell how the ambiance at Temenos is affected by plans for a 100-room hotel and a 28,000-square-foot clubhouse, but right now the thought foremost in the minds of those walking off the final green is obtaining another tee time, not finding a spot on the beach.

Greens fees: $250-$400.
Call 264-222-8200 or visit troongolf.com.