BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, West Indies -- It’s a tiny slice of the West Indies, this island where Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493, pirates lurked and stowed treasure in a hidden lair, where you drive on the left side of the road, and golf tee shots soar high enough to view countless scenes of ocean beauty at Royal St. Kitts Golf Club.

For that matter, where on earth can you play two holes on the Atlantic Ocean (holes 3 and 4) then a short time later tee off on four Caribbean Sea holes (holes 14-17)?

Royal St. Kitts Golf Club opened in 1976 and was designed by Peter Thomson, taking over land that was once a cotton field. But in 2003 the course blossomed when Canadian Thomas McBroom remodeled the 6,859-yard, par-71 layout to include 83 bunkers, 12 lakes, wide fairways, large greens and irrigated seashore paspalum grass that tolerates sea water and is an advanced hybrid turf grass that helps keep the course lush and green all year.

The 15th, Lien says, sits on the highest point with a stunning panorama of the Caribbean Sea and neighboring islands of Saba, St. Maarten and Nevis. This 163-yard par 3 is all downhill and depending on the wind it can be conquered or doubled.

Sixteen, a 390-yard par 4 with the sea left, makes many a golfer push it right demanding a negotiation of palm trees on the second shot. No. 17 can be a bear. It is a 405-yard par 4 with the Caribbean left and a pond right. Thread the needle here before tackling the finale, a 451-yard par 4 that heads back inland with a lake right. When you finish, your numb brain will think it was a par 5, not a 4 if it is against the wind.

“We have people come play every day for a week and they tell me it is different each day because of the wind changing,” Lien said. “You are just not going to get bored.”

This is a golf experience you won’t soon forget. The bunkers are outstanding and the variety the course presents is fun for all levels of player.

The Royal Golf Academy specializes in all levels of golf instruction and offers short-game lessons by the PGA Certified Golf Professionals including Lien and Sean Gradomski. The Royal St. Kitts Golf Club is managed by Marriott Golf. Through its “rounds and rooms” feature at www.marriottgolf.com guests can pre-book tee times at the same time they book rooms.

Bruce Smith, a Buffalo Bills defensive lineman legend, and Dave Henderson, a starting pitcher with the Oakland Athletics, hosted the event, but it was chatterbox Buffalo Bills’ running back Thurman Thomas who stole the awards ceremony. Thomas quipped, “Heck, Eric Dickerson (LA Rams Hall of Fame running back) made more money at SMU than he did playing pro football.”

All of the proceeds from the golf tournament and the silent and live auctions went to Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that works to surgically repair facial deformities in young children around the world.  The event raised more than $20,000, and, with each of these surgical procedures costing only $240, more than 80 children will be able to have their facial deformities repaired for free thanks to the generosity of these stars and others who participated in all of the events.

St. Kitts was once ruled by the sugar cane business, now defunct, but the hotel has a unique fountain at its entrance made out of a sugar-boiling cauldron known as a "copper". It stands as a symbol of St. Kitts' sugar-producing history. All of the coins tossed into the fountain by Royal St. Kitts Hotel & Casino's guests and staff will continue to be donated to the local Children's Home.

Ocean adventures include underwater caves and ancient wrecks. The sand can be black or tan and there are botanical gardens and mountain trails to hike. There are also plans for a thoroughbred racetrack that will also feature greyhound racing at the north end of the island. South Friars Bay wants to develop a place to swim with dolphins.

Perhaps the most well known attraction on St. Kitts is Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, which was designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO in October 2000. It was built over a period of 104 years beginning in 1690, and British authorities consider the fortress to be one of the finest examples of British military architecture in the world. The views of St. Eustatius and Saba from this high point are worth the admission.

A gory battle happened at Bloody Point and Bloody River, named for the massacre of 2,000 indigenous Carib Indians by the English and French militia in 1626.