Caribbean
The lure of the Caribbean islands is strong. Prospects of warm
weather and a needed respite from the perils of modern living
make the region a fine escape. Pair that with a geography exceedingly
tropical and seemingly remote, despite the fact that the islands
can be reached via a twin prop from most Eastern cities, and
you have a bona fide vacation winner. Now, throw in golf far
better than most people have ever imagined, and you have the
incentive to start packing immediately, especially if your itinerary
includes Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
Golf in Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico is rich, dating
back several decades. Although the somewhat gentrified nature
of the game clashes a bit with the nations’ island culture,
it is nonetheless embraced and respected. In fact, you can sense
the pride each country has for its golf facilities, from the
caddies to the locals in the grillroom interested in knowing
how you fared. For purists, the Caribbean is a true golf treat.
JAMAICA
For years, golf in Jamaica was synonymous with Tryall
and Half
Moon Bay, two privately run resorts on the island’s
northwest shore. Visitors to Tryall or Half Moon were treated
to the luxurious elegance befitting their English landowner
heritage, with accommodations ranging from suites to large homes
complete with full-service staff. That continues today, but
with a recent modernization of golf that should bring them back
to prominence. The Tryall layout plays over the remains of a
former coconut grove, and features some relatively dramatic
change in elevation, given its seaside locale. It’s a
shotmaker’s course that doesn’t disappoint. Half
Moon Bay is relatively flat, but is surprisingly long. Wide
fairways make it an easier challenge than its 7,115 yards would
indicate, although the constant breeze presents a challenge.
You’ll need a caddy as your 15th club.
The old-world elegance of Tryall and Half Moon Bay is augmented
by the pure elegance found just outside Montego Bay at the Ritz-Carlton
Rose Hall. The 428-room Ritz has as its centerpiece the
Robert von Hagge designed White Witch, a course named after
the 19th-century sugar plantation owner who, legend has, abused
her slaves and murdered three husbands. The name is apt, as
the White Witch can seemingly make balls disappear and putts
break in every direction. There’s no sugar coating the
fact that the Witch is a test, but the views are worth the challenge,
even if you lose. Ocean vistas on no less than 16 holes and
from the magnificent clubhouse are free with every greens fee.
A fantastic course that features some of the spine-tingling
chills of the White Witch and the recreational playability of
Tryall and Half Moon is Cinnamon Hill, at Wyndham
Rose Hall. Recently upgraded by von Hagge, Cinnamon Hill
is one of the most varied golf courses you’ll ever play.
For a stretch, the course hugs the sea so tightly, there are
a few opportunities to lose your ball in the island’s
biggest water hazard. For another spell, the course winds up
and down through the foothills, then blows straight into the
jungle until Nos. 17 and 18 run you through the remains of an
old sugar mill back to the safety of the clubhouse. It’s
a must-play track full of character and the spice you’d
expect from a Caribbean locale.
BAHAMAS
There are over 700 islands that comprise the Bahamas. For golfers,
consider only three: Grand Bahama Island, New Providence and
Great Exuma, home to a new Four Seasons Resort and a Greg Norman-designed
stunner that’s garnering rave reviews.
On GBI rests the sleepy town of Freeport, home to three Joe
Lee-designed courses from the 1960s during what could be considered
the island’s heyday. A recent multi-million dollar investment
in the town signals the onset of another, spear-headed by Our
Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort. This stunning property houses
over 1,000 guest rooms, yet is surprisingly homey. Furthermore,
it can call its own what was the first new course in the Bahamas
in over 30 years, when construction on the Robert Trent Jones
Jr. Reef Course was completed in 2000. The Reef is noteworthy
in that it’s a links-style layout nearly devoid of trees.
Jones allows the opportunity to play several different types
of shots into the greens, placing emphasis on the short game
rather than length off the tee. For a more tropical round, consider
Our Lucaya’s second 18, the original Lucayan Course. This
Joe Lee design from 1964 gets better every year, with a dizzying
array of doglegs cut through lush tropical foliage. It’s
the best course you’ve never heard of.
What you probably have heard of is what’s happening on
Paradise Island, a small stretch of island connected by a land
bridge to Nassau on New Providence. The Atlantis mega-resort
is there, as in a Tom Weiskopf redesign of a classic Joe Lee
course at the recently renovated Ocean
Club. Built in the 1960s, the resort is amazing, and the
course is no less spectacular. Excess foliage was removed to
provide more ocean views and the room to build several seaside
tee boxes. Like most Oceanside layouts, water and wind are the
main obstacles to scoring. Get on while it’s still open
to Atlantis guests.
PUERTO RICO
Watch out for Puerto Rico on the golf destination radar. Already
known as an excellent vacation spot, with 15 established resorts
featuring world-class golf, a solid half-dozen more are in the
works. To keep up with new course openings, visit www.gotopuertorico.com.
Of course, the new kids on the island will have a tough time
one-upping what’s already laid out on Puerto Rico, including
the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort and its dramatic Arthur Hills
design, and the Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar Beach & Golf
Resort, home to a course designed by Puerto Rico’s favorite
golfing son, Chi Chi Rodriguez. They’ll have even more
trouble replacing what has defined Puerto Rican golf for nearly
50 years – Hyatt
Dorado Beach. Once the personal playground of Laurence Rockefeller,
Dorado Beach, which sits on 1,000 stunning oceanfront acres
about 20 miles from San Juan, oozes class. The two Robert Trent
Jones courses (paired by two others at the Hyatt’s sister
property in Cerromar Beach) have recently received renovation
by Raymond Floyd, who attempted to make the course a stiffer
challenge, considering recent advanced in equipment. Nonetheless,
classic Jones hallmarks such as runway tee boxes and strategically
placed fairway bunkers remain. The West course at Dorado Beach
is an ingenious layout. Jones positioned fairways so that the
player must hit into each point on the compass, challenging
even the most skilled golfer to reckon with the prevailing wind
direction on every hole. The East course, like all the Hyatt
18s, is lush with gentle drops and rises in elevation. The calling
card of the East is the par-5 4th, which Jack Nicklaus has called
on of the world’s toughest holes. The double-dogleg fairway
forces the aggressive player to hit two shots over water to
hit the green in two. The approach plays straight toward the
beach. If any of the new holes on Puerto Rico are as good as
this, golf travelers are in for a real treat. |
