When the European sun starts to fade, the Caribbean is the first port of call for many a golf traveller. We take an island-by-island look at the golfing options
Dominican Republic
It’s got the white-sand beaches, mountainous backdrops, colonial architecture and, of course, excellent rum cocktails — there’s plenty of reasons to visit the Dominican Republic, not least the 20 golf courses, which make it the best and most varied golf destination in the region.
Forming the eastern half of the island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic’s heritage is Spanish, but substantial investment from the US means hospitality is now primarily aimed at the American market — with golfers a key component.
Flight links from the UK are excellent, with the two big golfing centres, Punta Cana and Casa da Campo (Romana), each having airports close to the action. Flight time is nine hours, and, handily, no visas or vaccinations are needed by British travellers.
It’s perfect for sun, sea, families, casinos and golf, although its large resorts, which many visitors seldom leave, are more international than Caribbean.
The two-hotel, 1,900-room Barceló Bávaro Grand Resort (barcelobavarogolf.net) at Punta Cana has its own course, The Lakes, with several more tracks including Corales, a Tom Fazio layout, and Pete Dye’s superb La Cana nearby. The gentle 6,655-yard Lakes course (green fees from £116), recently refurbished by PB Dye, is suitable for players of all standards, with terrific practice facilities and helpful teaching pros.
Next to the svelte Amanera resort, Playa Grande (playagrande.com, green fees from £242) is a classic clifftop affair designed by Robert Trent Jones, revamped by his son Rees Jones. Reminiscent of Pebble Beach, 10 of the 18 holes play over or around the crashing surf below. At 7,085 immaculate yards with generous fairways, it’s challenging from the back tees but still enjoyable for mid-handicappers.
Casa de Campo (casadecampo.com.do) has three Pete Dye courses, with his Teeth of the Dog (green fees from £145) regularly voted the best 18 holes in the Caribbean. Chiselled out of the coral, the back tees are strictly for scratch players, with even the front ones challenging. The 27 holes of Dye Fore are scenic, if tough, while the inland Links provides some relief for average players.
St. Kitts and Nevis
Now a genuine golfing hub with strong British links, this twin island federation epitomises the Caribbean the way it used to be 25 years ago. There are direct BA flights from Gatwick to St. Kitts, the larger of the two islands, with Nevis only a 10-minute water-taxi ride away over the Narrows.
St. Kitts has two courses and two international hotels: the three-star Marriott, and the new five-star Park Hyatt, part of the ritzy Christophe Harbour development, which will also have a Tom Fazio course in a few years. On Frigate Bay, opposite the Marriot, you’ll find the 6,851-yard Royal St. Kitts (royalstkittsgolfclub.com, green fees from £124), which is ideal for the first day of a golf trip. The opening holes play inland followed by a spectacular closing stretch back along the ocean — low scoring is difficult, but the design isn’t so penal that higher handicappers won’t have fun. Rates are reasonable, particularly for Marriott guests.
Irie Fields is a recently opened, Ian Woosnam-designed 18-holer toward the northwestern tip of St. Kitts at the Kittitian Hill resort (kittitianhill.com. Only a modest 6,500 yards, it isn’t long but this part of the island is breezy, so the demanding green complexes and sloping fairways make this probably the most challenging of the federation’s three full-length courses.
Nevis is quieter and more upmarket than St. Kitts, with a plush Four Seasons resort, four historic plantation inns — especially popular with British travellers — fine restaurants, and one course.
At the Four Seasons (fourseasons.com/nevis, green fees from £171) you’ll find the Robert Trent Jones II course which is one of the best in the region.
On the lower slopes of the 3,232ft Peak, even low handicappers find the mountainous 6,766-yard track plays longer than its yardage, as it winds up steep slopes and across jungle-engorged ravines before plunging back down to finish next to Pinney’s Beach.
Barbados
Slighter larger than the Isle of Wight, Barbados is one of the Caribbean’s smarter islands and has been a British favourite for many years, with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand having holiday homes on island. One of the big attractions is the golf — six good 18-hole courses make Barbados a true centre of golfing excellence.
BA, Virgin and Thomas Cook all fly direct from regional airports as well as London, so flights are reasonable, but as with all Caribbean routes, there are substantial price and seasonal variations.
The so-called Platinum or Leeward Coast of the island has most of the resorts and is getting quite built up — all the golf clubs are on this western side.
The luxurious Sandy Lane resort (sandy lane.com) has 112 rooms and suites, a spa and fine dining plus 45 holes of golf: two 18-holers, the Green Monkey (green fees from £180) and the Country Club, and the half-length, Old Nine. “You need two things to make a great course: dollars and dynamite,” Tom Fazio quipped about his 7,343-yard Green Monkey. For good golfers, it’s a must-play masterpiece.
The Robert Trent Jones Jr. 7,045-yard Royal Westmoreland course (royalwestmoreland.com, green fees from £150) has some of the best par-threes in the world, according to sometime resident Ian Woosnam. Other holes feature jungle-filled gorges which can be intimidating in the swirling trade winds. Practice facilities are good, and players can enjoy the magnificent colonial-style clubhouse after their round.
The country club at Apes Hill (apeshillclub.com, green fees from £157) has two swimming pools, tennis courts and a polo field, but it’s the immaculate 7,049-yard course that’s the main event. Generous fairways and strategically located bunkers ensure a challenging set-up for scratch golfers, but novices will also enjoy playing from the 5,000-yard-long forward tees. Villa rental is the option here.
Jamaica
Compared with smaller Caribbean islands, parts of Jamaica feel like the big city. The music scene here is pretty special, with Bob Marley still the reggae patron saint, and while there have been some issues in the past, most hotels and resorts are perfectly safe.
Visitor numbers in 2017 were up 10%, boosted by roaring cruise line business and low-cost flights from the US. Both Thomson and Thomas Cook fly from five UK airports to Montego Bay (MBJ), Virgin flies to the same airport, and BA flies to Kingston (KIN).
The Montego Bay area has five 18-hole courses and a host of resorts at different price points, so is good choice for golfers.
Set in 400 acres of luscious gardens just east of Montego Bay, the 197-room, 31-villa Half Moon family resort (halfmoon.com/golf) is an old-school gem currently being extensively renovated. Home in the past to the Jamaican Open and a European Seniors tournament, the 7,141-yard Robert Trent Jones course (green fees from £150), recently renovated by Roger Rulewich, features aggressive bunkering and undulating greens — all very demanding.
Nearby, on the Rose Hall Estate, Robert von Hagge’s excellent White Witch (whitewitchgolf.com, green fees from £135) is reputed to be haunted by wicked 19th-century plantation mistress Annee Palmer. Well known for difficult set-ups, the designer has created a 6,859-yard, par-71 challenge that combines sea views on 16 holes with some distinctly mountainous terrain. His 18-hole Cinnamon Hill track is right next door.
Twenty-three kilometres to the west of Montego Bay, the Audubon-certified Tryall Club (tryallclub.com, green fees from £112) hosted the World Championship won by Fred Couples in 1995. Described as a “mix of fun and challenge”, the 6,836-yard course meanders between the shoreline, the Flint River and deep ravines. Together with new irrigation, all 18 green complexes have been reconstructed over the past two years.
Bahamas
The 700 islands of the Bahamas lie south-east of Florida, and although the country has British roots, the vibe now is quite American. Fully independent since 1973, it’s one of the most prosperous countries in the region — so not really the place for ‘budget’ holidays.
The international airport in the capital Nassau on New Providence island has direct flights from the UK and excellent connections to Miami. The famous and recently revamped Atlantis resort and casino is on Paradise Island just across the causeway from downtown Nassau.
New Providence has three courses — the Ocean Club, Lyford Cay and Albany — with others on Great Exuma, Abaco and Grand Bahama all accessible by island hopper.
Part of the luxury One&Only resort (oneandonlyresorts.com) on Paradise Island, the Ocean Club (standard green fees from £220) also discounts green fees to Atlantis guests. The Tom Weiskopf-designed 7,100-yard course, which holds an annual Michael Jordan-hosted Pro-Am, is a manicured 18-hole affair with lovely sea views, defended by stiff trade winds straight off the Atlantic, numerous water hazards and vast white-sand bunkers.
Both Sean Connery’s and this writer’s favourite Bahamian course is the Abaco Club (theabacoclub.com, green fees from £132) at Winding Bay on Great Abaco. Designed by Donald Steel, Abaco might best be described as a ‘tropical links’, with six holes along the seashore, classic pot bunkers, springy Paspalum turf, palm trees and giant rollercoaster greens — think ‘Scottish with a tan’.
The Reefs on Grand Bahama is part of the large Grand Lucayan Resort (grandlucayan.com, green fees from £68). At 6,909 yards, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, it’s a links-style course with large greens and acres of bunkers. Thanks to several lakes, water is in play on 13 holes — all in all it’s a good resort setup that works equally well for low and high handicappers.
Bermuda
Only 21 square miles in size, this British Overseas Territory is a golfing paradise with six fine courses. Thought of as the Caribbean, Bermuda is more accurately in the Atlantic, so the flight time from London is only seven-and-a-half hours. The island is also a sailing hub and hosted the 2017 America’s Cup.
Combining dramatic ocean-side cliffs, undulating terrain and lush greenery, Robert Trent Jones’s 6,842-yard Port Royal (portroyalgolfcourse.com, green fees from £116) hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 2009 to 2014, so is a true championship set-up. Mid-Ocean is also world class, but has only limited public access.
Anguilla
Getting to Anguilla for British travellers involves a connection through St. Martin or Antigua, but once there this small island has some of the best beaches in the Caribbean and new hotels at a range of prices.
The 7,063-yard 18-hole Greg Norman CuisinArt course (cuisinartresort.com, green fees from £192), attached to the 98-key hotel of the same name, has been completely refurbished over the past few years and is now in outstanding shape. Relatively flat, like the rest of Anguilla, the only course on the island meanders past lagoons and salt ponds with dramatic sea views. Nearby hotels include a Four Seasons and the boutique Mallihouana.
Curaçao
One of the three Dutch ABC islands, along with Aruba and Bonaire, just off the Venezuelan coast, Curaçao is best known for its liqueur, but it also has two 18-hole courses plus a nine-holer.
Pete Dye’s Old Quarry 6,946-yard par-72 course (oldquarrygolfcuracao.com, green fees from £147) is part of the reasonably priced Santa Barbara Beach and Golf Resort. Starting by the ocean before heading inland past an old limestone quarry, it’s a fun challenge for travellers already on the island enjoying the diving, fishing, sailing and casinos. The other 18-hole course is attached to the
Blue Bay Resort.
