Article by Theresa Storm.
For seasoned pros or wanna-be golfers of all skill levels, the Caribbean islands are a haven, boasting world-class courses with breathtaking views and challenging fairways. The global golf market, including golf tourism, is valued at more than $20 billion US and is steadily growing.
Ready to golf? Book a tee time at these Caribbean courses, where visitors can get in the swing of things.
Barbados: Sun, Sea, and Seriously Good Golf
Barbados greens, blue skies, and a perfect putt in progress; photo courtesy of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.
With its year-round tropical climate and impeccably maintained championship courses integrated into stunning natural landscapes, Barbados is one of the top Caribbean islands for golf. Unlike larger golf hubs, Barbados offers a curated selection of world-class 18-hole courses, prioritizing quality over quantity, with public access at some and exclusive play at others.
Sandy Lane includes three Tom Fazio-designed masterpieces. The Green Monkey (7,389 yards, par 71) is ranked amongst the world’s most exclusive courses, carved through limestone quarries with dramatic elevation changes and ocean views. It’s a bucket-list must-play. The Country Club (par 72, 7,060 yards) offers a more forgiving layout, ideal for all skill levels. And The Old Nine (par 36, 3,345 yards) spans the original Sandy Lane estate.
The Royal Westmoreland, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. creation (6,870 yards, par 72) on a former sugar estate, is known for challenging par threes, lush fairways through rolling hills, and its elite status (Golf Digest once ranked it #16 outside the USA). Members have priority but the course is open to the public at select times.
Set in a tropical oasis through rainforest gullies and occasionally a troop of Barbados Green monkeys, the 18-hole, 7,041-yard, par 71 Apes Hill championship course by the late Ron Kirby finishes with a unique 19th-hole island green to settle a tied match. It also has a par three short course and a state-of-the-art practice and Performance Centre.
Also redesigned by Ron Kirby, the Barbados Golf Club’s 18-hole links-style course at Rockley (6,805 yards, par 72) is the island’s main public option and offers professional instruction, welcoming beginners and pros alike.
Jamaica: Lush Fairways, Mountain Views & Ocean Breezes
Just imagine the views! Photo courtesy of White Witch Golf Course; photographer Sheldon Levene
With nine courses peppering Jamaica, golf enthusiasts have lots of choice.
Opened in 1958 in the rolling hills of St. Catherine Parish, Caymanas Golf Club is one of the oldest and most prestigious. Designed by Canadian architect Howard Watson, 18 challenging holes (par 72, 6,844 yards) spans over 47 hectares of lush greenery cut by a natural spring.
The Tryall Club in Montego Bay is a top pick for golf enthusiasts. This 18-hole, 6,772-yard, par 72, Audubon-certified course was designed in 1958 by Ralph Plummer and was recently modernized. On hole seven, play your shot through the stone pillars of the historical aqueduct that supplied the sugar plantation’s waterwheel.
In St. James, the par 72, 18-hole Cinnamon Hill Golf Course at Rose Hall features elements of both links and inland golf. Designed by Von Hagge and Baril, Cinnamon Hill winds through the picturesque ruins of an 18th century English sugar plantation, featuring dramatic hilltop views of the Caribbean and the Cinnamon Hill Great House. Just three months after Hurricane Melissa, Cinnamon Hill is in very good condition, the course reports.
Also in Rose Hall, the 18-hole White Witch Golf Course, part of the Ritz-Carlton Resort, is carved out of 243 hectares of the historic Rose Hall Plantation’s lush greenery and rolling countryside. The par 71, 6,859-yard course is characterized by mountainous terrain, cool trade winds, colourful foliage and spectacular ocean views from 16 holes. One of the Caribbean’s top golf courses, White Witch was designed by architects von Hagge and Baril. The former describes the course as “alluringly dangerous and unpredictable” and golfers are advised of shifting winds. Heavily damaged by the hurricane, the clubhouse is closed but the course had little damage other than downed trees. Open seasonally November through April.
The Islands of The Bahamas: Island-Hopping Tee Times & Turquoise Views
Chasing daylight and perfect putts in The Bahamas; photo courtesy of the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board.
Nassau Paradise Island, New Providence
On Paradise Island’s east end, the private Tom Weiskopf-designed Ocean Club Golf Course welcomes guests of The Ocean Club or Atlantis Paradise Island. Stretching over 7,100 yards, the crosswinds are challenging on the 18-hole, par 72 championship course, even for experienced players. At the Ocean Club Golf Academy, PGA-certified golf instructors provide lessons to up your game.
In Nassau’s Baha Mar resort development, the Royal Blue, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, is ranked first in the Bahamas and top 20 overall on Golfweek’s Best of 2024 list. Uniquely designed as two courses in one, this 18-hole, par-72 course spans 7,189 yards over undulating fairways, rolling white sand dunes, limestone “moonscapes” and elevation changes. Tee placements are adjusted daily for weather and playing conditions.
Freeport, Grand Bahama Island
The Grand Lucayan’s 18-hole championship Reef Course was named by Golfer Magazine one of the world’s Top 100 courses. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the 6,909-yard open links-style course features close-cropped fairways scattered with bunkers, water hazards and grassy rough and 13 holes play off water. The greens are large and mostly flat. To achieve a low score, players require a solid short game. Open weekends only.
Anguilla: One Legendary Course, Endless Ocean Vistas
Offering breathtaking views overlooking the sea and Saint Martin in the distance, the Aurora International Golf Club was designed by Greg Norman. Photo courtesy of the Aurora International Golf Club.
Anguilla’s only golf experience, the Aurora Anguilla Golf Resort is home to two Greg Norman-designed links courses, featuring the signature International Course, last year honored by Caribbean Journal as the Caribbean’s Golf Resort of the Year, and Avalon Links, a newer nine-hole short course. Both feature stunning views of Rendezvous Bay.
The par 72, 7,165-yard, 18-hole Aurora International course challenges golfers. On the tee box of the 384-yard starting hole, players enjoy a spectacular view of Saint Martin and the Caribbean Sea. The experience continues with holes 2 and 10 sharing a 1,486-square-metre green running along Rendezvous Beach and the Anguilla Channel. It ends with one of the most challenging finishing holes in the Caribbean, a demanding tee shot over a salt pond, then a 12-metre ascent to a narrow green guarded by three large bunkers.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Interested in other Caribbean golfing destinations? Visit our list of Caribbean golf courses for more inspiration.
Article and photography Theresa Storm.
A four-month-long solo island-hopping adventure through the Caribbean 28 years ago ignited Theresa’s passion for the tropics, culture, nature and trying new adventures.
Back home in Calgary, her increasingly restless, itchy feet soon led to a career writing about travel worldwide. She loves escaping winter for warmer climes, especially to the Caribbean, which has long felt like her real home.
As an award-winning travel writer and photographer, she’s penned scores of articles for magazines, newspapers and e-zines, and contributed to books including Caribbean Escapes and the first edition of DK Eyewitness Caribbean.
Her articles and photographs have been published in magazines including Bon Vivant, Extraordinary Experiences and Vacations (Ensemble Travel Group), Wanderlust (U.K.), Avenue Calgary, WestJet (WestJet Airline’s in-flight), Morning Calm (Korean Air’s in-flight), LUXE Magazine Canada, AAA publications, Cruise & Travel Lifestyles, Dreamscapes and Today’s Parent.
She is a two-time winner of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Canadian Travel Writer of the Year award and twice won CTO’s best photograph with a feature article and best online feature. She also was honoured with the Travel Media Association of Canada’s excellence in Caribbean travel writing award.
