{"id":1031,"date":"2010-01-11T21:19:38","date_gmt":"2010-01-12T04:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeffwallach.com\/?p=1031"},"modified":"2012-02-12T11:10:54","modified_gmt":"2012-02-12T18:10:54","slug":"rum-punch-breezy-island-golf-courses-pack-a-delicious-wallop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/golf\/1031\/rum-punch-breezy-island-golf-courses-pack-a-delicious-wallop","title":{"rendered":"Rum Punch: Breezy Caribbean Golf Courses Pack A Delicious Wallop"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"royal_westmoreland_a6_pb\"

Royal Westmoreland, Photo by Paul Barton.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Even if no man is an island that\u2019s no reason not to visit an island for a great warm-weather golf getaway.\u00a0 The 2,500 water-bound oases known as the Caribbean chain hop in a double dogleg routing from Florida to South America, enclosing the most colorful of seas.\u00a0 The Caribbean\u2019s well-protected landing areas encompass such off-course hazards as fruity drinks, colorful reefs, great music, hot days softened by cool trade winds, and way more.\u00a0 As for golf courses, consider the following . . .<\/p>\n

Hasta la Vistas<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Three miles from Antigua\u2019s capital of St. John\u2019s, Cedar Valley Golf Club offers a user-friendly journey of 6,157 yards (par 70) routing through mature tropical trees, grassed bunkers, and swales, and purveying golfalicious elevated vistas of the course itself and the Caribbean beyond.\u00a0 Cedar Valley has been the site of the Eastern Caribbean Golf Championships and the British Pro Am. \u00a0Cedarvalleygolf.ag<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Short Cuts<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Renowned classic-era architect C.B. Macdonald laid out Bermuda\u2019s equally renowned (and ultra-classic) Mid Ocean Club in 1921.\u00a0 The short, eminently walkable layout has hosted the likes of Sir Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower.\u00a0 Babe Ruth reportedly lost a dozen balls in Mangrove Lake attempting to drive the par-four fifth hole\u2019s green.\u00a0 This private course ranked among the world\u2019s top 50 allows play by guests of several hotels.\u00a0 Themidoceanclubbermuda.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Napoleon, Dynamite<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

On the rugged north shore of St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, George and Tom Fazio collaborated on Mahogany Run, a golf course with a Napoleonic complex: it\u2019s short and very tough.\u00a0 The layout was blasted into a mere 110 acres of island terrain and plays along wafer-thin fairways.\u00a0 Holes 13-15 are known as the Devil\u2019s Triangle, possibly because the Bermuda Triangle was already taken.\u00a0 Mahoganyrungolf.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Where Scores are Waxing<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Heading south from Cancun along Mexico\u2019s Caribbean coast, Moon Spa and Golf Club\u2014 associated with the huge, all-inclusive Moon Palace Resort\u2014offers 27 equally gigantic, shining holes of Jack Nicklaus signature golf.\u00a0 The Dunes, Lakes, and Jungle nines offer three distinctive topographies\u2014and three different types of hazards to contend with.\u00a0 Eighteen-hole combos play to as long as 7,200 yards. palace-resorts-cancun.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shelter from the Sturm und Drang<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

As any golf ball knows, the words \u201csafe haven\u201d seem like parody when applied to the Royal and Ancient game.\u00a0 On Grand Cayman, The Links at Safe Haven provide a wide-open, natural playground for balls and players alike.\u00a0 Fairways are framed by long, heather-like grasses and trees including mahogany, thatch, and coconut palms.\u00a0 The links-style Roy Case design along North Sound features holes that are positioned straight downwind or straight into it.<\/p>\n

Royal Highness<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

At Royal Westmoreland, on Barbados, Robert Trent Jones II replaced the old staple of sugar cane with a sweet crop of golf holes on a site that includes five playing through a former rock quarry (on the Quarry nine).\u00a0 The Ridge nine is even more dramatic, routing along steep edges fronting jungle-filled ravines. The invisible hazard posed by trade winds adds to the challenge.\u00a0 Royalwestmoreland.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rasta Golf<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

With a name that might well refer to which irons you\u2019ll need to hit here, Jamaica\u2019s Tryall Club golf course serves up a delightful island cocktail of fun and challenge.\u00a0 Tucked between jungle and ocean\u2014and also encompassing a river\u2014it may be the only place where you\u2019ll ever tee off through the stone pillars of a historic aqueduct.\u00a0 The Ralph Plummer design is also known for its entertaining caddies.\u00a0 Tryallclub.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Doggone<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

You might require a little hair of the dog after playing Pete Dye\u2019s Teeth of the Dog Golf Course, in the Dominican Republic.\u00a0 Ranked #1 in the Caribbean and 34th<\/sup> in the world by Golf Magazine, this hot dog boasts seven holes directly on the ocean (yes, some are doglegs).\u00a0 Trees, elevated greens, waste areas, bunkers, and more put the bite in this awesome track at the Casa de Campo Resort.\u00a0 Casadecampo.com.do<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hills\u2019 Hills<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

On Puerto Rico, Arthur Hills and Associates created an island golf course lined with palms and lush plantings and significant elevation changes at the El Conquistador Resort.\u00a0 Iguana and mongoose are among those who love this layout with 15 holes on the ocean and an 18th<\/sup> that\u2014in a perfect world\u2014 plays over<\/span> fountains and waterfalls. Lateral movements and broad openings characterize this venue with views of the El Yunque rain forest. \u00a0elconresort.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even if no man is an island that\u2019s no reason not to visit an island for a great warm-weather golf… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2228,4007,4029,4907,5048,277563,9,17],"tags":[5548,944164,5556,5419,5549,536,591,5550,944161,5542,3379,37,5543,5551,5544,5552,493,3293,4822,3317,5545,5553,5546,741,5547,5555,439],"class_list":["post-1031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mexican-caribbean-golf-course-association","category-robert-trent-jones-ii","category-hills-forrest","category-oregon-golf-assoc","category-alternative-golf-assoc","category-wisconsin-golfer","category-golf","category-courses-and-travel","tag-cancun-golf","tag-golf","tag-el-conquistador","tag-moon-spa-and-golf-club","tag-grand-cayman-golf","tag-casa-de-campo","tag-robert-trent-jones","tag-links-at-safe-haven","tag-travel","tag-cedar-valley-golf-club","tag-royal-westmoreland","tag-front-nine","tag-antigua-golf","tag-barbados-golf","tag-mid-ocean-club","tag-jamaican-golf","tag-c-b-macdonald","tag-tryall-club","tag-bermuda-golf","tag-teeth-of-the-dog","tag-mahogany-run-golf","tag-dominican-golf","tag-george-and-tom-fazio","tag-arthur-hills","tag-st-thomas-golf","tag-puerto-rico-golf","tag-pete-dye"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2010\/01\/royal_westmoreland_a6_pb.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1031"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3350,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031\/revisions\/3350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}