Bahamas

published 22 August 2008

Picture yourself teeing it up and gazing down a pristine emerald fairway with a backdrop of crashing waves and turquoise seas. Golfing in the islands of the Bahamas is an exhilarating experience, enhanced by the sights and sounds of tropical bird calls and ocean winds rustling through palm trees.

With a good choice of high quality courses already open to visitors and several more coming soon, the Bahamas is poised to become a world-class golf destination.

Big names including Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman and Tom Fazio have been busy planning and creating new courses throughout the islands in some of the most stunning locations imaginable. Fresh and often unpredictable sea breezes can create their own special challenges as you play with the sun on your back, from tees fringed with colourful bougainvillea, hibiscus and giant flame trees.

Upon arrival in the Bahamian capital of Nassau, head for the Tom Weiskopf course at the One&Only Ocean Club, which sits on a striking peninsula of Paradise Island, flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Nassau Harbour on the other. Wide fairway landing areas and large greens ensure the course does not intimidate higher handicappers, while there are plenty of risk and reward opportunities for longer hitters.

A short hop away on the island of Abaco is a delightful links course designed by Scottish architects Tom Mackenzie and Donald Steel. It is kept in superb condition by course superintendent Mark Aitken, who helped to sculpt the course from dense jungle undergrowth in 2003. Offering ocean views from almost every tee, the Abaco Club on Winding Bay is flanked by wide sandy beaches along the front nine and features dramatic rocky crags, crashing ocean and an intimidating quarry on the finishing holes. The brainchild of British entrepreneur Peter de Savary, this beautiful club is now managed and run by the Ritz-Carlton hotel group.

On the island of Grand Bahama, golf has been established as a core activity for almost half a century. Wilson designed the Lucayan course in 1962 as a tight parkland layout, and as it has matured it has got even tighter. Dog-leg fairways, elevated putting surfaces, well-placed greenside bunkers and thick stands of tropical foliage challenge players on every hole. Bring plenty of balls to this course as the rough can be extremely penal.

In the West End of Grand Bahama Island at Ginn Sur Mer, work is well underway on the construction of two new courses the first designed by Arnold Palmer and the second to be a Jack Nicklaus Signature course. The Palmer track is expected to be ready for play by the end of 2009 according to course architect Wayne Smith, who is creating course elevations of up to 40ft on an island that sits just 8ft above sea level.

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