GOLF GUIDE
BAHAMAS T
he 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 ‘Scotish 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.
Abaco Club
BERMUDA O
nly 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.
Port Royal
206 ABTA Golf 2018
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