Here’s our list of the top 10 courses in the islands of the Caribbean
1 TEETH OF THE DOG, La Romana, Dominican Republic Pete Dye’s 1971 masterpiece for the Casa de Campo resort remains the gem of the islands. Its seven seaside holes are the stars, but Dye’s creative genius is evident from start to finish.
2 PUNTA ESPADA, Cap Cana, Dominican Republic In the view of many, this is Jack Nicklaus’s best golf course. Sited spectacularly and routed expertly, it makes three trips to the seaside and the challenge never lets up.
3 GREEN MONKEY, St. James, Barbados The spectacular centerpiece of posh Sandy Lane resort, this Tom Fazio design—just his third outside the U.S.—is carved dramatically from an old limestone quarry.
4 ROYAL WESTMORELAND, St James, Barbados The Caribbean is in view from every hole of this course set on a sugar plantation and designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., with the four par-three holes the standouts.
5 ROYAL BLUE, Nassau, The Bahamas Another Nicklaus design, this one, at the Baha Mar resort, is a Jekyll-and-Hyde journey from sandy dunes with sea views on the front nine to a limestone moonscape with lots of elevation change on the back.
6 APES HILL, St. James, Barbados A major renovation by Ron Kirby has added new drama to this layout that sits a thousand feet above the sea and weaves through tropical gullies, coral rock formations, and 200-year-old fig trees.
7 WHITE WITCH, Montego Bay, Jamaica Jamaica’s top test is perched on the side of a mountain in the 4,000-acre Rose Hall Plantation, offering a roller-coaster challenge along with stunning ocean views.
8 ABACO CLUB, Abaco, The Bahamas This linksy design with open-front greens fits well on a perpetually windy site where the last four holes play on a promontory high above the sea.
9 BAKER’S BAY, Abaco, The Bahamas Expansiveness—broad fairways and generous greens—is the keynote of this Tom Fazio design set beside the Sea of Abaco with a finishing par five that rivals Pebble Beach.
10 ALBANY, New Providence, The Bahamas Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake were among this resort’s founders and Ernie Els designed the course, a links/desert challenge
What are your favorite golf courses in the Caribbean?
