Year-round sun, ocean views that stretch forever, and some of the most beautiful white-sand beaches in the world; for many people, the Caribbean is a paradise on Earth, but if you’re anything like us, then you know it couldn’t truly be paradise without golf.
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best golf courses in the Caribbean. From the Bahamas to Barbados to the Dominican Republic, these courses are awe-inspiring, challenging, and represent the very best of what the great game of golf has to offer.
#5 The Ocean Club – Nassau, Bahamas
Sprawling 7159 yards on the coast of Nassau’s famous Paradise Island, this Tom Weiskopf designed masterpiece first opened back in 2001 and has been challenging the best professional and amateur golfers in the world ever since.
Part of the world-class Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, the Ocean Club course features views of the Bahamian coast from the 1st to the 18th and includes some of the most challenging holes to be found anywhere in the Caribbean, including the daunting 17th, nicknamed ‘The Pintail Crossing.’ Golfers visiting Nassau would be remiss not to book a day out on this breathtaking oceanfront track.
Best Place to Stay – Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, which actually features four different five-star resorts in one and boasts dozens of restaurants, a theme park, one of the best spas in the Caribbean, and one of the Caribbean’s largest and most impressive Casino’s.
#4 The Green Monkey Course at Sandy Lane – St. James, Barbados
The Green Monkey Course deserves to be on every list of the best courses in the Caribbean. This 7,343-yard, par 72 spectacle was designed by Tom Fazio and first opened to the public in the summer of 2004.
The course was carved from an old quarry, and, as such, many of the holes feature sheer cliff faces, which come into play, adding to the drama you’ll feel as you make your way around the course.
The Green Monkey is a serious course for serious golfer’s, no less a course than Pebble Beach, but if you’re up to the challenge, it’s one that will reward you with a once-in-a-lifetime round.
Best Place to Stay – The Sandy Lane Hotel, without a doubt, the most luxurious hotel in the Barbados, Sandy Lane is not only the host of the Green Monkey Course but is a worthy destination in and of itself, attracting visitors from all over the world, who flock to the hotel to experience the epitome of opulence it offers guests and golfers.
#3 Royal Westmoreland – St. James, Barbados
Royal Westmoreland is special amongst the Caribbean golf courses in that it was designed to challenge golfers with spectacular and dramatic changes in elevation from hole to hole, making for a dramatic, impressive, and sometimes downright intimidating round.
The course was designed by legendary designer Robert Trent Jones Jr and is said by many to boast the best par 3’s in the Caribbean, which play over expansive ravines and feature massive drop-offs that make club selection something of an art.
But those, who pick the right stick, will have plenty of chances to score on what’s certainly the best course in Barbados, one of the best in the Caribbean, and maybe even one of the best island courses in the world.
Best Place to Stay – The Colony Club @ Royal Westmoreland, If you plan to play this island gem of a course, then there may be no better place to stay than at the impressive, elegant Colony Club Hotel. Only a stones’ throw from the course, the Colony Club features stylish rooms, second-to-none service, and overlooks one of the nicest stretches of oceanfront and white sand in the Barbados.
#2 Corales Golf Club – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
The Corales Golf Club in the tourist mecca of Punta Cana in the DR is not your typical resort-town track. Since opening in 2010, this course has impressed and challenged some of the best golfers in the world and continues to have the respect of the very biggest names in golf. T
he expansive 7600-yard course was designed by Tom Fazio, the same architect who designed the Green Monkey Course at Sandy Lane and has some of the windiest coastal fairways to be found anywhere in the world, which bested many of the PGA tour’s best when the course became the first in the Dominican to host the Tour.
Best Place to Stay – The Tortuga Bay Hotel @ Punta Cana Resort & Club, A triple-A, 5-Diamond award-winning hotel designed by legendary design icon Oscar De La Renta. The Tortuga Bay Hotel is only a short drive from the course and offers all-inclusive accommodations just minutes away from the airport.
#1 Casa De Campo, The Teeth of the Dog Course – La Romana, Dominican Republic
There can be no question that the very best golf course in the Caribbean is the Teeth of the Dog Course at Casa De Campo, in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The sheer cliff faces that line the course are a sight to behold, and famed course architect Pete Dye, arguably the best course designer of all time, claimed that seven of the holes were actually designed by God.
The course plays 7,350 yards, and every one of them was created to challenge the best golfers on the planet. Not only is this course hands down the best in the Caribbean, but it’s also one of the best island courses on Earth and will remain so for decades to come. The Teeth of the Dog belongs on any golfer’s bucket list, and those lucky enough to make the trip will be rewarded with one of the best golfing experiences of their lives.
Best Place to Stay – Casa De Campo Resort and Villas, When playing the Teeth of the Dog, there is no better place to stay than at the course itself. With three private beaches and all the amenities you’d expect from a world-class hotel, this resort is on par with the spectacular course it hosts and offers unsurpassed luxury in the Dominican Republic.
These are definitely our top picks for the best golf courses in the Caribbean. Do you have a personal favorite that you think deserves to be on the list? Let us know in the comments below.
