Jamaica is blessed with all the qualities of a world class golf destination. In addition to excellent year-round weather, the topography, lush vegetation and scenic beauty of our tropical island also encourage creative golf course designs by imaginative golf course architects. Jamaica is also famous for its caddies: vivacious, entertaining, experienced, dedicated, with an uncanny ability to track down shots and read breaks on even the trickiest of greens. We invite you to play our courses for yourself for an unforgettable golf experience:
Montego Bay is the golf capital of the island, featuring five championship golf courses, premier hotel accommodations, an international airport served by several major airlines, beaches, and other entertainment, shopping, and recreational facilities.
Ironshore Super Clubs
The former Ironshore Golf & Country Club is a par 72 links-style course. Once known as Jamaica’s jewel in the rough, it is a demanding course with plenty of doglegs and bunkers to challenge your A game. Since January 2000, SuperClubs have been polishing that jewel. A beautifully decorated new clubhouse was built and a massive renovation of the course was completed. The greens are in their best shape in 20 years, locals say. The 6,570-yard layout delivers what you’d expect: an entertaining golf experience, with plenty of water meet-ups and some interesting blind shots. The fairways are lined with tall ruffled Australian pines, as well as hibiscus and flowering boughs.
Half Moon
Designed by the renowned Robert Trent Jones Sr., the course opened in 1961 and has since firmly established itself as one of the treasured courses the Caribbean has to offer. Boasting an impressive 7,119 yards off the back tees, it has been selected to host a number of professional and amateur tournaments, including the Jamaica Open and the Dunhill Cup. The course boasts some of Jones’s trademark features, including the track’s tees and the use of earth movement or the “figure eight” route that deftly changes angles enough to cause bewilderment on the course. windy days. The greens also demand special attention: while very playable, their shape and contour often force the better golfer to work the ball to get closer to the pins, while leaving an opening for the novice player to drive the ball in.
cinnamon hill
One instinctively marvels at the plot of land on which Robert von Hagge designed Cinnamon Hill GC (formerly Three Palms), at the Wyndham Rose Hall. On an island blessed with lushness and topographical character, and with little acreage, the design moves from an open, windswept frontage to the lower elevations of the Blue Mountains on the back nine, where dense foliage catches the fairways of the incoming holes. With interesting, serene, descriptive and sometimes downright intimidating names, each hole has its own intriguing characteristics and is sure to leave a memorable experience. The surrounding scenery at #15 “Mountain Falls” is so amazing that a scene for the James Bond movie Live and Let Die was filmed here. The course is built on what was once a 400-acre plantation, and remnants of the area’s history, including aqueducts, tombstones and the ruins of historic houses, offer a crumbling reminder of a land that once breathed a life of its own, much before golf.
White Witch
Locals are quick to say that Annie Palmer still frequents Rose Hall Great House and the estate, including the field built there on the grounds. The White Witch Course, designed by the team of Robert Von Hagge, Rick Baril and Mike Smelek, opened in August 2000 as the centerpiece of the new Ritz Carlton Rose Hall Resort. Instead of the traditional tropical terrain, the layout is hilly and rugged. The 6,718-yard course clings to high ground where there are cool breezes and ocean views on 16 holes. This elevated route can be intimidating, winding through jungle terrain, but the course weaves into the mountains, giving golfers some of the best views along the coast.
try everything
Tryall’s 18-hole championship course, designed by Ralph Plummer, has hosted such prestigious international events as the Johnnie Walker World Championship, last won by Fred Couples in 1995. With holes that kiss the shoreline and flirt with the edges of the jungle ravines, it is probably the most famous golf course in the Caribbean. The course stretches 6,772 yards from the seaward side up wooded hills, past coconut palms and back to the sea along a route lined with flowering plants and magnificent trees. The unique par three hole 4 incorporates the natural challenges of the Caribbean Sea and the Flint River, while the memorable par four hole 7 offers a spectacular tee shot through the stone pillars of the historic aqueduct that feeds the wheel. adjacent hydraulic. Tryall’s owners, many associated with the club for generations, have preserved the atmosphere of charming gentility that has been “modernized” from many other historic properties.
Negril Hills
Nestled in the hills just minutes from Negril’s famous seven-mile white sand beach, golf enthusiasts will find the hidden gem of this laid-back resort: the Negril Hills Golf Club. Famous for its elevated tees and greens, undulating fairways and emerald-colored ponds, this layout promises an enjoyable round that is a perfect break from the sand and sea of Negril. Built in 1993 by Robert Simmons, this 18-hole course spans 6,333 yards, cut into the low, rolling hills of Negril. This topography makes the game fast, with winding fairways and slightly sloping greens. It also reveals fleeting views of Negril’s distant golden sands and calm seas. Along the fairways, coconut palms and other tropical trees dance with the gentle sea breeze that comes in from the coast. This course is characterized by water hazards, with nine ponds coming into play. Swamps and sand traps also lurk throughout the course, waiting to claim stray balls.
Runaway Bay GC
The par 72 course was designed by Great Britain’s Major John Harris and opened in 1960. From the Blue Tees, the course is 6,870 yards long with a grade of 124. The combination of wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour, long undulating fairways with large, flat greens and stunning views of the Caribbean Sea, ensure that golfers can look forward to an exciting experience, whether they are beginners or experienced players. The PGA-quality golf course has hosted many international events, including UK-West Indies MatchPlay games, the Jamaica Open and World Cup of Golf qualifying tournaments.
Sandals Ocho Rios
Formerly known as Upton Golf Club, Sandals Golf & Country Club was established in 1951 as a 9-hole course located 700 feet above sea level in Upton, a few miles east of Ocho Rios. The original 9-hole layout which, designed by PK Saunders, was expanded in the early 1960s to 18 holes. In June 1992, Sandals Resorts purchased the property and set out to create one of the most elite golf courses in Jamaica. The greens were rebuilt with Bermuda Tifdwarf grass and the fairways were resurfaced with Bermuda grass. Although comparatively short, 6,311 yards, par 71 from the Blue Tees, the course has a challenging slope of 128.
Manchester
Carved into the hills near Mandeville over a century ago, Manchester Country Club is the oldest golf course in Jamaica and the Caribbean. With 140 years of history, it is easily the most unique in Jamaica with its nine greens and 18 tee boxes. Founded as a Country Club in 1865 and shortly after the Scots invented the game of golf, a golf course was built on the site. It is situated in the city center of Mandeville, the capital of Manchester, and has one of the most impressive scenic wonders, provided by the 2,201 foot elevation of the course. Although it is a private members club, it is open to the public and is one of Mandeville’s main tourist attractions.
Caymanas
Located 9 miles outside of Kingston, Caymanas GC rests on the foothills of St. Catherine and overlooks the verdant sugarcane fields of the parish, stretching to Kingston Harbour. Designed by noted Canadian architect, Howard Watson, in the 1950s, the mountainous setting of the course is brilliantly incorporated into the design. Several of the 18 tee boxes are elevated while the fairways undulate according to the topography of the rugged limestone hills. Majestic cotton and guago trees line the fairways and protect the greens along the course’s 6,844 yards, creating daunting natural hazards. Strategically placed bunkers and ponds also make the game more challenging. Host to several Caribbean Championships including the Jamaica Open, Jamaica Classic and Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, the Club slopes 123 from the Blue Tees and measures 6,844 yards.
constant spring
Located in the heart of one of Kingston’s most pleasant residential areas, Constant Spring was built in 1920 by Scottish architect Stanley Thompson, mentor of Robert Trent Jones, making it one of the oldest golf courses in Jamaica. It’s a short, narrow course with a stunning view on the 13th hole and the challenge of driving to a narrow fairway plateau beyond a steep valley. It has hosted all the best players on the island, many of the social elite and more than a few concerts during its long
history.
The Jamaica Golf Association, made up of individual golf members and golf clubs from across the island, is at the forefront of the drive to develop the game of golf for a better Jamaica.
David Leadbetter Golf Academy – Crescent
The Academy combines the best golf instruction available on one of the most challenging courses in Jamaica. Created by one of the masters in the art of teaching the golf swing, David Leadbetter has a unique ability to communicate and a deep dedication to the game. Known for rebuilding the legendary swing of Nick Faldo and having worked with Ernie Els, Greg Norman and Nick Price, he has developed an exclusive group of teaching professionals to give “tour-proven” advice to ambitious golfers at all stages. developmental.
Cable & Wireless National Golf Academy
Kingston’s bustling shopping and entertainment hub, New Kingston, is also fast becoming the capital city’s recreational sports hub thanks in part to the addition of the Cable and Wireless National Golf Academy. Located on grounds overlooking the towering buildings of New Kingston and the distant Blue Mountains, the National Golf Academy is the island’s first public putting green and driving range. Stretching an impressive 240 yards, the driving range plays like a real golf course with undulating fairways, 6 manicured greens and well-placed holes, bunkers and ponds. From the Academy’s 23 bays you can practice your swing and drive, or on the adjacent green, you can hone your short game skills.
**for more information visit http://www.jam-boree.com/, Jamaica’s visitor website, the complete source for travel and tourism information featuring carefully selected deals on vacation packages, hotels, villas, flights and car rentals**