The true colors of Jamaica: red, green and golf

Jamaica has been blessed with all the qualities of a world-class golf destination. In addition to the excellent year-round climate, our tropical island’s topography, lush vegetation, and scenic beauty also encourage creative golf course designs by imaginative golf course architects. Jamaica is also famous for its caddies: lively, entertaining, experienced, dedicated, with an uncanny ability to track stray shots and read breaks even on the toughest greens. We invite you to play yourself on our courses for an unforgettable golf experience:

Montego Bay is the island’s golf capital and boasts five championship golf courses, premium hotel accommodations, an international airport served by several major airlines, beaches, and other recreational, commercial, and entertainment facilities.

SuperClubs Ironshore

The former Ironshore Golf & Country Club is a par 72 links style course. Once known as Jamaica’s jewel in the rough, it’s a demanding course with plenty of doglegs and bunkers to challenge your A game. Since January 2000, SuperClubs have been polishing that gem. A beautifully decorated new clubhouse was built and a massive renovation of the course was completed. The greens are in the best condition in 20 years, locals say. The 6,570-yard design offers what you’ve come to expect: an entertaining golf experience, with several water encounters and a series of engaging blind shots. The fairways are separated by tall, frilly Australian pines, as well as hibiscus and flowering branches.

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 most treasured courses the Caribbean has to offer. With a whopping 7,119 yards from the back tees, it has been selected to host several professional and amateur tournaments, including the Jamaica Open and the Dunhill Cup. The course boasts some of the Jones-brand features, including the track tees and the use of ground motion or the figure-eight route that deftly changes angles enough to cause bewilderment on windy days. Greens also require special attention: while they are very easy to play, their shape and contour often force the best golfer to work the ball to get closer to the pins in, leaving an opening for the novice player to pass the ball.

Cinnamon hill

One instinctively marvels at the plot of land on which Robert von Hagge designed Cinnamon Hill GC (formerly Three Palms), at Wyndham Rose Hall. On an island blessed with lushness and topographical character, and with little surface area, the design moves from an open, windswept nine front to the lower elevations of the Blue Mountains in the last nine, where dense foliage traps 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 behind a memorable experience. The surrounding landscape at no. 15 “Mountain Falls” is so amazing, a scene was filmed here for the James Bond movie Live and Let Die. The course is built on what was once a 400-acre plantation, and remnants of the area’s history, including aqueducts, tombstones, and historic home ruins, offer a ruined reminder of a land that once breathed a life of its own. long before. Golf.

White Witch

Locals are quick to say that Annie Palmer still haunts the Rose Hall Great House and 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. Rather than the traditional tropical terrain, the layout is hilly and rugged. The 6,718-yard course adheres to high ground where there are cool breezes and ocean views on 16 holes. This elevated route can be intimidating as it traverses jungle-like terrain, but the course intertwines with the mountains and provides golfers with some of the best views of the coast.

Tryall

Tryall’s 18-hole golf 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 jungle ravines, it is probably the most famous golf course in the Caribbean. The course stretches 6,772 yards from the ocean side to forested hills, past coconut palms and back to the sea along a path lined with magnificent flowering plants and trees. The iconic par-three 4th hole incorporates the natural challenges of the Caribbean Sea and the Flint River, while the memorable par-four 7th hole provides a spectacular tee shot through the stone pillars of the historic aqueduct that feeds the adjacent Ferris wheel. The owners of Tryall, many associated with the club for generations, have preserved the atmosphere of charming courtesy that has been “modernized” from many other historic properties.

Negril Hills

Nestled in the hills minutes from Negril’s famous seven-mile white sand beach, golf enthusiasts will find this peaceful resort’s hidden gem: the Negril Hills Golf Club. Famous for its elevated tees and greens, rolling fairways and emerald ponds, this design promises a pleasant 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 allows for fast play, with meandering fairways and slightly sloping greens. It also reveals fleeting views of Negril’s distant golden sands and calm seas. Along the streets, coconut palms and other tropical trees dance in the gentle sea breeze that comes from the coast. This course is characterized by water hazards, with nine ponds coming into play. Marshes and sand traps also lurk throughout the field, waiting to claim rogue balls.

Runaway Bay GC

The par 72 course was designed by Britain’s Major John Harris and opened in 1960. From the blue tees, the course is 6,870 yards long with a slope rating of 124. Combining wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour, long undulating fairways with large flat greens and breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea, ensure that golfers can expect an exciting experience, whether they are beginners or accomplished players. The PGA quality golf course has hosted many international events, including the UK-West Indies MatchPlay games, the Jamaica Open and the Golf World Cup Super Qualifiers.

Ocho Rios Sandals

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 finest golf courses in Jamaica. The greens were rebuilt with Tifdwarf Bermuda grass and the fairways were resurfaced with Bermuda grass. Though comparatively short at 6,311 yards, par 71 from the Blue Tees, the course makes for a challenging 128 incline.

Manchester

Carved into the hills near Mandeville more than a century ago, the Manchester Country Club is the oldest golf course in Jamaica and the Caribbean. With 140 years of history, it is easily the most exclusive in Jamaica with its nine greens and 18 teeing grounds. Founded as a Country Club in 1865 and shortly after the Scots invented golf, a golf course was built on the site. It is situated in the middle of the town of Mandeville, the capital of Manchester and has one of the most impressive scenic wonders, provided by the 2201 foot elevation of the countryside. Although it is a private members club, it is open to the public and is one of Mandeville’s top tourist attractions.

Caymanas

Located 9 miles outside of Kingston, Caymanas GC rests in the foothills of St. Catherine and overlooks the parish’s green cane fields, which stretch out to Kingston Harbor. Designed by well-known Canadian architect Howard Watson in the 1950s, the mountainous setting of the countryside is brilliantly incorporated into the design. Several of the 18 tees are elevated, while the fairways undulate according to the topography of the rugged limestone hills. Majestic cotton and guango trees line the fairways and protect the greens along the 6,844 yards of the course, creating daunting natural hazards. The strategically placed bunkers and ponds also make the game more challenging. The club, which has hosted several Caribbean championships, including the Jamaica Open, the Jamaica Classic and Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, slopes 123 from the blue tees and measures 6,844 yards.

Constant spring

Situated in the heart of one of Kingston’s most beautiful residential areas, Constant Spring was built in 1920 by Scottish architect Stanley Thompson, mentor to 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 tee and the challenge of driving up a narrow fairway plateau past a steep valley. It has hosted all the best players on the island, many from the social elite and more than a few concerts during its long

story.

The Jamaica Golf Association, comprised of individual golf members and golf clubs across the island, is at the forefront of the push to develop the game of golf for a better Jamaica.

David Leadbetter Golf Academy – Half Moon

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. He is known for rebuilding the legendary Nick Faldo swing and has worked with Ernie Els, Greg Norman and Nick Price, and has developed an exclusive group of teaching professionals to give “tour proven” advice to ambitious golfers at all stages. developmental.

National Cable & Wireless Golf Academy

Kingston’s bustling business and entertainment center, New Kingston, is also fast becoming the capital’s recreational sports center 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 driving range and putting green. Spanning an impressive 240 yards, the driving range plays like a true golf course with rolling fairways, 6 well-groomed greens, and well-located holes, bunkers, and ponds. From the 23 bays of the Academy 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 with selected deals on vacation packages, hotels, villas, flights and car rentals **