There is something particularly inviting about golf in the Caribbean. Perhaps it is the brilliant blue water beyond the fairway, the steady trade winds coming off the sea or simply the opportunity to exchange winter weather for warm sunshine and an afternoon on the links. Whatever the reason, the islands have long provided golfers with an irresistible combination of challenging courses and relaxed resort living.
For those considering a Caribbean golf vacation, three destinations stand above the crowd: the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas.
The Dominican Republic has steadily built a reputation as one of the Caribbean’s premier golf destinations, and much of that distinction begins at Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in La Romana. The resort is home to Pete Dye’s celebrated Teeth of the Dog, a course whose holes along the Caribbean Sea have become among the most recognizable in resort golf.
Teeth of the Dog is a course that rewards thoughtful play. Dye’s trademark bunkering, deceptive angles and small targets provide the challenge, while the ocean holes deliver the scenery. When the trade winds rise, club selection becomes every bit as important as execution.
Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog Course (Photo by Tony Roberts Getty Images)
Casa de Campo also gives traveling golfers considerable variety. Dye Fore stretches across elevated terrain with sweeping views, while The Links provides another distinctive Pete Dye test. Together, the courses make Casa de Campo a destination where golf can easily occupy several days without becoming repetitive. Add luxurious accommodations, beaches, restaurants, a marina and numerous recreational choices, and the result is a complete Caribbean golf retreat.
Puerto Rico offers its own appealing blend of championship golf and island character. One of its most memorable courses can be found at Royal Isabela, where fairways unfold across dramatic terrain high above the Atlantic Ocean. The setting is rugged and natural, and the course has the feeling of having been carefully placed into the landscape rather than imposed upon it.
Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The island offers plenty of additional golf, including notable layouts at Dorado Beach, Grand Reserve and Bahia Beach. Puerto Rico also has the advantage of providing considerably more than golf. Old San Juan, with its historic streets, restaurants and distinctive architecture, gives visitors an opportunity to combine days on the course with evenings experiencing the island’s culture.
For American golfers, Puerto Rico is also an especially convenient Caribbean escape. U.S. citizens do not need a passport to travel there, and the U.S. dollar is the local currency.
Then there is The Bahamas, where golf and the sea seem almost inseparable. On Paradise Island, the Ocean Club Golf Course offers the kind of setting golfers imagine when dreaming of a Caribbean getaway. Designed by Tom Weiskopf, the championship layout stretches along an oceanfront peninsula where tropical breezes can transform seemingly straightforward holes into demanding tests.
The course rewards accuracy and patience, particularly when the wind is blowing. Yet it is the surroundings that remain with golfers long after the scorecard has been put away—palm trees, white sand and brilliant shades of blue framing a beautifully maintained golf course.
The Ocean Course Golf Club in Paradise Island, Bahamas. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
The Bahamas is also home to Albany, the exclusive resort community featuring an Ernie Els-designed championship course. Its layout provides a striking contrast to the traditional tropical resort course, incorporating links-inspired and desert-style characteristics into a demanding modern design.
What makes these three destinations special, however, extends beyond championship layouts. A Caribbean golf trip has a different rhythm. The morning may begin with a tee time beside the sea, but the afternoon can belong to the beach, pool or fishing boat. Dinner is unhurried, the scenery is never far away and tomorrow’s round provides another reason to wake early.
For golfers searching for a destination where the game is every bit as memorable as the vacation surrounding it, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas make a persuasive case. Sometimes the best golf trips are about more than simply finding great courses. They are about finding a place where you wish the round—and the trip itself—didn’t have to end.