Golfing in the Out Islands of The Bahamas
Three championship golf courses at three fantastic Bahamas resort clubs on Great Exuma and Great Abaco Islands
More people hit the beaches than the links when on a Caribbean vacation, but don’t discount the Out Islands for golf in The Bahamas if you’re looking for a challenging, championship-designed golf course. There are three premiere courses on the islands, nuzzled up to the beaches. Treasure Cay Golf Club and Abaco Club on Winding Bay, both on Great Abaco Island , and The Four Seasons at Emerald Bay on Great Exuma Island offer the best of golf in The Bahamas.
Treasure Cay Golf Club, Abacos Island, The Bahamas
This 18-hole, par 72 golf course offers narrow fairways, challenging ocean winds, sand bunkers and even duck ponds, all which make Treasure Cay Golf Club a challenging course on a beautiful tropical island in the Caribbean.
Here’s a real surprise: You don’t need a tee time to play at Treasure Cay Golf Club. Just show up with your golf clubs, or rent clubs from the pro shop. On the links, you’ll find the front nine runs parallel to the ocean at the north end of Treasure Cay Resort. There are two par fives of 555 and 500 yards. The back nine is tighter, requiring more precision and thought with slightly more water in lay. A couple of duck ponds and interesting wildlife offer minor hazards, particularly on number 11, a 515-yard par five.
The course is 6,985 yards from the blue tees with 66 sand bunkers. While those can be a challenge, the ocean winds and tight fairways also present some obstacles for golfers. Despite its length, the course at Treasure Cay can be played in less than three hours. Golf carts are available, but this also is a great walking course.
Dick Wilson, one of America’s most renowned golf course architects, designed the course, but died before it was completed in 1968. His assistant, Joe Lee completed the course.
Treasure Cay Golf Club is located at the Treasure Cay Hotel Resort & Marina. Golf packages include unlimited golf, a shared power cart and round-trip transportation between Treasure Cay International Airport and Treasure Cay Hotel Resort & Marina.
Ritz- Carlton Abaco Club at Winding Bay
The private golf course at The Abaco Club in The Bahamas is the debut of the world’s first Scottish-style links course in a tropical location. Designed by Donald Steel and Tom Mackenzie, the greens offer an elegant and thrilling retreat. The Abaco Club attracts golf enthusiast and professionals alike to this par 72 championship layout that blends each of the 18 holes into the natural setting of the Caribbean.
The Abaco Club is a 7,182-yard course that is getting rave reviews for its beauty and drama. For example, the 18th hole along the ocean is 60 feet above the crashing surf. Abaco Club at Winding Bay was developed by Peter de Savary, who is known for his courses in Bovey Castle in England, Carnegie Abbey in Rhode Island and Cherokee Plantation in South Carolina.
The Abaco Club was carved out of jungle and rocky terrain along the Abacos Island shores of the Atlantic Ocean. This $250 million private retreat offers more than golf, including every watersport you can imagine, lush surroundings and plenty of indulgences from lounging at the infinity pool to beach front spa treatments.
This is a members-only club, although guests may play the course once before joining. Membership begins at $75,000. The same applies for those who want to rent a private estate, one of the suites or cabanas at the resort.
Four Seasons Golf Course Great Exuma at Emerald Bay
This 18-hole championship golf course, designed by golf legend Greg Norman, may be one of the world’s greatest ocean-side clubs. Six signature holes hug the perimeter of Emerald Bay’s scenic peninsula.
The course uses an environmentally friendly seashore paspalum grass, which provides a lush, deep green canopy. The golf course is nestled in a series of dramatic fairways along the oceanfront that wind through seaside dunes. The final holes are on a rocky peninsula that not only provides challenges to golfers, but offers spectacular views of the ocean.
The Four Seasons Golf Club on Great Exuma has six signature holes that hug the perimeter of Emerald Bay’s scenic peninsula, providing unparalleled vistas along the turquoise water.
Tee times are available from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m., although times do vary depending on daylight hours. Clubs and shoes are available for rent from the Pro Shop. The club also provides onsite instruction and a driving range.
The Four Seasons Golf Course, which opened in fall 2003, is located at the Four Seasons Resort, a tropical destination in the Exuma cays where the crystal-clear Bahamian waters and ivory sand beaches beckon visitors. While the golf course is a premiere attraction at the resort, guests also are pampered at the private spa and secluded spa garden, a tropical, quiet beach-side pool, tennis and more.
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