Of the 350 courses credited to Nicklaus Design around the world, perhaps only a handful are better than Punta Espada Golf Club in the Dominican Republic. To call the course the "Pebble Beach of the Caribbean" would be an injustice -- to Punta Espada. Unlike at Pebble, playing Punta Espada is an interactive experience with the ocean. One wrong step, and sea spray will rain down on you.
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The luxury Half Moon resort in Montego Bay has received one of its top honors in more than a half century since its founding, capturing the Golf Resort of the Year in the Rest of the World category at the annual International Association of Golf Tour Operators Awards. The IAGTO Awards are considered among the resort world's most prestigious.
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St. Kitts, once the center of the British sugar trade in the West Indies, harvested its final cane crop last year. The island will now rely mostly on tourism to feed its people. Plans are afoot for new resorts, golf courses, racetracks and casinos.
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Bermuda is warm and colorful, surrounded by turquoise waters straight out of postcards and travel magazines. It's hilly, giving you ample opportunity to gaze at the sun dancing off the ocean, either in the morning or late in the afternoon. And the golf courses are pretty darn good, though you won't find any 7,500-yard behemoths here.
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Of the 350 courses credited to Nicklaus Design around the world, perhaps only a handful are better than Punta Espada Golf Club in the Dominican Republic. To call the course the "Pebble Beach of the Caribbean" would be an injustice -- to Punta Espada. Unlike at Pebble, playing Punta Espada is an interactive experience with the ocean. One wrong step, and sea spray will rain down on you.
... full article »
An all-encompassing, 18-month restoration has breathed life back into Dorado Beach Resort & Club's East course. It officially opens Nov. 13, 2011 as the star of the four original Robert Trent Jones Sr. courses. What was previously little more than an overgrown jungle has been reshaped into a well manicured paradise that stands among the best courses in the Caribbean. The entire resort is in a state of transformation, actually.
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Old Quarry Golf Course is a Pete Dye design in Curacao's Santa Barbara Plantation, a 1,500-acre gated community with two marinas and a new Hyatt Regency. The golf course blends into its desert-like surroundings with various forms of cactus and combines it with the influence of the Caribbean. But the golf course is only part of the fun at this resort community.
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Where on earth can you play the two holes on the Atlantic Ocean, then later in the same round tee off along the Caribbean Sea? At Royal St. Kitts Golf Club, you can. The West Indies offer a slice of paradise, writes David R. Holland, with few experiences to outrank the golf here among a luxurious setting, complete with a casino, spa and a wide variety of restaurants.
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John Harris, who designed the course at Breezes Runaway Bay Resort in Jamaica, apparently was a big fan of the long ball. He installed seven par 5s. They've since shortened the layout but it still has some very long par 4s; some are even longer than the par 5s. (This is Caribbean golf, we don't stick to no rules here, mon.) The bottom line, though, is that it's a joy to play.
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Originally built in the early 1970s, SuperClubs Ironshore Golf & Country Club in Montego Bay, Jamaica has an excellent layout over mildly rolling terrain with occasional glimpses of the sea. All it needs is a little more attention to maintenance, and it'd be a superb Caribbean golf course.
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With just one course -- Royal St. Kitts G.C. -- St. Kitts isn't a true golf destination yet. There are two more courses currently in construction, but they aren't likely to be ready for several years, leaving golfers no choice but to find other ways of entertainment. From resorts to casinos, spas to great restaurants, St. Kitts has a lot to offer.
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It would be hard to get bored at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana. A cool vibe took over this sprawling all-inclusive resort just 35 minutes from the Punta Cana International Airport. The Hard Rock delivers it all for vacationers, as Jason Scott Deegan shows us in this photo gallery.
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The Corales Course opened in 2010 at the Puntacana Resort & Club. This exclusive playground, where only 48 players a day are allowed to tee it up, delivers immaculate conditions that only a handful of clubs around the world maintain, as Jason Scott Deegan shows us in this photo gallery.
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With eight holes playing directly along -- or over -- the Atlantic Ocean, Punta Espada Golf Club stimulates any golfer who tees it up at this island paradise. Of the 350 courses credited to Nicklaus Design, this might be his best public offering. Get a closer look at Punta Espada in this photo gallery.
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