Golf Vacations
Best Golf Resorts in the Bahamas
By Noelle Khalila Nicolls
Credit: J Davenport/Alamy
The golf course will be no more than a few minutes' away from your room, if you choose to stay at one of the Bahamas' top golf resorts. At these properties, stunning land- and seascapes serve as the backdrop for your beachfront sanctuary as you challenge your way across the golf circuit. The islands here boast championship courses that stand up to the best in the world. Elite female golfers from around the world convene annually at the One&Only Ocean Club Golf Course for the Pure Silk LPGA Bahamas Classic. This course has also hosted the Michael Jordan Invitational, which ran for ten years, and the Big Break Season 17 championship. Custom designed by sought-after golf masters, the courses sport salt-tolerant greens that hug the coastline and snake through our inland forests for stimulating play and beautiful scenery. Along with each course you will find all of the customary amenities, including professional sporting shops, practice areas and posh clubhouses.
One&Only Ocean Club
The sandy shoreline of the One&Only Ocean Club wraps around Paradise Island's eastern peninsula, and ends alongside its 18-hole, par-72 golf course. Six holes have front and center views of the cerulean blue waterfront, but signature holes 4 and 17 sit beside a small ocean lagoon and parallel to the beach, respectively. The course is only open to registered guests of Ocean Club, Atlantis, Harborside Resort and the Atlantic Marina. On property is a pro shop and restaurant that services breakfast and lunch.
At this ultra-exclusive luxury resort community on the secluded southwestern corner of New Providence, The Ernie Els-designed championship golf course alone would make it a sportsman's paradise. Though the property also caters to racquet, equestrian and water-sport enthusiasts, golf still trumps all here. The 7,400-yard course is a challenge for golfers of every level.
Sandals Emerald Bay
This adults-only romantic resort in Great Exuma has all the right amenities for pleasure-seekers who also love to golf. An oceanfront course designed by legendary pro Greg Norman is one of the signature attractions, but Sandals Emerald Bay also has seven inter-continental restaurants, three grand swimming pools and a Red Land Spa; plus, a mile-long stretch of beach that runs along the 500-acre tropical estate.
Treasure Cay Beach Club Marina and Golf Resort
Three and a half miles of undisturbed white sand and endless seascape serve as the welcome mat for this golf resort and marina in the Abacos. Nestled inside the lush tropical vegetation of the resort estate is an 18-hole, Dick Wilson-designed golf course, making this island hideaway an idyllic destination for laid-back luxury and fun on the fairway.
Baha Mar
When Baha Mar opens its doors in the spring of 2015, the luxury resort community will debut (among many other amenities and facilities) its Jack Nicklaus signature golf course. The Royal Blue Golf Course, an 18-hole, par-72 design, will cross through two distinct natural habitats: a wide open front nine holes with scenic ocean views; and a back nine winding through inland forests and mangrove creeks.