Mark Twain spent found inspiration on the
Islands of Bermuda, penning articles that he
would send by telegraph to San Francisco for
publication, and holding court at the
Hamilton’s Princess Hotel (now the
Fairmont Hamilton Princess) where he liked to
stay.
He famously said, “You can go to
Heaven. I would rather stay in
Bermuda.”
Twain may not have been much of a golfer
(remember he also said that golf was “a
good walk spoiled”)
but the golf in Bermuda is, in fact, heavenly.
I recently had a chance to enjoy several of
Bermuda’s best, while attending the
PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Port Royal Golf
Course. Here is a rundown of the courses I
played, with a brief mention to those I
didn’t have time to tackle:
MID OCEAN CLUB
The crown jewel of Bermuda golf courses was
designed by famed Scottish architect C.B.
Macdonald and opened for play in 1921.
Examples of classic hole templates like Biarritz,
Redan, and Cape are peppered through Mid
Ocean’s links-style landscape, which
has been restored to play more like it did in
1921 by the removal of over 1000 trees. Mid
Ocean is a private club, but guests of major
hotels like the Fairmont Southampton or
Fairmont Princess can be introduced through
the hotel’s concierge. Mid Ocean is
ranked 47th among all courses outside the
USA. As you drink a “dark ‘n
stormy (Goslings Black Seal rum and ginger
beer) after the round, you can smile at the
course’s early mission – it was founded
to escape the reaches of prohibition.
PORT ROYAL GOLF
COURSE
 The famed 16th hole at
Port Royal Golf Course (amateurgolf.com
photo) |
Sure, Port Royal is home of the famous
16th, a 235-yard par 3 along ocean cliffs
where Lucas Glover famously said after
winning the 2009 PGA Grand Slam of Golf
“man I’ve never been so nervous
on a shot.” The 8th at Port Royal is
another beauty; this time instead of playing
alongside the aquamarine waters they frame
the entire backdrop. The rest of the course,
which was originally designed by Robert Trent
Jones and opened in the early 70s, was
recently remodeled by Trent Jones protégé
Roger Rulewich, who did much of the shaping
during the original project. The result is a
public course that stands up to Tour player
standards, much like Torrey Pines in San
Diego. No golf trip to Bermuda would be
complete without visiting Port Royal.
TUCKER’S POINT GOLF
CLUB
Directly across from Mid Ocean lies another
classic layout that originally opened for play in
the 1930s and for years had been known as
Castle Harbour. Roger Rulewich presided over
the club’s redesign in 2002 and today
the enjoyable par 70 layout (which puts a real
premium on an accurate tee ball and good iron
play) is another must play on the island. A
perfect day of golf would be to play
Tucker’s Point and Mid Ocean on the
same day, with lunch at the Tucker’s
Point clubhouse, overlooking the course and
ocean. The Rosewood Tucker’s Point
resort is one of the most luxurious places to
stay on the island; it offers unlimited golf
packages and the option to include access to
Mid Ocean Club.
TURTLE HILL GOLF CLUB AT THE
FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON
 Turtle Hill - Hole No.2
(amateurgolf.com photo) |
Turtle Hill is ranked No. 5 among the
world’s par 3 courses for good reason.
The well-manicured layout has one interesting
hole after another. Some are uphill, some are
downhill, and many have views of the
gorgeous waters of the Atlantic below.
Cameras may come out on the 5th tee, for
example, but you should put them away
quickly to concentrate on the precision
downhill mid-iron shot required to hit the
green. Turtle Hill is fun to play alone, or with
your family.
But the best way to enjoy the fun of
“taking dead aim” eighteen times
may be to bring a few groups out and have a
big skins game, as Padraig Harrington recently
did the day after the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
Director of Golf Anthony Mocklow runs the
Bacardi World Par 3 Championship, a 54-hole
test of iron play and short game that brings
talented pros and amateurs to Bermuda each
March.
BEST OF THE REST
Riddell’s Bay Golf & Country Club
and Belmont Hills Golf Club are par 70 courses
located fairly close to each other along the
Hamilton Harbour in Warwick. Riddell’s
Bay (the oldest course in Bermuda) was
designed by pioneering American architect
Devereux Emmet (who designed Congressional
CC’s Blue Course, among 100s of
others) and opened for play in 1922. I will
surely make it a point to test my game at
Riddell’s Bay the next time I visit
Bermuda, having enjoyed a classic Devereux
layout at Leatherstocking Golf Club in New
York earlier this summer. Belmont Hills Golf Club
is part of the Newstead Belmont Hills Resort,
which also features golf packages. The course
has a 14,000 square foot double green, the
only one on the island. To check out a video
travelogue of my trip, click on the image
below.