Golf in Barbados

Golf

Barbadians love golf, and golfers love Barbados. In addition to the courses listed below, Almond Beach Village has a 9-hole, par-3 executive course open to guests only. Barbados Golf Club (Hwy. 7, Durants, Christ Church. 246/428-8463. www.barbadosgolfclub.com), the first public golf course on Barbados, is an 18-hole championship course (6,805 yards, par 72) redesigned in 2000 by golf course architect Ron Kirby. Greens fees are $119 for 18 holes, plus a $13 per-person cart fee. Unlimited three-day and seven-day golf passes are available. Several hotels offer preferential tee-time reservations and reduced rates. Club and shoe rentals are available. At the prestigious Country Club at Sandy Lane (Hwy. 1, Paynes Bay, St. James. 246/432-2829. www.sandylane.com/golf), golfers can play on the Old Nine or on either of two 18-hole championship courses: the Tom Fazio-designed Country Club Course or the spectacular Green Monkey Course, which opened in October 2004 and is reserved for hotel guests and club members only. Greens fees in high season are $85 for 9 holes ($75 for hotel guests) or $200 for 18 holes ($150 for hotel guests). Golf carts are equipped with GPS, which alerts you to upcoming traps and hazards, provides tips on how to play the hole, and allows you to order refreshments! Rockley Golf & Country Club (Golf Club Rd., Worthing, Christ Church. 246/435-7873), on the southeast coast, has a challenging 9-hole course (2,800 yards, par 35) that can be played as 18 from varying tee positions. Club and cart rentals are available. Greens fees on weekdays are $40 for 18 holes and $30 for 9 holes; on weekends, $56 for 18 holes and $38 for 9 holes. The Royal Westmoreland Golf Club (Westmoreland, St. James. 246/422-4653) has a world-class Robert Trent Jones, Jr., 18-hole championship course (6,870 yards, par 72) that meanders through the former 500-acre Westmoreland Sugar Estate. The course is restricted to villa renters in high season (November 15 to April 30 each year); greens fees are $175 for 18 holes, $87.50 for 9 holes. In the off-season, greens fees for visitors are $125 for 18 holes and, for villa renters, $75 for either 18 or 9 holes. Greens fees include use of an electric cart; club rental is available.