Golf in Jamaica

It’s not like us to brag, but our 10 golf courses are special. Practice your swing, caddy up for a full 18 or sit back and relax on the 19th. There’s a course for every player.

Jamaica is the home of the most exciting and spectacular golf courses. The courses are created in harmony with the sweeping landscape, challenging each golfer’s skill from mountains to shorelines to historic monuments with magnificent vistas in between. Each golf course with its unique terrain – dramatic elevations, sloping fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and lush greenery – makes for distinctive signature holes that have served to both taunt and inspire professional and amateurs to return again and again.

A professional support team is at the heart of the true Jamaican golf experience. The caddies, coaches and support staff all want to see you bring, and achieve, your “A”-game. Each masterful stroke complemented by the beauty of the course makes for a truly exhilarating experience.

Caymanas Golf Club
Conceived in the early 1950s, the Caymanas Golf Course opened for play in 1957 and since that time has developed into a magnificent parkland thanks to the tropical climate of Jamaica. Caymanas is now regarded by many to be the finest in Jamaica and ranked amongst the best in the Caribbean. It offers an enjoyable and exacting test for golfers of all abilities. The Caymanas Golf Club features a Pro Shop, Clubhouse, Chipping Green, Driving Range and Golf School.

CINNAMON HILL GOLF CLUB
Cinnamon Hill Golf Course offers 18 holes of remarkable play. Winding its way along the sparkling shores of the turquoise Caribbean Sea and through the lush green mountain terrain of its demanding back nine, Cinnamon Hill’s diverse elevations combine the best of both links and inland golf. From Hank Smedley’s original design in 1969, to Von Hagee and Baril’s brilliant redesign in 2001, painstaking care has been taken to ensure that the historic sites, flora and fauna of the Rose Hall Estate are preserved for future generations.

The dynamic course design features an open, windswept front nine, where golfers will find either an advocate or an adversary in the coastal winds and elements. On the closing stretch, tight fairways are dotted with treacherous, strategically placed bunkers, inspiring the most competitive player’s best game. The Cinnamon Hill Course is situated on what used to be a large sugar plantation. Still winding through the 400-acre property is the ancient aqueduct that was used to grind sugarcane during the plantation era. Upon close inspection of the supporting pillars, players can see the year of construction, 1761. In fact, with so much beauty and so much history, one of the greatest challenges to playing at Cinnamon Hill is disregarding the panoramic scenery. From its signature hole, Majestic Blue, where the fairway fades into the aquamarine sea, to the mountaintop tee overlooking the Rose Hall Great House, every stroke at Cinnamon Hill is a beautiful one. As an added enhancement, one of the course’s biggest assets happens to be its expert caddies.

Cinnamon Hill caddies are listed among “The Best In The World” by Golfer Magazine. Each caddy is expertly trained and proud members of the Rose Hall community. From Annie Palmer to Arnold Palmer, their deep knowledge of the game and the history of Cinnamon Hill combine to make every golfer’s round even more amazing. Cinnamon Hill offers everything a golfer needs for a remarkable round. For both the novice and the seasoned golfer, Cinnamon Hill offers an unrivaled experience. Ranked as one of Jamaica’s finest by Golf Digest, this par 72 course offers a selection of four tees to appeal to all players. Depending on the tee played from, the course ranges from 5,162 yards to 6,828 yards.

The team of Robert Ames and staff have transformed the whole experience of Cinnamon Hill into a Jamaican local favorite. Considered one of the most user-friendly courses in Jamaica, Cinnamon Hill has also earned a reputation as the best-conditioned golf course on the island. Come, experience Cinnamon Hill and add your own story to its intriguing history. The course offers a Chipping Green, Driving Range and a Putting Green.

HALF MOON GOLF CLUB
Consistently ranked one of the top golf courses in the world, the classic Robert Trent Jones Sr. course is sculpted out of the foothills of the western Jamaican coastline, and has an international reputation for being challenging and breathtaking. A member of Jack Nicklaus’ “Great Golf Resorts of the World,” Half Moon has hosted a number of prestigious tournaments including the Jamaica Open Golf Championship, the Dunhill Cup Final of the Americas, and the Red Stripe Pro-Am. A Caddy Master is on site to facilitate the needs of golfers The Half Moon Course features grass practice bays, a bunker practice green, putting and chipping green, a 50-yard pitching green, and a 19th Hole Bar. The Clubhouse includes 2 meeting rooms and a Golf Shop. Frequent shuttle bus service is available for the short ride to the pro shop from the hotel and the Royal Villas.

RUNAWAY BAY GOLF CLUB
The Jewel Golf Course at Runaway Bay is a par seventy two (72), Eighteen (18) hole championship golf course which offers an exhilarating experience for beginners and accomplished golfers alike. The course was designed by Major John Harris from Britain and was opened in 1960. The features of the golf course are long rolling fairways, large flat greens protected by grassy mounds and sand bunkers. It has hosted many events including the Ryder Cup match between the United Kingdom and the West Indies. The Jamaica Open, The Brinks (JA) Classic. The Heineken World Cup Qualifier, CNBC Nations Cup and numerous JGA Qualifiers. The course measures 5,389 yards and is slope 117 rated from the forward tees. From the back, it measures 6,870 yards and is slope rated 124.

The Club House The Clubhouse offers its guests the opportunity to unwind and relax after a lively round of golf in our elegant and comfortable lobby, or in the open –air pavilion restaurant and bar. The Clubhouse Restaurant serves á-la-carte breakfast and lunch daily*, and opens each morning at 8:00 am and closes when the last person leaves. Guests can experience Jewel Service while having a drink, a meal, watching their favorite televised sporting event or fellow golfers on their final hole. Restroom facilities provide golfers with lockers (available for rent) and showers, while the Pro Shop, which opens at 7:00am each morning, offers an array of golfing apparel, balls, gloves and sun block as well as rental of carts, clubs and shoes.

SANDALS GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
In June 1992, Sandals Resorts International purchased Upton Golf Club and set about creating the “the elite golf course” in Jamaica. Since that time, the facility has grown to be one of the finest golf courses in the Caribbean, as recognized by Golf Digest and Frommers Travel Guide. Sandals Golf & Country Club is the ideal golf vacation spot in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The golf club stretches out over a rolling landscape with sweeping views of the sea and mountains. Narrow fairways have been resurfaced with Bermuda grass while minuscule, drop-off greens have been rebuilt with Tifdwarf Bermuda grass for a beautifully manicured course. Guests staying at any of the six Sandals Resorts in Jamaica are welcome to play at this most scenic Country Club. Sandals Golf & Country Club features a Pro Shop, Golf Shop, Driving Range, Sweet Spot Jerk Shack at #10 green for dining and a Clubhouse.