It's Better in The Bahamas

This month I played one of the most beautiful courses I have ever seen: Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas.

My trip to The Bahamas was part of a multi-stop holiday but I was probably most excited for the golf! I booked my tee time very easily online about a week before the day (so that I could keep checking I picked the day with the best weather). I was staying at The Atlantis hotel so I took the complimentary 15 minute shuttle bus from there to the golf course. On arrival, the staff in the pro shop were friendly and it was a nice surprise that because I was hiring clubs a small pouch of 6 balls with the Ocean Club logo was also included which was a great touch:

The par 72 course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and each of the holes has a different name such as "Surf's Up," "Paradise Found" and "Spyglass" depending on its features or location. The red tees are also referred to as coral which I have not seen before.

I definitely picked the right day in terms of the weather - the sky was clear and the temperature was approximately 26-28 degrees Celsius. I teed off at 3.40pm so it did not feel too hot or humid as there was a gentle, cool breeze. The course was relatively busy; I was let through once and a few groups came out after me to play 9 holes but I managed to finish the round in about 3 hours.

The course layout was great for me as there were long, challenging holes but I was rewarded with a few pars (I didn't quite make my birdie chances unfortunately). I don't remember ever feeling like the water on any of the holes would be an issue for me playing off the coral tees. I only struggled to find my ball once in the thick Bermuda grass. The greens were fantastic and generally quite easy to read. This is definitely a course for all levels and beginners should not have a problem getting around with some good scores. I did get very distracted by the breathtaking views seeing as the course is surrounded by Nassau Harbour and the Atlantic Ocean.

The golf course was incredibly maintained and the club is managed by Troon who have always done a great job when I have visited their facilities. Playing this course was a once in a lifetime opportunity on what was probably a once in a lifetime trip. The green fees in The Bahamas are expensive but it was most definitely worth the money for this special experience.

You can find more photos and some videos in the gallery section. This is a course where I really struggle to pick a favourite hole but Hole 5 - "Sol's Point" was a par 4 that had an immediate "wow factor" for me so this is me playing off the yellows just because the background view for the photo was better here than off the coral tees!

Happy golfing!