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Playground in Paradise

Playground in Paradise

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Bermuda has more golf courses per square mile than anywhere else in the world. Paul Trow and Jon Edwards marvel at how this delectable quart has been squeezed into such a delicate pint pot.

“Go to Heaven if you want,” Mark Twain once wrote, “I’d rather stay in Bermuda.”

The creator of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn knew a thing or two about the great outdoors, but while his novels tended to have an expansive setting he also had a keen eye for life’s minutiae.

Occupying just 22 square miles, this scorpion–shaped string of islands in the Atlantic some 650 miles east of North Carolina is undeniably minute, but like all great miniatures the detail is magnificent. Bermuda has been described by a local writer as “a coral jewel set in a turquoise sea.” If so, its seven golf courses are emerald studs on a coronet lined with rose–quartz pink sandy beaches.

Bermuda does not come cheap—something else it has in common with expensive gems—but that has not stopped it from becoming a popular playground for wealthy Americans. However, its hallmark is largely British and dates back to 1609 when Sea Venture, skippered by Admiral Sir George Summers, was shipwrecked there—earning it the sobriquet Devil’s Island from the surviving sailors and reputedly inspiring Shakespeare’s mystical masterpiece The Tempest.

Its culture is best described as quaintly traditional—a pleasing mixture of English colonial gentility (its seven parishes have classic British names like Warwick and Devonshire) and Yankee conservatism, but with a dash of calypso thrown in for good measure.

Yet, from the Dark ’n’ Stormy rum cocktails—which help the evenings go with a swing—and the peerless fish chowder that sets up many a memorable meal, through to those eponymous shorts worn by the island’s males almost like a uniform, Bermuda definitely has a distinctive flavour.

We should tee off our golf tour of Bermuda with Port Royal, the island’s youngest and westernmost course, which opened in 1970. Its stunning signature hole is the par–three 16th, chiseled into the side of a cliff. With shrubbery lining the dry land to the right and the ocean yawning 100 feet below to the left, there is precious little room for a bailout shot, though at least the green, bunkered on both sides and viewed across a kaleidoscope of cliffside heathers and gorses, is agreeably flat.

As the result of a recent $15 million redesign overseen by Roger Rulewich, a former colleague of the original architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., this government–owned layout has been transformed into one of the world’s finest public courses. Anyone who has played Port Royal on a previous pilgrimage is in for a (pleasant) shock. More than 1,000 trees have been removed to open the course up to the prevailing sea breeze and 84 new bunkers have been put in.

Director of Golf Andrew Brooks describes the modern Port Royal as a “subtropical links” and from the 7th onwards every shot has an ocean view. As a result of this facelift, which is being sustained by chief agronomist Steve Johnson, formerly at the fabled Green Monkey course in Barbados, Port Royal was awarded the 2009 Grand Slam of Golf, contested in October by the year’s four major winners and won by U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover.

The island’s most exclusive golf club, where guests can generally only be introduced by members, is Mid Ocean, laid out on the southeast shore in 1924 by Charles Blair Macdonald and updated in 1953 by Trent Jones. Mid Ocean’s setting is often compared with Turnberry or Cypress Point, but in reality few of its holes run hard by the sea—its landscape is more a collage of valleys, crests, woods and shrubs with water only intermittently a threat. One exception is the 5th tee where golfers must decide how much of Mangrove Lake to cut off as they drive down towards a fairway that doglegs sharply to the left.

Mid Ocean and the rest of the island’s courses are carpeted with Bermuda grass, the strong, sharp, broad–bladed greenery that has become a worldwide standard for durability wherever golf is played in a warm climate.

A near neighbor of Mid Ocean is Tucker’s Point where the course, originally opened in 1931, is the centerpiece of a $350 million, 200–acre development that features a five–star hotel and spa along with dozens of luxury villas and apartments. Previously known as Marriott’s Castle Harbour, this immaculately manicured course was originally created by Charles H.Banks in 1931, modified by Trent Jones a couple of decades later and re–routed a few years ago by Rulewich. With its steep elevation changes and generous runoffs, Tucker’s Point requires precision shot–making if you are to pick your way successfully around the course. The delightful 17th hole (originally the 1st) provides a round–defining, drivable green that offers a superb vantage point overlooking Tucker’s Town, but be warned: It is also fraught with danger.

Far shorter—though by no means easier—is Riddell’s Bay which juts out into Little Sound on the island’s southern prong. Riddell’s Bay, built in 1922 on a peninsula no more than 600 yards wide, stretches to barely 5,700 yards from the back tees, but its condition is immaculate throughout.

The part of the course that sets the heart fluttering and the camera clicking is the loop from holes 8 to 12. The 8th, a 360–yard par–four, stroke index No.1 and very much the signature hole, doglegs sharply right around Little Sound and poses the agonizing question of how much of the sea to cut off with the drive. Take the brave line and stay dry and you should be rewarded with a mere flick to the green; but a telephone number score beckons should you find a watery grave.

The 9th and 10th, shorter par–fours, both necessitate accurate drives across apparently harmless yet quite treacherous expanses of water. The 11th is a short par–three across a valley, but it is the 12th, with another carry over water to a sloping, tapering, tree–lined fairway, that really catches the eye. The tee has a luxury villa backing onto it while the owner’s motor–powered dingy is moored (seemingly) to the right–hand tee marker.

Bermuda’s oldest course, Belmont Hills, a mile or so east of Riddell’s Bay, dates to 1915. At less than 5,800 yards and with only one par–four longer than 400 yards, it is on the short side, but its calling card is a selection of spectacular views of the capital’s coastline across Hamilton Harbor.

Golfers invariably approach Belmont Hills (the original Belmont was designed by Emmitt Devereaux) expecting to devour it, and invariably discover they have bitten off more than they can chew. Numerous two–tiered greens, blind second shots and tight fairways make it a subtle test, especially for good players who invariably find themselves embarrassed by missing green after green with wedges.

The only nine–hole course on Bermuda is Ocean View, which, like Port Royal, is government owned. Set on the north shore near to Hamilton, each hole has two tee positions to provide sufficient variety for an 18–hole excursion. Despite stretching to fewer than 3,000 yards, Ocean View’s rambling terrain makes it doggedly resistant to low scoring, especially over a full round.

The final layout is the 18–hole par–three course designed by Theodore G. Robinson on the grounds of the luxurious Fairmont Southampton Princess Hotel in the south of the island. The hills on which it is built ensure both exposure to the wind and a succession of exceptional views. And, with the holes ranging from the 110–yard 6th to the 216–yard 14th, every club in the bag will be needed. One word of warning, though: the course advertises an average playing time of two hours, yet, with many hotel guests firmly in the “rabbits” category, rounds can infuriatingly last up to twice that length.

Visitors can also use the floodlit Bermuda Golf Academy, next door to Port Royal, where there is a 40–bay driving range, chipping bunker and 18–hole putting green. Open from 7:30am to 10:30pm, the Academy offers professional tuition for players of all abilities.

Apart from playing golf, visitors are recommended to take a stroll around St. George’s, the original capital in the northeast of the island and a UNESCO world heritage site. Like the port of Lyme Regis in Dorset, England, with which it is twinned, a trip to St. George’s is akin to stepping two generations back in time, so meticulously are its buildings and appearance preserved.

The capital, Hamilton, is geared to younger tastes with an impressive array of shops, bars and restaurants, but overall Bermuda (speed limit: 22mph) is innately sedate. McDonald’s was repeatedly turned down when applying to open an outlet while a proposed Jack Nicklaus course on reclaimed land at Morgan’s Point near the historic Royal Naval Dockyards in the northwest also received the thumbs–down.

Despite the inevitable groans that references to the Bermuda Triangle always elicit from this idyllic island’s otherwise good–natured inhabitants, there can surely be few better places for golfers to lose themselves.

Where to stay and dine

Pompano Beach Club is an intimate family–run hotel located just a 9–iron shot from your breakfast table to the 8th green at Port Royal.

The Lamb family have run this luxury resort since 1956 and brothers Tom and Larry Lamb, the sons of the original owner, display a passion and enthusiasm for the property that is positively infectious. Each new arrival is welcomed with a tour of the property and the level of personal attention extended to guests throughout their stay is exceptional.

Benefiting from a dramatic oceanfront setting, Pompano Beach Club has its own private beach with access to stunning coral gardens and a shallow sandbar, which is the only one of its kind on the Bermuda coast.

The cuisine is superb, blending fresh local fare with a traditional U.S. menu, while the view from the Ocean Grill restaurant on top of the cliffs overlooking the ocean is truly special.

The recently completed Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa is fast cementing its reputation as the finest accommodation in Bermuda. When first confronted by the beautifully decorated lobby and its grand staircase, you can almost feel the hand of history on your shoulder.

Previously Marriott’s Castle Harbour Hotel, Tucker’s Point is now the “Beverly Hills of Bermuda,” according to Jason Epstein, director of golf. Certainly, no expense has been spared on rooms and suites, which have been finished to exacting standards.

Only a two–hour flight from the Eastern seaboard, Tucker’s Point is the ideal long–weekend destination. With a high–quality spa, private beach, sumptuous restaurants and access to the Tucker’s Point golf course, it provides guests with the most stylish of escapes.

Its Michelin–star restaurant The Point (which requires a jacket for dinner) is set in a grand dining room decorated with murals depicting the world’s ports in the 1880s. These were originally displayed in the Pan Am (now MetLife) building in New York before being purchased by Tucker’s Point president Ed Trippe for the resort in 2005.

The six–course tasting menu with a different wine each course is justification alone for the esteem in which executive chef Serge Bottelli is held throughout Bermuda.

Despite the abundance of luxury real estate on the property, it does not encroach on the golf experience and can be bought outright or as a fractional option.

Newstead Belmont Hills offers guests and owners a “home away from home” consisting of 60 elegant waterfront suites and commanding sunset views across the harbor to Hamilton.

Adjacent to the property, recently restored to its former glory, is the house where Mark Twain lived until two years before his death in 1910—indeed, he may well have uttered those famous words from the opening paragraph one evening while looking out to sea.

Guests can enjoy the delightful Samadhi Spa and the award–winning Beau Rivage French restaurant as well as use their luxury suite with private balcony to entertain clients or friends.

The resort—chic, stylish and with a large infinity pool that melts into Hamilton Harbour—is the place to be when Happy Hour comes ’round each Friday.

Again, owners can buy the properties outright or take a fractional share. For those who opt for the latter, the concierge will retrieve your personal items from storage and stock your fridge in time for your arrival.

Newstead also runs its own complimentary water taxi to ferry guests over to Hamilton, to work or down to the golf course.

In addition to its award–winning cuisine, Beau Rivage stages a Jazz Buffet each Sunday while the sushi served in the Blu Bar & Grill at the golf club is absolutely first–class.

pompanobeachclub.com
portroyalgolf.bm
tuckerspoint.com
newsteadbelmonthills.com

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Masters that changed golf

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