Bermuda – Where Golfing Dreams Come True

How many holes-in-one have I had? Let me think, er… one. Jealous? If you haven’t had one, of course you are. Well, here’s a tip; dash to Bermuda. Hundreds who have gone in search of golf’s ultimate prize have fulfilled their dream at a beautiful course called Turtle Hill.

What’s the secret? Well, all its 18 holes are par threes. And par threes are, of course, where elusive aces are scored. But if you’re thinking ‘pitch-and-putt’ or an undemanding ‘executive par three’ think again because the holes at Turtle Hill wouldn’t look out of place at Augusta, Pebble Beach or Pinehurst.

turtle_hill

The Theodore Robinson designed course measures 2684 yards so the average length of each hole is just under 150 yards. The 14th is over 200 yards long and there’s plenty of tough rough and water hazards in which it’s all too easy to lose balls. I lost three on the front nine alone. And there’s certainly no shortage of bunkers. The dramatic elevation changes and impressive views over the Atlantic also greatly enhance its enormous visual appeal.

It’s the regular venue of the Grey Goose Par Three World Championship, an event that attracts many former tour pros as well as a whole host of top amateur players.

Two-time major winner Tony Jacklin has played here and Johnny Miller, also a two-time major champion, holds the course record. His astonishing 49 included two holed bunker shots and, yes, a hole-in-one.

Would Turtle Hill’s Director of Golf Anthony Mocklow like to see more par three tournaments. “Indeed I would. I’m hoping to start a proper par three tour with around 30 tournaments all over the world.” He’s also hoping a future championship at Turtle Hill will be televised. “One of the most appealing aspects of par three golf is that a round only takes about three hours, which leaves you plenty of time to do other things for the remainder of the day.” Mine only took two-and-a-half hours but speed rather than low scoring has always been the strongest part of my game.

So what are your chances of recording that elusive ace at Turtle Hill? There were no fewer than 63 last year with one day producing a record crop of four. With 30,000 rounds played a year, there’s a total of over half-a-million attempts annually. Of these, roughly one in 8,600 ends with the ball dropping in the hole, scenes of wild jubilation on the tee and drinks all round in the bar afterwards.

fairmont_southampton_hotel

So if you stay in the fabulous adjoining Fairmont Southampton hotel for a week and play, say, two rounds a day, there’s a fairly decent one in 34 chance you will achieve the ambition of a lifetime.  By the way the 11th, which is stroke index 18 and the easiest hole on the course, has given up the most holes-in-one and so take particularly careful aim at this one.  Since you ask, I had a solid bogey four there.

The green fees alone will set you back over $1200 and, if successful, there will be a hefty bar bill to settle. Is it worth it?  If you fulfil a dream, of course it is. Then, to celebrate your achievement, why not treat yourself to a round at one of the several other outstanding courses in Bermuda?

If you’re lucky enough to bag your ace early in the week leaving you several days of golfing indulgence then you will have a chance to play a few of the other half-a-dozen 18-hole and two nine-hole courses on this delightful island. They are all lovely and so you can’t actually go wrong.  But before I agonise over which is the best and suggest at order in which to play the others, let’s make sure you know your geography and a few other relevant details about Bermuda.

Perhaps the most important fact is where it is or, more precisely, where it isn’t. Contrary to popular belief, Bermuda is not in the Caribbean but is stuck out in the North Atlantic about 660 miles from the coast of North Carolina.

It enjoys a semi-tropical climate and the near constant breezes render it absolutely ideal for golf. Play is year-round with October to April the most popular period. The average daytime temperature in January and February, thanks to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream, is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit.  Incidentally, although it lies in the hurricane belt, Bermuda normally misses the worst of the storms. In any case, the best hotels are members of the Bermuda Hotel Association which allows guests to cancel their reservation without penalty if a hurricane is forecast to pass within 200 miles of the island.

A British Overseas Territory, Bermuda claims to have the highest concentration of courses anywhere in the world. Because land is so precious, these courses are not overly long, which is something of a virtue as it helps shorten the time taken to play a round. Not that there’s ever any reason to rush in Bermuda, a point underlined by the extremely modest 20 mph speed limit.

If you think such a limit would drive you crazy and stress you out as you grip the steering wheel ever tighter fearing you might miss your tee time, relax because such a situation will never arise as visitors to the island can’t rent cars. They can, however, hire motor scooters and I nearly wrote mine off driving around the car park of the rental company in a futile bid to convince them they could entrust me with one of their machines. A combination of inexperience and unfamiliarity with driving on the left renders scooters rather dangerous and so taking a taxi is best.  In any case, as the island is only 22 miles long and extremely narrow, no golf course is ever very far away.

The Bermuda dollar is pegged to the US dollar and US notes and coins are used interchangeably with Bermudian notes and coins. Because pretty well everything has to be imported, nothing is cheap and golf is no exception. But, reasonably priced packages are available and offer good value.

Okay, let’s get back to the golf and make some tough decisions as to which courses to play and in what order. Let’s start with the worst case scenario and imagine you have just one day and time for just one course, which should it be? Well, opinion is pretty evenly divided between Mid Ocean and Port Royal as to which is the very best in Bermuda. Both have hosted the prestigious annual battle between the four major winners – the Grand Slam of Golf – and both are truly exceptional and deserve a mention whenever the most beautiful courses in the world are discussed.

If you detect some hesitation and prevarication on my part, it’s only because I don’t want to offend either by preferring the other. However, I didn’t get where I am today by sitting on the out-of-bounds fence and so, if forced, I would have to say Mid Ocean edges it by the length of a tee-peg.

If God had thoughtfully provided Adam and Eve with 18 holes in the Garden of Eden, Mid Ocean is how it would have looked… lovely, lush and not overly long. Designed by C B Macdonald nearly a century ago, it rolls gently around the hills, benefits from plenty of elevation and enjoys glorious views over the ocean.  Among those who have experienced both the fabulous course and stunning scenery are Dwight Eisenhower, Sir Winston Churchill and George Bush.

mid_ocean

Always presented in immaculate condition, the only mild blemishes on an otherwise perfect track occur where local roads cross the course. But even these quirkily add character to a marvellous and totally unforgettable experience. The other thing to remember is visitors are welcome on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Port Royal lies at the other end of the island. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior and owned by the government, it benefited from a multi-million dollar makeover back in 2009 prior to taking over from Mid Ocean the responsibility of hosting the Grand Slam tournament. Having enjoyed a great deal of TV exposure over the last few years, it witnessed its final Grand Slam in 2014, which was the eighth held in Bermuda.

port_royal

The stand-out hole is the breath-taking, par three 16th. With the green perched in the distance, the Atlantic on your left and oblivion in between tee and green, it takes a strong nerve whether hitting from the regular tee (180 yards) or the championship tee (235 yards). Take a moment or two to soak up the view and then calm your nerves by gazing down upon the plump parrot fish basking in the shallow waters below.

Remember we’re working backwards from departure day and, in effect therefore, subtly ranking courses in reverse order. Assuming your ace comes with three days left of your vacation, the choice where to play next is a tricky one. However, tough choices are an integral part of golf and, in my opinion, Riddell’s Bay just sneaks into third place.

riddells_bay

It’s the oldest club on the island and the easiest of the four I played to walk around. Mind you, carts are available everywhere and are well used so pedestrian golfers are sadly still something of a rarity. Occupying a narrow peninsula, the course is right on the water and the three ocean holes are worth the green fee on their own. What it lacks in length (it’s less than 6000 yards) it more than makes up in character.

A lot longer and benefiting from much more in the way of elevation is imposing and impressive Tucker’s Point.  Right next door to Mid Ocean, it enjoys similar superb views in what is the most exclusive neighbourhood on the island.

tuckers_point

The course is extremely challenging with intelligent bunkering. A sprinkling of water hazards augments anxiety levels whilst at the same time adding to the considerable visual appeal. The trees, too, are both a pleasure and a pain. And the few blind shots will excite some whilst irritating others.  The magnificent clubhouse occupies a prominent point from which to gaze upon the breath-taking beauty of Bermuda.

You can desperately store that view in your memory bank and summon it up on a miserable winter’s day or, better still, resolve to return, enjoy it all over again and play the courses you missed the last time you were there.

WHY WE LIKE IT

With its benign climate, glorious beaches and great fish restaurants, Bermuda is regarded by many as being as close to paradise as it’s possible to get on this side of the pearly gates. It also says it has the highest concentration of golf courses of any country in the world and I’m not inclined to challenge that claim.

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