Tiger Woods is skipping the PGA Grand Slam of Golf but that's no reason you should skip Bermuda

By Tim McDonald,
Contributor

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Riddell's Bay is the oldest course in Bermuda. (Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com)

BERMUDA - To those of you who planned a fall golf vacation in Bermuda, hoping to catch Tiger Woods' act, I can only say I feel your pain.

Woods pulled out of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf Oct. 15-17 at the Mid Ocean Golf Club, telling the world he was needed at home to help wife Elin change the diapers of the couple's new baby, Sam Alexis. When you make $90 million a year, you can do that sort of thing.

Jim Furyk, the No. 3-ranked player in the world, is taking Woods' place, but there is no doubt most of the luster is gone from the 36-hole, $1.25 million event, which pits the winners of the year's four major events against each other.

Still, if your tickets are not refundable, or for those of you who would rather go to the lovely island to play golf rather than watch it, there are some very nice options.

But first, beware. This is not a cheap island. Golf in Bermuda is expensive. Woods may not flinch at paying around $70 for a dozen, medium-grade golf balls, but you might.

Also, be aware that most of Bermuda's golf courses are private, though some accept tee times if you make prior arrangements. Also, check to see if your private club has reciprocal arrangements with Bermuda's private courses.

In any case, here are some of our recommendations:

Bermuda golf courses

Mid Ocean Club is a very private club, designed in 1921 by Charles Blair MacDonald. It sits on the northeast side of Bermuda with the ocean as a backdrop, particularly on the opening and closing holes.

It is only 6,547 yards from the back tees, but it is consistently ranked among the top 100 courses in the world. Robert Trent Jones Sr. re-designed it back in the 1950s.

The course has hosted an eclectic group of luminaries from all over the world, such as Dwight Eisenhower, Babe Ruth, Winston Churchill and George Bush.

Though it is a private club, many of the members own hotels and are allowed to introduce a limited number of guests on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays before noon.

The general public will pay $200 for a round, but only $70 if you play with a member.

For more info, call (441) 293-0330.

Port Royal Golf Course is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design with oleander-lined fairways, good elevation changes and colorful in that Bermuda way.

What's not to like?

Add to that the fact it's a public course, and now you have something. It isn't as fancy-shmancy as some of the old, private courses on the island - some of the greens are rough in spots - nor are the green fees as hefty, though everything is expensive in Bermuda, as the locals never tire of telling you.

"No, it isn't as pristine as some of the private courses here," said local Lowell Vestbirk. "But you don't really expect that when you play a public course. You want a course that gives you a bit of a challenge and this one does that. I think it's very well laid out, he's kept it challenging most of the way through."

The course is relatively long for Bermuda, being such a tiny island and short on terrain, at 6,561 yards.

You won't be playing much bump-and-run here; many of the greens are elevated, the better to see the physical splendor of Bermuda, with some of them radically so, like Nos. 6 and 7. On No. 7, in fact, on your approach shot, the green is so high up it's framed by nothing but the bright blue Bermuda sky.

For more info, call (441) 234-4653.

Solid seconds

Riddell's Bay Golf and Country Club is the oldest course in Bermuda, built back in 1922, back before they started building them in the hills to give tourists views of the ocean and bays.

The result is that the course is flatter, and the views - and there are plenty - are more up close and personal. Located at the southern end of the island in Warwick, many of the views at Riddell's Bay in fact are not of long-range vistas, but of small inlets with moored sailboats, their banners flying and the sun sparkling off that beautiful water.

The course plays through Bermudian flowers, blooming bushes and Australian pine, wining along a peninsula that is only 600 yards at its widest point, so nearly everywhere you look, there's that sparkling turquoise water again.

It's a short course, even for Bermuda, at a shade under 6,000 yards and - let's face it - not all that difficult. It has some short, driveable par-4s, only one par-5 and a par of 70. The slope rating is an easy 121.

"I'll say forgiving," said Slaine Eve, assistant pro. "It's very forgiving. It has its challenges, especially when the wind blows on the back nine, but coming in on 17 and 18 is pretty easy."

So if you want to drink in the Bermuda scenery and not be distracted, this course is for you.

For more info, call (441) 238-1060.

Tuckers Point Club used to be known as Castle Harbour, with roots dating back to the 1930s. The course eventually came under some criticism for the way it had let itself go, but after Roger Rulewich, long-time student of Robert Trent Jones Sr., re-designed it, people are happy as lovebirds with it.

That may because it combines the classic beauty of Bermuda with some friendly golf. The course is best known for its views, especially of the aquamarine waters of Harrington Sound. The course is very hilly - the locals call it the "goat hill course" - which lifts you up to those uplifting Bermuda vistas.

Many of the tee boxes and most of the greens are elevated, too, so that you can see all over the island and its surrounding, azure waters. Those multi-million dollar homes in the ritziest enclave on the island are up close and personal so you can gaze at the lairs of the famous and wealthy, like Ross Perot and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in winter, too.

The layout lingers over the hills of this rocky island, and some holes will command your attention. The fairways slither like snakes through oleander and palm, rubber and spice trees, and most of the fairways and greens are bordered by thick, nasty Bermuda rough. For an island, there isn't a lot of water to contend with, and you get mostly glimpses of Harrington Sound, Castle Harbour and South Shore.

Tucker's Point is one of the newest, luxury resort golf clubs in Bermuda. It sits on about 200 acres in Tucker's Town, adjacent to the renowned Mid Ocean, serving as the centerpiece of a $300 million resort project.

The travel magazines are certainly impressed with it. Travel and Leisure Golf named it the third-best resort in the Caribbean, even though technically Bermuda is nowhere near the Caribbean. The magazine also named it the most underrate resort and said its resort restaurant is the third-best in the Caribbean.

Green fees are $185 weekdays, plus $28 for cart. It's a private club, though the public is allowed on. Non-members must be introduced to the club.

For more info, call (441) 298-6915.

Others

• Fairmont Southampton Princess

• Ocean View

• St. George'

• Belmont Hills Golf and Country Club

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October 10, 2007

Veteran golf writer Tim McDonald keeps one eye on the PGA Tour and another watching golf vacation hotspots and letting travelers in on the best place to vacation.