The Bahamas keeps its golf small and serious. There is no sprawling resort circuit here, just a handful of championship courses with marquee names on them, set on white sand islands within a short hop of Florida. Two of the world's signature designers shaped the headline layouts, and the best of them run straight into the Atlantic. Here are the five courses we rate most highly across the islands, ranked.
Photograph: Ocean Club Golf Course, Paradise Island, via Google
We weighed three things: the quality and pedigree of the course itself, the strength of the setting, and whether a traveling golfer can realistically get on. The Bahamas rewards a short list rather than a long one. A few championship courses here are genuinely world class, and several others are private or members only, so we have ranked the layouts that combine real design quality with a scenic island setting, noting clearly where access runs through a resort and where it does not.
Every designer, opening year and yardage here was checked at the time of writing against club and resort sources, and the order and the verdicts are ours. Tell us your islands and your dates and one concierge confirms the access, books the tee times, and builds the stay around them.
Ranked the number one course in The Bahamas by Golfweek in 2024, Royal Blue at the Baha Mar resort is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design of around 7,189 yards that regulars describe as two courses in one for its elevation changes and shifting scenery. It is the most complete modern golf experience in the islands, paired with a major casino resort on Nassau, which makes it the easy first call for a Bahamas golf trip.
The most famous round in the country, a Tom Weiskopf design of about 7,100 yards at Atlantis on Paradise Island, consistently rated among the best courses in The Bahamas and the Caribbean. The closing stretch runs along the Atlantic, where crosswinds and deep bunkers turn breathtaking views into a real test. With Atlantis and the Ocean Club resort beside it, it is the headline scenic pick.
An Ernie Els designed championship course at the exclusive Albany community on New Providence, with world class practice facilities and a reputation for immaculate conditioning. It pairs elite golf with serious luxury and privacy, which is the appeal and the catch: this is a private, members oriented club, so access is by arrangement rather than open booking. For the right group it is the most exclusive golf in the islands.
A Greg Norman links of around 7,000 yards on Great Exuma, long rated one of the most scenic courses in the Caribbean. Six holes hug a rocky peninsula out into the sea, where the trade winds make every round different, and the back nine gets wilder as it follows the shoreline. Set at the Sandals resort and a short flight from Nassau, it is the pick for an Out Island escape with championship golf on the water.
A tropical take on a Scottish links by Donald Steel and Tom Mackenzie, set on Winding Bay on Great Abaco and built deliberately for the wind. Firm, rumpled and framed by dunes and sea, it is the most distinctive course in the islands and a former professional venue. It is a private members club in a remote setting, so a stay and play arrangement is the way in, and the seclusion is the whole point.
Designers, opening years and yardages verified June 2026 from club and resort sources. Access policies, green fees and tee time availability vary by season and resort; always confirm directly before booking.
Tell us your dates, your group and which islands you have in mind, and one concierge confirms the access, books the tee times and builds the stay, costed to the head, with no obligation.
Royal Blue at Baha Mar on New Providence, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course of around 7,189 yards, was ranked the number one course in The Bahamas by Golfweek in 2024 and is our top pick. The Tom Weiskopf designed Ocean Club at Atlantis on Paradise Island and the Ernie Els designed Albany are the next two, both championship layouts on the same island.
The Ocean Club on Paradise Island and Sandals Emerald Bay on Great Exuma are the two for water. Ocean Club finishes along the Atlantic, while Emerald Bay, a Greg Norman links of around 7,000 yards, sends six holes out along a peninsula into the sea and is regularly rated among the most scenic in the Caribbean.
Ocean Club, Royal Blue and Sandals Emerald Bay welcome visitors and resort guests, with the best rates and guaranteed tee times usually coming through a resort stay. Albany and The Abaco Club are private and members oriented, so access there is by arrangement. We confirm current access and book the tee times as part of planning your trip.
December to April is the peak season, with warm, dry days and steady trade winds, and it is also the busiest and dearest. The shoulder months of May and November are warm and better value. Summer is hot and humid with a higher chance of afternoon storms, and the official hurricane season runs June to November, so spring is the sweet spot for most golf trips.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and rankings verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.