Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Club

The verdict

Sandals Emerald Bay is the most dramatic resort course in the Out Islands, a Greg Norman design on Great Exuma that opened as the Four Seasons layout before the resort became part of Sandals. A par 72 of 7,001 yards, it saves its best for a stretch of six holes that run out along a narrow peninsula into the Atlantic, fully exposed to the trade winds and ringed by turquoise water.

It is short on paper by modern standards, but the wind makes the number meaningless. When the breeze is up, the peninsula holes become a thrilling, nervy examination of ball control and nerve, which is exactly why the Korn Ferry Tour stages its Great Exuma Classic here each year. For a traveling golfer who wants oceanfront drama and an all-inclusive resort to match, it is the centerpiece of any Exuma trip.

The holes worth the trip

The front nine eases you in across rolling, sandy ground inland, with Norman's trademark wide fairways and sharp green complexes setting the tone. The course is generous off the tee but pointed around the greens, where run offs and bunkering punish the careless approach and reward the player who controls spin and trajectory.

Then comes the peninsula. The closing stretch heads out toward the Atlantic on a sliver of land with water on both sides, and the trade winds turn benign holes into genuine tests of nerve. Tee shots must hold a line into the breeze, approaches have to flight under the wind, and a steady par feels like a triumph when the ocean is roaring beside you.

It is the holes along the water, more than the yardage, that golfers remember and the tour players talk about. The reward for surviving them is a finish among the most photogenic in the Caribbean, with the resort, the marina and the beach right there to celebrate the round.

Where to stay nearby

The obvious base is Sandals Emerald Bay itself, the all-inclusive resort wrapped around the course with the marina, the beach and the dining on site, and golf included for many guests. It is built for couples and golfers who want everything handled in one place, steps from the first tee.

Great Exuma is a small, laid-back island, so most visitors stay close to the resort and use a Nassau stopover to fold in the Ocean Club on Paradise Island and, for the keenest, the links at The Abaco Club on Abaco.

Looking for a base on Exuma? See our recommended hotels and resorts.