The Abaco Club on Winding Bay

The verdict

The Abaco Club is the rare resort course that golf architects argue about for the right reasons. Donald Steel and Tom Mackenzie were handed a stretch of cliff, dune and beach on the southern shore of Abaco and built what is widely called the world's first Scottish-style links in a tropical setting, opened in December 2004 and laid out over salt tolerant seashore paspalum that lets the ground game work the way it does in Ayrshire.

The result is genuine links golf under a Bahamian sun: firm turf, exposed holes that swing with the trade winds, and views of the Atlantic from nearly every tee. It is consistently ranked the number one course in the Bahamas, and it sits inside a private club and cottage community now run on a stay-and-play model. For a traveling golfer who loves links and wants it warm, there is nothing quite like it in the Caribbean.

The holes worth the trip

What sets Winding Bay apart is how completely it commits to the links idea. The paspalum runs firm and fast, the fairways tumble through low dunes and the bunkering is deep and revetted in the Scottish manner, so the wind, not the yardage, is the defense. On a calm morning the course is a joy; when the trades get up, club selection becomes guesswork and the bump and run becomes the only sane shot.

The holes along the cliff edge above the Atlantic are the postcards, with the ocean in full view and tee shots that must hold a line against the breeze. Inland, the routing twists through dunes and native scrub, the greens are large and full of movement, and the smart approach feeds the ball in from short rather than flying it to a flag exposed to the wind.

It is a thinking player's course that rewards a low, controlled flight and punishes the high, soft approach the Caribbean usually invites. Combined with the setting, the sweep of Winding Bay and the cottages above it, the round feels like links golf transported to a beach holiday, which is exactly the trick Steel and Mackenzie set out to pull.

Where to stay nearby

The natural base is the club itself, where the cabanas and cottages above Winding Bay put the first tee, the beach and the clubhouse within a short walk, and the stay is what unlocks the golf. It is a self contained retreat designed for exactly this kind of trip, with the beach, the pool and the dining all on site.

Beyond the gates, Marsh Harbour is the commercial hub of Abaco for supplies, restaurants and onward boats to the cays, and a wider Bahamas golf trip can pair Winding Bay with the championship courses around Nassau and Paradise Island, including Albany and the Ocean Club.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near The Abaco Club.