Sandy Lane Green Monkey
The Green Monkey is the jewel of Sandy Lane, a Tom Fazio course carved from a former limestone quarry on the resort's St James estate. Opened in 2004, it sets emerald fairways against towering exposed rock, tumbles through big elevation changes, and ends with the only double green Fazio has ever built. Reserved for resort guests, it is among the most exclusive rounds anywhere in the Caribbean.
Photo: Sandy Lane via Google.
The verdict
The Green Monkey is a spectacle first and a golf course second, and that is meant as praise. Tom Fazio took a worked out limestone quarry and turned its walls and ledges into the most dramatic stage in Caribbean golf, with sheer rock faces framing greens and fairways spilling down through the old workings. It is lavish, theatrical and built without compromise, and the conditioning matches the setting.
For the travelling golfer it is a bucket list curiosity as much as a serious test, the kind of course you arrange a stay around rather than the other way round. Access is the catch, reserved for Sandy Lane guests, so a round here is part of a wider west coast Barbados holiday at one of the Caribbean's grandest resorts. Pair it with the more accessible Country Club course on the estate and you have a golf and beach week with few equals.
Sandy Lane Green Monkey at a glance
- Designer
- Tom Fazio
- Opened
- 2004
- Type
- Quarry course
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- approx 7,343 yds
- Access
- Sandy Lane resort guests
Designer, opening, layout, par and length verified June 2026: the Green Monkey at Sandy Lane was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2004, carved from a former limestone quarry in St James, Barbados. It plays around 7,343 yards, par 72, and the par 5 ninth shares a double green with the seventeenth, the only such green on a Fazio course. Access is reserved for Sandy Lane resort guests and carries a premium fee; the resort does not publish a standard public rate, so always confirm current access and fees directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The Green Monkey trades on contrast, the manicured turf against the raw, pale stone of the quarry, and Fazio leans into it on hole after hole. The routing rides the elevation the old workings left behind, with tee shots played from ledges down into the bowl and approaches framed by rock walls that turn ordinary holes into photographs. At around 7,343 yards from the back it has real length, but the drama, not the difficulty, is the point.
The signature is the long par 5 ninth, the course's longest hole, which shares a vast double green with the seventeenth, the only double green Fazio has ever designed and a fitting centrepiece for a course built to be unique. Elsewhere the par 3s perch over rock and water, and the closing holes climb back out of the quarry to the clubhouse.
Play it for the experience and the setting, take your time over the views, and treat the card as secondary. There is nowhere else quite like it in the islands.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Reserved for guests of the Sandy Lane resort; not open to general public play |
| Green fee | A premium fee well above the resort's Country Club course; Sandy Lane does not publish a standard public rate (2026, indicative) |
| Booking | Arrange through the resort as part of your stay; tee times are limited and demand is high |
| On the day | Caddies are part of the experience; the Country Club course and full resort facilities sit alongside |
| Getting there | On the west coast in St James, around 20 minutes from Bridgetown and 40 minutes from Grantley Adams airport |
| Best months | The dry season from December to April for the most reliable golf weather |
Access verified June 2026; the Green Monkey is reserved for Sandy Lane guests and fees are not publicly published, so always confirm directly before booking with the resort or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
Because the Green Monkey is reserved for resort guests, the only base that unlocks it is Sandy Lane itself, the landmark west coast hotel on whose estate the course sits. Staying there bundles your golf with one of the Caribbean's grandest beachfront resorts and gives access to both the Green Monkey and the Country Club course.
For a wider Barbados holiday the Platinum Coast of St James and St Peter is lined with luxury hotels and villas within easy reach, and the island's beaches, dining and rum heritage fill the off course days. The gateway is Grantley Adams International, around 40 minutes from the west coast.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts at Sandy Lane and along the Barbados west coast.
Plan a Barbados golf trip around the Green Monkey
We build the week around a stay at Sandy Lane and a round on the Green Monkey, add the Country Club course and the best of the island, and sort the resort booking. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Sandy Lane Green Monkey questions
Who designed the Green Monkey at Sandy Lane?
The Green Monkey was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2004. He carved it from a former limestone quarry on the Sandy Lane estate, using the exposed rock faces as dramatic backdrops, and it is named for the green monkeys native to Barbados.
What is the par and yardage of the Green Monkey?
The Green Monkey plays around 7,343 yards, par 72. The routing uses big elevation changes and the quarry walls, and the par 5 ninth shares a double green with the seventeenth, a feature unique among Fazio's courses.
Can anyone play the Green Monkey?
No. The Green Monkey is reserved for guests of the Sandy Lane resort and is one of the most exclusive golf experiences in the Caribbean. The resort's Country Club course is the more accessible Tom Fazio layout at Sandy Lane.
How much does it cost to play the Green Monkey?
Access is limited to Sandy Lane resort guests and carries a premium green fee well above the resort's Country Club course. Sandy Lane does not publish a standard public rate, so always confirm current access and fees directly with the resort before booking.
Where is Sandy Lane?
Sandy Lane sits on the west coast of Barbados in the parish of St James, around 20 minutes from Bridgetown and roughly 40 minutes from Grantley Adams International airport.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, layout, par and length verified June 2026; access verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.