Virtually all of Puerto Rico’s golf courses are of championship caliber, created by some of the best-known architects in the golf world and host to local, national and international tournaments. Players of all levels are tested by an abundance of well-placed bunkers and water hazards, spreading trees, rolling hills and the ever-present trade winds. The courses are also beautiful, with fairways bordering dramatic blue tropical waters, sand traps matching the bone-white hues of beach sand, roughs with a profusion of flowering thickets and shade from the graceful fronds of coconut palms. With sunny skies, easterly breezes and year-round temperatures hovering around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, Puerto Rico offers perfect golf weather just about every day of the year. All courses are a short drive from each other, and Puerto Rico itself is a short plane ride from major cities in North America and is accessible from South America and Europe.

Almost a century ago, golf reached Puerto Rico thanks to the production of sugarcane. In the 1920s, most of the staff and managers of the major sugar mills were from the mainland U.S., and their love of the sport resulted in courses popping up in Río Piedras, Salinas, Guánica and Humacao. Today, the nine-hole course at the now-closed Aguirre mill in Salinas, established in the late 1920s, has the distinction of being the oldest golf course on the Island.

When World War II military installations were established around the Island, most of them included a golf course. In Old San Juan, nine holes were landscaped onto the vast field leading to El Morro Fort, but they were removed as a historic eyesore decades ago. Today, the course at the former Ramey U.S. Air Force Base in Aguadilla, a favorite of President Eisenhower, is open to the public, while the courses at Fort Buchanan and Roosevelt Roads are limited to military personnel and families.

The modern age of golf began in the 1950s and 1960s, with the opening of the Berwind Country Club course in Río Grande, and the four Cerromar/Dorado Beach courses in Dorado. The Dorado courses took more than a decade to complete, and Dorado quickly became the place to play golf in the Caribbean. In 1954, the Puerto Rico Golf Association (PRGA) was founded, thanks in large part to Jim Teale. Transplanted from Ohio to Puerto Rico back in 1949, Teale went on to organize the International Seniors Golf Tournament in 1979 and was twice Puerto Rico Amateur Golf Champion. He remains active in the PRGA as its executive secretary. This year the PRGA caps its 50 th anniversary celebrations by hosting the prestigious 2004 World Amateur Team Championships. More than 70 countries and a record-breaking number of teams are participating in the bi-annual event, celebrated October 14-31 at the Río Mar Golf Club in Río Grande and dedicated to Teale.

All golf courses in Puerto Rico today have golf pros, classes, driving ranges and clubhouses ranging from modest to magnificent. With the exception of the two military courses, virtually all welcome public play on a daily basis. All but two clubs require the use of carts. Fees vary greatly, ranging from a low of $50 or less (cart included) to a high of $185 and up. High season is more expensive than low season, mornings more expensive than afternoons, and there are often special rates for twilight play, groups, local residents and more. You can find out current fees and make reservations through the concierge at your hotel or you can call a particular course directly.

Independent Courses.
Puerto Rico has golf courses that are not connected to a resort hotel complex… and golf courses that are. In general, the non-resort courses offer fewer amenities, cost less, cater more to local golfers and, consequently, have more local flavor. The greatest concentration of championship golf courses is found along the northeast coastline of Puerto Rico. Of its two non-resort courses, the 18-hole Bahía Beach Plantation, a short drive from San Juan in Río Grande, is a popular classic beachfront course with a varied terrain calling for every club in the bag and water play on 13 holes. The nearby Berwind Country Club is a private club that welcomes visitors on weekdays and Sunday afternoons. Its 18 holes feature a riverside landscape and an abundance of coconut palms and flowering vegetation. If you continue clockwise around the coast, you eventually reach the venerable nine-hole Aguirre Golf Club in south-coast Salinas, known for its rolling natural terrain and many century-old trees. In Cabo Rojo on the west coast, the Club Deportivo del Oeste is set on a hilly course with panoramic ocean views. Originally designed as a nine-hole course by Jack Bender, it now has 18 holes. On the former Ramey Base in west-coast Aguadilla, the 18-hole Punta Borinquen Golf Course has straight and open fairways, refreshing sea breezes and spectacular seascapes. Its modest fees make it a favorite with local golfers. Walking is permitted on certain days at both Club Deportivo and Punta Borinquen.

Golf courses on the interior slopes of the Island, often in the shadow of the Central Mountains, are a relatively recent phenomenon. The 18-hole Coamo Springs Golf & Tennis Club is set above the historic southern town of Coamo. Designed by Ferdinand Garbin, its fairways are fun yet challenging. Inaugurated a year and a half ago, Las Bambúas Golf Course is picturesquely cradled between mountains near an upscale community a half hour from San Juan. Nine holes of its projected 18-hole course have opened.

Resort Courses.
The courses linked to Island resort hotels pamper their golfers with well-equipped clubhouses and well-stocked pro shops, and they are close to the upscale restaurants and other amenities of a luxury resort. The grande dames of golfing in Puerto Rico are the four 18-hole courses found around the Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Country Club in Dorado. Loaded with sand traps, water hazards and doglegs, they are considered among the top courses designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones and among the top 50 resort courses in the world. The East Course – whose 4 th hole was pronounced one of the ten best-designed holes in the world by Jack Nicklaus – and West Course adjoin the Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort. The Plantation South Course (currently closed for renovation) and Plantation North Course are now part of the Hyatt Plantation Club, and a new clubhouse here is slated to open in February 2005. Nearby, the Embassy Suites Beach & Golf Resort is the setting for the 18-hole Dorado del Mar Golf Course. Set along the Atlantic, with a 10 th hole running along cliffs overlooking the water, it was designed by Chi Chi Rodriguez. Its driving range is lit up for nighttime practice. On the opposite side of the Island, the Ponce Hilton & Casino in Ponce showcases the Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club. Designed by Bruce Besse on former sugarcane fields, the 27-hole championship course features Puerto Rico’s only island green and offers great views of the Caribbean and Central Mountains.

Nine resort hotel golf courses are found in northeastern Puerto Rico. The newly opened Paradisus Puerto Rico in Río Grande shares its coastline with Coco Beach Golf & Country Club. Designed by Tom Kite in collaboration with Bruce Besse, Coco Beach consists of four 9-hole courses – the Mountain Course, Ocean Course, Lake Courseand Wetlands Course – and the largest clubhouse in the Caribbean. The Westin Río Mar Beach Resort & Golf Clubin Río Grande has two classic 18-hole resort courses. The original Ocean Course, designed by the Fazio brothers, features lots of bunkers and small elevated greens. Its 16 th hole consistently ranks among the best in the Caribbean. The River Course, designed by Greg Norman, meanders along the beautiful Mameyes River. Non-hotel guests must reserve 24 hours in advance. The El Conquistador Resort & Spain Fajardo has been listed as one of the top 75 golf resorts in the world. Its hilly 18-hole course, designed by Arthur Hills, has more than 200 feet of elevation change from start to finish and spectacular cliff-side views of the Atlantic. On the east coast, the sprawling Palmas del Mar Resort encompasses two 18-hole golf courses that are ranked among Puerto Rico’s best. The original Palm Course was designed by Gary Player. An enjoyable course, it nevertheless demands accuracy and good ball control. The newer Flamboyán Course, named among the top five courses in the Caribbean, was designed by Reese Jones. It is long and challenging, with a pond and lake as water hazards.

Two other courses, Caguas Real Golf Club (a resort course) near Caguas and Chi Chi Rodriguez’s El Legado Golf Resort (an independent course) in Guayama, are expected to be inaugurated by year’s end.