Royal Blue Golf Course – Only in the Bahamas
By Tim Cotroneo
More than 100 golfers gathered to salute The Baha Mar Foundation at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Royal Blue Golf Course in Nassau, Bahamas. Located just a five-minute shuttle ride from the spectacular Baha Mar Resort, it’s not surprising that this $4.1 billion resort chose the Golden Bear as their golf course designer.
Everything about Baha Mar is first class, including the brands partnering with this resort which opened in 2017. In addition to the Nicklaus name, Hyatt, Rosewood, SLS, Rolex, Cartier, John McEnroe, and Starbucks are all aligned with this Caribbean escape that includes three hotels, 2300 rooms, 5,000 employees, nine pools, 45 restaurants, a 30,000-square-foot spa, and one of the best beaches in the Bahamas.
The pre-round tournament mood was lively and optimistic as many of the participants were playing Royal Blue for the first time. For most golfers, a blank memory slate regarding a course with nine water holes and 36 sand traps falls under the “what you don’t know won’t hurt you” category. After a Royal Bue welcome introduction from Golf Professional Georgette Rolle, the golf carts headed out for the shotgun start.
Split Personality Nines
What’s distinctive about Royal Blue is how different the two nines are on this 7,000-yard layout. The front nine could be described as more of a traditional track in a Caribbean island sort of way. The island flavor comes in the form of conch shell tee markers, palm trees, and regular sightings of Baha Mar’s penthouse hotel towers on the horizon.
The back nine shifts into an Indiana Jones meets Apollo 13 golf diversion. Golfers are met with moonwalk limestone outcroppings that are visible at the tees, behind the greens, and alongside the legion of mangroves that accompanies the back nine.
Another unique aspect to your Royal Blue golf experience is the floating tee box strategy. The tees are moved daily based on the day-by-day strength of the island tradewinds. The Royal Blue has this mobile yardage routine down to a science, and this hopefully helps first timers with bail out landing areas on to the lush green Platinum Paspalum fairways.
Giving Back to the Game and the Nassau Community
Golf Professional Rolle was a dynamo during the tournament, and her visibility before, during, and after the round was a constant. Rolle’s golf journey began in the Bahamas, before she earned a Master’s Degree at Texas Southern, and then answered the call to return home.
During Rolle’s Royal Blue tenure, she has implemented the Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy for juniors. The academy’s emphasis on the fundamentals, the mental game, and the short game, has translated into significant growth for the program. The academy’s popularity has reached a point that it now also welcomes adults who are looking to improve their game.
On this day, The Baha Mar Foundation took center stage as Caribbean, American, and Canadian golfers came together to raise money for local Nassau charities that focus on conservation, cancer, and community. The grand prize was a fully electric BYD Yuan Plus SUV for the golfer who scored a hole in one. Unfortunately, no one took home this great prize offered by Easy Car Sales, the Bahamas first electric car dealership.
Par Three By the Sea, Two Trees, and Two Rums
There are many memorable golf holes to be experienced during your Royal Blue journey. None more so than the 165-yard, 16th hole. The Par 3 green sits on a peninsula with water in the front and Lake Cunningham circling the entire backside. Impress your friends and casually mention that Lake Cunningham has been home to rowing regattas since 2012.
The best golf courses offer drama as you near the closing hole. Nicklaus design creativity is on display at the Par 4, 314-yard 17th hole. This hole dares you to power your drive over two trees standing like football goalposts in the middle of the fairway and then a second shot onto a green surrounded by limestone rock.
The Par 4 closing hole features limestone to the right and then limestone to the left. About the time you’re feeling like a rock star, get ready to contend with a huge bunker on the right side of the green. Once you drain your final putt on 18, head back to the clubhouse’s Royal Blue Tavern for a little island home cooking in the form of snapper ceviche. The best way to complement this dish is with a cold Bahama Mama cocktail featuring white and dark rum.
Nightcap with Marcus, Justin, and Tiger
After your round at Royal Blue, if you’ve never experienced the Baha Mar Resort, then make a point of checking out this hospitality marvel. To say that one’s visit is mind-blowing is an understatement.
The resort sits on 1,000-acres. That translates to over 43 million square feet of resort space. What’s interesting is that walking from Point A to Point B is rarely more than a five-minute jaunt.
If you only have time for one drink during your Baha Mar visit, where should you go? When a resort has 45 bars and restaurants to choose from, it’s hard to narrow it down to one, but here goes. The Marcus Up Top is the second level perch at The Marcus Restaurant. For sheer oceanfront views, Marcus is the main event for a sunset cocktail and light bite.
As a golfer, before you head home, walk by the Baha Mar cigar bar named T-Squared. On a resort brimming with A-list heavyweights, T-Squared was created by Justin Timberlake and a golfer you may have heard of: Tiger Woods. Royal Blue Golf Course and Baha Mar Resort, only in the Bahamas, baby. https://bahamar.com/ https://bahamar.com/golf/
