Barbados is the eastern-most Caribbean island and is located at 13.4North , 54.4West. Barbados is easily accessible
from North America and Europe with daily direct international flights making getting to the island a pleasant experience.
Flight travel time from New York City is about four hours and twenty minutes. The island,
which is less then one million years old, was created by the collision of the Atlantic crystal
and Caribbean plates, along with a volcanic eruption. Later coral formed, accumulating to
approximately 300 feet. The beaches in Barbados today get their white color from these coral formations.
There is always something to keep you entertained while in Barbados! Barbados nightclubs are mainly
located in St Lawrence Gap area and along Carlisle Bay. Clubs feature live entertainment most nights
of the week. Most bands play local music like calypso and reggae. A number of the resort and hotels
that Sophisticated Golfer recommends also offer live entertainment nightly.
The capital city of Bridgetown offers lots of history from the islands British colonial period.
This includes the famous statue of Lord Elgin that is similar to the same one in London's Trafalgar Square
along with the historic houses of parliament buildings. Bridgetown also offers visitors fantastic
duty free shopping and great restaurants. Visitors can also explore a bit of Barbados by paying a visit
to one of the islands famous rum distilleries or by sampling the beer of Barbados called Banks.
Sophisticated Golfer considers Barbados to be an undiscovered golfing gem! Hot and sunny weather all year round makes Barbados an ideal location for golf. It is the perfect vacation
destination for golf travelers looking to play three different world class courses during their Caribbean vacation. In October 2004, the world's most famous golfer Tiger Woods chose Barbados as the venue for his wedding. But even before that golf in Barbados has been growing with the addition of the Barbados Golf Club in 2000 and the Green Monkey at Sandy Lane. The island hosts the World Golf Championships in December of 2006 at the Sandy Lane Country Club, a true testament to the great golf that can be found in Barbados.
Barbados Golf Club pictured above and at the bottom of this page, is an 18 hole 6,805 yards par 72 Championship golf courses that is a public
access and highly regarded. It is the work of Ron Kirby, one of the world's most experienced
golf course designers and opened in the year 2000. The course is links style and when the trade winds blow
holes like the par 4 eleventh are quiet a test. Magnificent trees strategically planted 25 years ago give
the golf course a mature ambience with a Caribbean flavor. Two lakes intrude and enhance play on five holes
and create a dramatic 'Amen Corner' on holes 15 & 16. A series of coral waste bunkers carved through 4 holes
adds to the excitement and personality of the course as only a Caribbean golf course could.
Royal Westmoreland has been rated #31 in Golf Digest's Top 100 Golf Courses outside of the US. Royal Westmoreland
is a member only club offering preferred play for Sophisticated Golfer clients and guests of our partner hotels and resorts.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr it's a course with colossal character and bearing. The course is placed high up on a former sugar plantation and holes follow the variations
of nature. At nearly 6,900 yards and a par of 72, Royal Westmoreland is famous for it's great par 3 holes which many consider amoung the worlds best. The view of the Caribbean Sea is magnificent and the course must be viewed as one of the world's
most exciting resort courses. Royal Westmoreland is pictured below.
The Country Club at Sandy Lane measures 7,060 yards with a rating of 74.7 and par of 72. This challenging new course
features lush greens, five lakes and lovely open fairways with angled slopes. Most holes offer spectacular Caribbean Sea views, and are shared with the famous Bajan Green Monkeys, which live in the gullies in and
around the course. The course is comprised of 5 par threes, 8 par fours, and 5 par fives.
Sandy Lane Country Club is part of the world renowned luxury resort of Sandy Lane on the West Coast
of Barbados offering golfers a paradise of courses that will challenge every skill level. The Country Club is also the host of the 2006 Barbados World Cup, World Golf Championships professional golf event.
The dramatic Green Monkey course at Sandy Lane was designed by
Tom Fazio and opened in 2003. This course was carved out of the quarry formerly located there.
The Green Monkey golf course plays 7,389 yards from the back tees and includes what may be the
longest par 4 in the world, the 17th hole, a 523-yard monster with water stretching more than
200 yards in front of the tee. Play on the Green Monkey is limited to hotel guests. The Old Nine course at Sandy Lane, constructed in 1961, is intimate yet challenging. With its tree-lined fairways, it still
winds its way magically through the old estate. It can make for a great afternoon ort early morning relaxing play. The Green Monkey and the Country Club course at Sandy Lane are pictured below.
It is warm and sunny all year round with an average daytime high of 75 - 85oF.
The nights are usually slightly cooler. The prevailing northeast trade winds blow steadily
so that although it is bright and sunny and really never unbearably hot. Making a day at
the beach perfect and a day on the golf course comfortable but
challenging. The rain usually comes in quick showers. The dry season lasts from January to June.
Every person entering Barbados, including all North American citizens (Americans and Canadians),
should be in possession of a valid passport and a valid return ticket. Visitors to Barbados should
provide proof of adequate means of support for the duration of their stay to the satisfaction
of the Immigration officer at the port of entry. They should be in possession of valid return tickets
Visitors to Barbados are should bring clothes for the tropics.
Light cotton dresses and light jackets for formal wear. Casual
slacks and lightweight sports for the times when you are not in a bathing suit.
While Barbados is a fun holiday island, there are dress codes, and because of 300
years of conservative British heritage, formal attire is still seen at times.
All golf courses require a collard shirt and proper golf attire.
Of course no trip to Barbados is complete without indulging in a meal featuring flying fish.
However the reality is that dinning in Barbados is elegant and truly tasteful. Sophisticated Golfer recommends Barbados as the best place for fine dinning in the Caribbean! There is an
abundance of fine restaurants on the island that offer local cuisine, seafood and continental cuisine.
The wide range of dining options available in Barbados ensures that there is something to suit every taste.
Some of the most renowned dinning options can be found at the resorts and hotels that Sophisticated Golfer
recommends. We also will recommend other outside dinning options for guest seeking atmospheric or casual
dinning experiences.
The history of the early settlement of Barbados is being rewritten as a result of recent archaeological
discoveries unearthed at the site of Port St. Charles. Artifacts and evidence point to settlement some time
around 1623 B.C. Barbados was first occupied by the British in 1627 and remained a British colony until internal
autonomy was granted in 1961. The English sugar plantations became the main source of trade and the reminisce of
this crop can still be found today. The Island gained full independence in 1966, and maintains ties to the Britain
monarch represented in Barbados by the Governor General. It is a member of the British Commonwealth.
Barbados is full of people who are larger than life. They fill your mind with their colorful speech, their walk,
their engaging looks and their endless energy and love of life. Barbadians will surprise with their warmth, casual
charm and sophistication. The island is a reflection of its people. Here the simple chattel house rests boldly in
the splendor of wealthy estates. The beach vendor will happily discuss the meaning of life with anyone, from Pope
to movie star usually with an inspiring point of view.
