Golf trips: Ocean Golf Club - Golf paradise in the Bahamas

The archipelago of the Bahamas is best reached via Florida - either by plane or as part of a cruise. Golfers should especially consider Paradise Island with its capital Nassau, where several courses attract hotel guests and green fee players from all over the world. Even though the Ocean Golf Club is part of the Atlantis Hotel resort, this wonderful course designed by Tom Weiskopf is also open to guests staying at other hotels, and rental clubs (Callaway) are also available. However, the price level clearly corresponds to US standards, but in return you can enjoy a round where around a third of all holes border the turquoise sea - it is not for nothing that the course advertises with the slogan "Golf in Paradise".

Golf trip to the Bahamas - paradise awaits

The course plays over a total length of between 4,995 and 7,159 yards. Although it is very flat over the extensive terrain, most golfers go for a round in a cart - this also makes it easier to transport their drink (there is of course a drinks trolley that passes by several times during the round). In addition to the design, the wind has a major impact on the difficulty of a round - and there is almost always wind in the Bahamas, although usually a little less in the morning. You should also bear in mind that the first few holes face pretty much due east and west - so on the early round you are often playing directly into the sun, which makes finding balls a little more difficult. Even though the entire course has been beautifully landscaped - there are almost no houses along the fairways, which is typical of many resort courses - it is the fairways along the sea that are particularly memorable. A first highlight: the Par-4 on hole 4, which is slightly uphill from the Tee and you can only guess at the green. The green is slightly offset to the left like a peninsula, with water lurking on the right - many a golfer would like to use the small bay there for a swim stop. Water also often comes into play on the inland courses, as several ponds ensure that the moist element does not only come into play through the ocean. As the wind usually blows from the sea, the holes towards the sea tend to play a little longer, turning a par 4 into what feels like a par 5, depending on the tee box chosen. The sixth hole also leads towards the sea and offers a view of the white beaches of the Bahamas - you really do feel like you're in paradise here.

A stiff breeze at the Ocean Golf Club

Water also dominates the second part of the round, for example on the Par-3 of the twelfth hole, which requires a courageous teeshot over water. After returning to the sea with hole 16, one of the most beautiful holes of the entire round awaits with the maximum 298-yard Par-4. The entire length of the course runs parallel to the sea, and high trajectories in particular are often "blown by the wind". A 451-yard Par-4 then takes you back to the clubhouse, where you putt directly below the clubhouse terrace. On this last hole, the wind direction once again decides whether the finale is paradisiacal - or whether you have to go through purgatory again before the 19th hole.

(Insert photos Ocean Golf Club)

In the footsteps of James Bond

After your round, you should treat yourself to a "Bahama Mama" on the elevated terrace of the clubhouse overlooking the sea. For James Bond fans, on the other hand, a visit to the "Never Say Never Again Bar" is a must: its official name is Lukka Kairi Waterfront Bar & Grill. It was once built for the James Bond film of the same name starring Sean Connery and Barbara Carrera and is located directly opposite the docks of the large cruise ships. Here you can enjoy your martini - shaken, not stirred, of course!