Playa Grande Golf Club

It’s common to compare courses that have holes on the ocean to Pebble Beach, the grandaddy of all oceanfront golf. Few, however, have as many similarities as Playa Grande, set on the quiet north coast of the island. To begin with, the course sits on rocky bluffs above the crashing waves the same way Pebble does. Ten holes at Playa Grande are perched on the ocean (nine fully, with the green of another set on the bluffs) versus nine at the California landmark (eight fully, with the 17th green touching the edge). Original architect Robert Trent Jones, designing the course in the mid-1990s, never had a more dramatic natural setting and hooked fairways around Stillwater-like coves and placed greens out on exposed peninsulas, creating some of the most sensational holes in the Caribbean. In the last decade, a change in ownership and a remodel by Trent Jones' son Rees Jones has enhanced Playa Grande’s status as one of the region’s top destinations.