NASSAU, The Bahamas – From the 16th tee at Royal Blue, perched high above the green on the spectacular Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at the uber-elegant Baha Mar Resort, there’s a sense you’re taking in the best the course offers.
The green isn’t on an island, rather a peninsula that juts into Lake Cunningham, taunting those above with a come-hither look but a difficult-to-hold putting surface. Although turquoise waves lap at Cable Beach close by, the lake water along the picturesque 16th is typically calm and dark, an unfortunate grave for far too many mis-hit shots.
Nerves are certain to be tested by this point in the round, as the course has wound through an irregular diet of holes, some that appear to be former swamp and others that look as if they could have been carved through the limestone-laden Queen’s Staircase, a popular tourist attraction in nearby Nassau.
Baha Mar in Nassau, the Bahamas, features three hotels: the Grand Hyatt, the SLS and the Rosewood. (Courtesy of Baha Mar)
Either elated or infuriated, players making their way out to the 16th green often have an epiphany of sorts — the look back toward the tee is even more striking as it reveals a series of rockscapes that look as if they could have been traversed by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. As odd as it may sound, it might be more interesting to look back on the 16th hole than to look forward. And considering how magnificent the view is looking forward, that’s an accomplishment.
But it’s also a perfect encapsulation of the entire resort, one that has risen from the ashes after once flaming out. Looking back at Baha Mar’s history might be just as interesting as looking ahead to its certain-to-be-brilliant future.
Because Baha Mar isn’t just a story of opulence and indulgence, but perseverance and persistence.
Before Royal Blue came to pass, another golf course sat on this property just west of the Bahamian capital, an additional chunk of bait used to lure potential travelers to this remote paradise. The course, then known as Cable Beach Golf Club, was loosely associated with the British Colonial Hotel nearly four miles to its east, and offered Floridians (and others from the nearby Southeast United States) a slice of home — a flat, tricky run of holes with a constant threat of water.
Jack Nicklaus designed the Royal Blue course at Baha Mar. (Courtesy of Baha Mar)
When Nicklaus’ group came in to revamp and add to what is now Royal Blue, designers stuck…
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