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The Green Monkey at Sandy Lane Named Best Caribbean Golf Course!

Corales Golf Course at Puntacana Resort takes second place

Look at any list of top golf courses in the world, and you're likely to see the Caribbean well represented. This region of more than 100 islands occupying an area of over a million square miles is a golfer's paradise, especially when you consider the stellar weather and plethora of activities off the course. We asked a panel of golf and Caribbean travel experts to nominate their favorite Caribbean courses, and then we turned it over to our readers to choose the 10 best winners.

  • The Green Monkey at Sandy Lane
    Barbados

    This exclusive Tom Fazio-designed 72 par course in Barbados was carved from an old limestone quarry. The course features exposed rock, rolling greens and a serious elevation change for a memorable Caribbean golfing experience.
    Photo courtesy of Leading Hotels of the World

  • Corales Golf Course at Puntacana Resort
    Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

    Opened in 2010, this Tom Fazio-designed course includes six oceanside holes, as well as abundant natural features, like cliffs, ocean coves and inland lakes. The last three holes, known as Devil's Elbow, involves a forced carry over the Bay of Corales. 
    Photo courtesy of Leading Hotels of the World

  • Punta Espada Golf Course
    Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

    Punta Espada, a course designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, is a par-72 course that follows the natural contours of its coastal setting while offering spectacular ocean views. Its signature 13th hole is a memorable one, with a tee shot over the water to an island green.
    Photo courtesy of Punta Espada Golf Club

  • East Course at Dorado Beach
    Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico

    When Robert Trent Jones Jr. restored the East Course at Dorado Beach, he elevated it to one of the best courses in the region. Fifteen of the 18 holes enjoy ocean views, and the bunkers are filled with native sand harvested from the nearby beaches.
    Photo courtesy of Dorado Beach

  • Cinnamon Hill at Rose Hall
    Montego Bay, Jamaica

    Blending elements of links and inland golf, Cinnamon Hill is a diverse course with seaside greens and holes set 350 feet above sea level. Situated on a former sugar plantation, the Von Hagee and Baril-designed course preserves the historic sites, flora and fauna of the historic Rose Hall estate.
    Photo courtesy of (c) 2016 Hilton Hotels & Resorts

  • Bahía Beach
    Bahía Beach, Puerto Rico

    Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Bahía Beach features greens hugging the ocean, undulating fairways and serene lakes, all complemented by gentle Caribbean breezes. The course is also certified as a Silver Signature Sanctuary by Audubon International
    Photo courtesy of St. Regis Bahía Beach Resort

  • Tierra del Sol
    Aruba

    This 18-hole, Robert Trent Jones, Jr. -designed championship golf course offers a world-class golfing experience. Aruba's amazing natural beauty has been displayed to good effect. Exotic plants and rock formations are interwoven amongst the greens, and there is even a bird sanctuary on site. The par-71 course is 6811 yards long. The highest tee is 98 feet above sea level and boasts a dramatic ocean view.
    Photo courtesy of Tierra del Sol

  • Royal St. Kitts Golf Club
    St. Kitts

    Opened in 1976 and recently renovated, the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club is an 18-hole championship course with two holes on the Caribbean Sea and another three along the Atlantic Ocean. Hazards abound, including 80 bunkers, numerous coconut palm trees and water hazards on 10 holes.
    Photo courtesy of Royal St. Kitts Golf Club

  • Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo
    La Romana, Dominican Republic

    Carved from the natural rock and coral of the Dominican coastline, Teeth of the Dog is a Pete Dye signature 18-hole course with seven holes right along the ocean. It's consistently ranked among the best courses in Latin America.
    Photo courtesy of Leading Hotels of the World

  • The Links at Royal Isabela
    Isabela, Puerto Rico

    Situated atop cliffs 200 feet above the ocean, The Links at Royal Isabela offers a challenge to any golfer thanks to its sod-faced bunkers and frequent trade winds. The spectacular back nine holes are reminiscent of Pebble Beach, with t-shots over ocean cliff walls.
    Photo courtesy of Joann Dost / Royal Isabela

The top 10 winners in the category Best Caribbean Golf Course are as follows:

  1. The Green Monkey at Sandy Lane - Barbados
  2. Corales Golf Course at Puntacana Resort - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
  3. Punta Espada Golf Course - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
  4. East Course at Dorado Beach - Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico
  5. Cinnamon Hill at Rose Hall - Montego Bay, Jamaica
  6. Bahía Beach - Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico
  7. Tierra del Sol - Aruba
  8. Royal St. Kitts Golf Club - St. Kitts
  9. Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo - La Romana, Dominican Republic
  10. The Links at Royal Isabela - Isabela, Puerto Rico

A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Liliana Erasmus (10Best), Alan Hale (GolfThere), Melanie Reffes and Larry Olmsted (Forbes.com) were chosen based on their expertise of golf travel and the Caribbean region.

Congratulations to all these stunning golf courses, and remember to keep this list handy next time you're planning a tropical golf getaway.

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AlertThe Experts

Liliana Erasmus

Liliana Erasmus

Born and raised in Aruba, Liliana moved to the Netherlands to continue her college education in Marketing. Since 1998 she’s been back on her beloved island, where she is working as a full-time writer in her native language Papiamento and in Dutch, official language of the Dutch Caribbean. Liliana has enjoyed a varied career, which includes television work, voice acting, copy writing, reading promotion, illustrating, creative writing classes, column writing and sharing Aruba’s beauty secrets as a local expert. Currently, Liliana is finishing her first speculative fiction novel set in Aruba.

Alan Hale

Alan Hale

Alan Hale is the President of GolfThere, the USA’s largest golf travel and tour company.  An avid golfer, Alan has been in the travel and golf industry for over 30 years and has played most of the world’s finest golf courses along the way.  At GolfThere.com, he and his team offer advice and insights into the best golf vacations and group golf trips. Founded in 1990, GolfThere is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the website blog.

Larry Olmsted

Larry Olmsted

Larry Olmsted has covered golf travel and golf course design for over 20 years. He is the former Editor of The Golf Insider and golf columnist for USAirways magazine, annually writes the golf chapters for the Unofficial Guides to Las Vegas and Orlando, covers golf for Forbes.com and has contributed to Golf Magazine, Travel + Leisure Golf, LINKS, Golf For Women, Men’s Health, Outside and many other publications. He personally broke the Guinness World Record for “Greatest Distance Traveled Between 2 Rounds of Golf Played in the Same Day” with 7496 miles.

Melanie Reffes

Melanie Reffes

Melanie Reffes is a seasoned travel journalist specializing in the Caribbean. She is often circling the globe in search of a good story or racing through airports trying to make a flight. Melanie is a contributor to USA TODAY Travel and CaribbeanTravel.com , she covers the Caribbean for Montreal's The Suburban newspaper and she is the author of the blog ' The Caribbean Romance Report' on MarryCaribbean.com. When she she's not taking five the under a palm tree, you'll find her at home on the sunny island of Montreal. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.