Port Royal Golf Course

In terms of acreage, the island of Bermuda is smaller than Orlando International Airport and is largely comprised of residential housing and hotels. However, there are also seven golf courses on the island, the last of which is Port Royal, a Robert Trent Jones venture that was funded by the Bermudian government.

Now over 50 years old, Port Royal is the only public golf course on the island that isn’t owned by one of the resorts. The course sits on the southwest side of the island, squarely centered between the town of Hamilton and the Royal Dockyard, two of the main attractions for tourists. The course offers significant discounts to the island’s residents while still serving thousands of visitors each year. Perhaps most notably, Port Royal is the host of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, a PGA Tour event that has been visiting the island every fall since 2019.

The land on which Port Royal is routed took some time to come together. Land disputes during construction altered the routing a few times before construction ultimately began. The routing begins at the high point of the property, a ridge that runs north to south through the land. The front nine largely occupies the east side of this ridge, diving off to the low point of the property for the first six holes. These are the weakest holes on the golf course and feature little architectural interest. The final three holes on the outward nine cross back over the high ridge and redeem the opening side with a strong par-5 seventh, scenic par-3 eighth, and difficult par-4 ninth. The back nine takes the golfer on a bit of a ride, traversing huge features in the land and often all at once. Dramatic elevation changes take place on the tee shot on No. 10, the approach to No. 11, the tee shots on Nos. 12-14, and the final approach into No. 18. Of course, Port Royal is most well known for its par-3 16th, a mammoth one-shotter that sits alongside the Atlantic Ocean. 

Take Note…

The plaque. On the back tee on No. 16, a tee that measures 235 yards over the ocean, sits one of the strangest plaques these eyes have ever seen. It features a quote by Lucas Glover from the 2009 Grand Slam of Golf at Port Royal: "Man, I've never been so nervous on a shot." That’s it. That’s the entire plaque.

Batter(y) Up. Just off the 15th tee at Port Royal sits the Whale Bay Battery, an old fort that was a part of the Royal Naval Dockyard in the 1800s and into the early 1900s. Controlled by the British, this area was used as a docking point during many notable moments in history, including the War of 1812.

‍A better transport. While not large, the island of Bermuda can be difficult to get around with its narrow and winding roads. PGA Tour players who stay in Hamilton are treated to a nice ferry ride to the course, a scenic route to a round of golf.

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