Halfmoon Golf

Winter Escapes: Jamaica's Top Golf Destinations

By Brian Weis

Jamaica is home to world-class championship courses, including White Witch, Cinnamon Hill, Half Moon, and Runway Bay Golf Club.

Situated between Jamaica's lush beautiful mountains with sweeping views of the Caribbean Sea, each course offers a unique terrain making for distinctive signature holes and an experience like no other.

Whether you're a rookie or professional golfer, these courses offer a truly unique experience and a great excuse to get off the resort to enjoy the beauty the island offers.

Below are several distinguished courses that have elevated Jamaica's position as one of the top golf destinations:

White Witch Rose Hall Golf Course: The White Witch Golf Course is built on the countryside of Jamaica's historic Rose Hall Plantation and is an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Robert von Hagge and Rick Baril. This 6,758-yard, Par 71 treasure is named for the plantation's beautiful but wicked 19th century plantation mistress, Annee Palmer. The newly launched tour, Annee's Escape, combines the Great Houses with golf, the beach and the rich cultural history of Jamaica.

Cinnamon Hill: Designed by von Hagge and Rick Baril, Cinnamon Hill gives visitors a chance to take in the best of Jamaican golf. Learn about the rich history of the Johnny Cash estate on the Cinnamon Hill Great House Tour and visit the 15th green where scenes were shot for the James Bond movie, "Live and Let Die." On the Cinnamon Hill Great House Tour, journey into the lives of Country and Western greats, Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter-Cash. Experience their home that captured the essence of the life they lived in Jamaica, not as superstars but as warm individuals.

Half Moon: Designed by the legendary Robert Trent Sr. and modernized by Roger Rulewich, Half Moon resort provides a country-club atmosphere with an award-winning 18-hole par-72 championship course. The course includes 20 grassed practice bays, a bunker practice green, putting green and a 50-yard pitching green. Golf tournaments frequently held at Half Moon include the Jamaica Open, European PGA Senior Tour and various PGA tournaments. It is the perfect blend of social event and exercise. The renowned golf course is one of the best walking courses creating a masterpiece of beauty.

Runaway Bay Golf Club: With an 18-hole championship golf course, the Runaway Bay Golf Club was designed by Major John Harris from Britain and offers a one of a kind experience. You can perfect your game while swinging across long rolling fairways, large flat greens protected by grassy mounds and sand bunkers. Following a lively round of golf, unwind and relax in open-air pavilion restaurant and bar. Its hosted many major tournaments including the Ryder Cup match between the United Kingdom and West Indies, The Jamaica Open, The Brinks (JA) Classic, The Heineken World Cup Qualifier, CNBC Nations Cup and numerous JGA Qualifiers.

Revised: 03/19/2019 - Article Viewed 15,291 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.