Best Hotel Golf Courses in Jamaica

At the peak of a mountain, with 16 of 18 holes overlooking the Caribbean Sea, White Witch mocks the low-lying, much easier courses below, including the Half Moon golf course. According to most guests at the hotel (as well as Travel + Leisure), the White Witch golf course is about the best golf course in the Caribbean (athough Teeth of the Dog at the Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic is a worthy challenger). As one guest put it, "Not playing White Witch is like going to California and not playing Pebble Beach."

Once the Upton Golf Club -- opened in 1951 as a nine-hole number designed by P. K. Saunders -- the Sandals Country Club (not an actual country club) quickly grew to a championship-grade course. It's free, or so they say, but you'll still have to drop at least $57 for a round. Should you leave the clubs at home, anything you need is available to rent, including Nike clubs ($45) and Nike shoes ($16, but they include free socks). Still, once you also throw in the required caddies -- $17 a bag plus tips, also required -- and the golf card ($40 for 18 holes), the "free" round of golf could develop into a $200-per-couple excursion. Being fairly short (6,311 yards, with a par 71 and 128 slope from the blue tees) it's great for a less golf-centric couple.

Designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Hals Moon's course is certainly a terrific Caribbean Golf Course, with 7,119 yards of difficult driving areas, plenty of bunkering and great undulating greens. Greens fees out of season range anywhere from $85 to $130, and in season range from $105 to $150. While the fees are steep, it has been home to many international tournaments and also was newly renovated during the 2004/05 season and is very well maintained.

The Rose Hall Resort is home to the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course, which along with Half Moon Course and White Witch at The Ritz-Carlton, is one of the three premier courses of Jamaica. The course features a Par 71, 6,637-yard layout with stunning ocean and mountain vistas. Like other premier courses on Jamaica though, a round can cost anywhere from $159-$199.