Port Royal is another Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed course, owned
and operated by the Bermudan government (as is St. Georges), and
aimed squarely at tourists. Sitting in the hills on the western
shore, the course features three holes that play along the coast
and many that overlook the sea. In typical Jones fashion, the
greens are heavily bunkered and difficult to approach.
By playing Port Royal early in the morning, I was able to join my
wife later for Dolphin Quest, a must-do temporarily located within
the
Bermuda Maritime Museum in the Dockyard. Dolphin Quest
participants, led by trained staff members, interact with dolphins
in a carefully controlled manner. My wife found this far more
enjoyable than any round of
golf she has ever played. Dolphin Quest
will return to its regular home at The Fairmont Southampton
Princess resort late this year, once Hurricane Gert's damage to the
facility is restored.
The fortified Royal Navy Dockyard, which once made Bermuda the
"Gibraltar of the West," is easily worth the better part of a day
in itself. The island's most-visited tourist site has been
converted into a large retail and craft mall, glass-blowing studio,
and pottery shop, along with a watersports center for parasailing
and a protected snorkeling park. The Bermuda Maritime Museum, set
in the old fort, captures its lengthy history with the sea.
RESORTING TO MID-ISLAND
Central Bermuda is noted for its pink sand beaches, fantastic wreck
dives, and waterfront resorts to suit every taste - plenty, in
short, for my wife to enjoy while I sampled the local links.
Riddell's Bay Golf & Country Club, perched on a narrow
peninsula, is the island's second-best course and perhaps its best
setting for golf. Five holes play directly down to the sea, and
several more run along the coast in this short, par-70 layout. A
private club, Riddell's, like Mid-Ocean, is accessible to guests of
the better hotels.