Apes Hill,
St James,
The Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Significantly undulating terrain
Surroundings:
Tropical forest / rural countryside.
Designer:
Original design by Jeff Potts & Chris Cole for the Landmark Co. (2010). Significant redesign by Ron Kirby (2022).
13.215423
-59.608512
18 km NE of Bridgetown
Apes Hill
Apes Hill Club is home to an inland championship golf course that ranks with the best in Barbados. At 1,000 ft above sea level, you'll enjoy what is undeniably the island’s most elevated golf experience, now with a course to match. The tree-lined and open parkland layout benefitted hugely from Ron Kirby's redesign. This master craftsman has now left his indelible mark on the best of Caribbean golf.
With plenty of elevation change to play with, Kirby's redesign of Apes Hill has introduced several new "wow-factor" holes, while also opening-up many stunning Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean vistas. Apes Hill has been lifted into the Barbados elite, with an new array of attractive, skilfully crafted and stunningly scenic holes.
Pick of the holes: the back-nine stretch from the 12th onward serves up some of the most memorable holes. The signature par-3 16th (Cave) has a coral rock formation framing the hole's rightside and the green. Meanwhile, very much in the foreground, water threatens from tee to green. An exquisite looking hole.
Stay&Play at Apes Hill: luxury onsite holiday villa rental accommodation available.
Private club; visitors/guests may only play if hosted by a member, or if staying in one of the onsite holiday rental villas.
Apes Hill was previously private, and run by Sir Charles Williams (Barbadian entrepreneur), in conjunction with the Landmark Land company and the Wentworth Club in England. After an ownership change in 2019, Apes Hill is now beginning to offer golfers a Stay&Play option, based on the opportunity to stay onsite in a selection of upmarket holiday rental villas.
At Apes Hill the thunder of hooves and golfers coexist. Next to the golf course is the Apes Hill Polo Club, one of four such clubs in Barbados.
Barbados's 4th best course (Golf Digest, 2022).
Sony Open in Hawaii: played at Waialae Country Club near Honolulu, the Sony Open takes over the spotlight from The Sentry as the PGA Tour’s calendar-year opening event (Jan 15-18). The Sentry (not being played in 2026) was formerly known as the Tournament of Champions, with a field typically restricted to golfers who won a PGA Tour event in the previous calendar year.
Dubai Desert Classic: the DP World Tour’s first Rolex Series event of 2026, is contested for the 37th time (Jan 22-25). First won by Englishman Mark James in 1989, it now boasts a four-time winner, Rory McIlroy. Played on the Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis course, this once desert-surrounded course is the long-time flagship for Golf in Dubai.
Our visit last month included two rounds at Golf de Chantilly, one of France’s most prestigious clubs.
It offers two superb layouts: Le Vineuil, a five-star championship course with a rich history, and Longères, an excellent four-star course that provides a strong and enjoyable test.
The wider Paris region offers plenty more. Courses such as Fontainebleau, Golf de Saint-Germain, and several other top-rated layouts make this area one of Europe’s most rewarding golf destinations, offering a mix of woodland, heathland, and parkland designs.
The Dutch: "It's no' just a game", as they say in Scotland, and that's certainly true at The Dutch. With 5-star services throughout, a lavishly comfortable Loch Lomond-inspired clubhouse, and a superbly designed and presented golf course, one could not ask for more from this top-end private club.
Join us at The Dutch from August 21–24 for the Festival of Golf, featuring the HotelPlanner Tour. Experience four days of top-tier sport, live music, incredible food, and unexpected surprises. Explore the grounds, connect with others, embrace new challenges, and dive into an unforgettable celebration. Click here to buy tickets.
Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.
Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available
You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.
