Simply can't remember which hole this is.
When you are talking about 'golf' and 'Caribbean' in the same sentence, there's not a lot that could go wrong except 'hot'. Well, it was hot, 90's, humid. But that was no match for the scenery. I expected to like the place, but I didn't realize how much the magic of those two words combined would make me feel once out there.
The Ocean Club at Atlantis is beyond fantastic. Search it out and view the layout, and compare it to my pictures. The course is surrounded by beautiful homes. It was remarkably quiet, as in 'not a lot of people around', as if the homes were all vacation spots sparsely used. On the course, Dennis and I never waited, no one in front, no one pushing us behind--and we did need the time to search for balls here and there. I used all six that came with the greens fee, Calloways. I used the rented Calloway clubs also, more than sufficient. Of course I would love to have my own clubs there, but I would also love a few weeks with 3 or 4 rounds per to get familiar with the place.
Golf is this kind of game: The anticipation of playing a round finally crescendos, we were on the first tee, a Par 4 386, the afternoon heat on high, and I start off the game with a low line drive over the third baseman's head. It traveled some 200 yards, and I knew right off the inhuman super round was out. But I found the ball, used a nine iron to safely get the ball 150 out on the fairway. Then an eight iron to attack the green for my third shot. This was one of the shots of the day, as was the putt after it. The 3rd shot eight iron was pin high. The cup was all the way at the back of the green, and I was on the fringe, to the right of the green, about fourteen feet away. I made a great putt which rolled onto the green, towards the cup and in! A par to start the round, even after the lousy drive. I love golfing in the Caribbean.
The second hole was remarkable, as was every hole on the course. My play here was not remarkable.
I had a seven on this Par 5 475. It was a wide and forgiving hole, and the first one of many that were lined with luxury homes. Bless you if you can't call these mansions. There's no point in going into detail, you can imagine the eye candy. I did hit the ball pretty well on this hole a few times, but two bad shots makes seven.
The 3rd is your first Par 3, 164 barely uphill and protected by bunkers. I hit my (borrowed) eight iron here, a solid shot onto the green, carrying the bunker that guards the front. I was about twenty feet away. I make a horrible putt (excuse alert: the green was just watered, and was soaked), and I miss the par putt from three feet or less. Concentration? A frustrating four.
Speaking of four, a Par 4 410 that ends at the Caribbean Sea. This was one of the finer ones for me. I was compelled to snap a photo (or two):
4th from the tee box
And then from the fairway. Stick is 150
I hit a decent drive, straight enough. From about 170 out, even further to the right of that stick than the photo shows, I hit a five iron that lands pin high, but right of the green. You can barely make out what lies to the right of the green. It is a tiny inlet, which contains the Caribbean Sea. It was low tide, so I was able to retrieve my ball, but it cost me a stroke. What do you think? Should I have taken a shot from here:
That's me, picking it up. Too many rocks, and not my clubs. There are sticks to indicate 'out of bounds', so I did the right thing. I end up with a six. Dennis made a nice par on this hole, a good drive, a nice approach shot from maybe 160, capping it off with at least an 8-10 foot putt.
When you walk off to the left side of that green, you are on the fifth tee, a Par 4 412, and that's the photo below (phenomenal):
This is from the fairway, where of course I hit my drive:
Hitting a drive onto the fairway does not a par guarantee. More homes, fascinating.
I hit some major golfing doldrums on holes 6 thru 9. Sevens, sixes, fives...no pars. The 6th hole is a Par 5 525, somewhat uphill with fairway bunkers. Along the right side of the fairway are homes. Dennis tested some windows (he never really came close, but made a bid), and I hit one of the better drives of the day. I followed it up some flubs, and then tested the Caribbean Sea again which lies just beyond the green. There was a older gent sitting in the yard of the home by the green. This would be the last house on the block, and he's got ocean out his side windows. Supreme. He just sat there and watched though, didn't look particularly friendly, or interested in us. From the green on 6 you can look up the coast and see the Atlantis:
Once again, no golf to report in here. Unspectacular followed by lousy, with a real stroke here and there--in a word--my game.
Atlantis from the 7th tee
The seventh, Par 4 293, had plenty of water (and a member of the maintenance crew) which I managed to avoid. No par though. No miracles.
I lied. I found that pond just fine.
OK, my second drive was a beauty, center of the fairway. A seven iron just missed the green which is surrounded by water if you missed badly. But I found grass and chipped on for a six or seven.That's Dennis, strolling out to the fairway on the 9th, a Par 4 382.
Amazing thing about my second drive on this hole, (first one was...well, you see water, don't you?) was that it reached a patch of fairway barely visible here. If you look at the pond, you can see where it juts in (furthest point right in this photo). Just beyond that is where my
had to shoo a turtle to scoop out his ball which barely rolled in.
This is from the 10th, where Dennis sported for a few cool drinks, power or gator aids, or something. It was way too hot for beers. It doesn't look out at the hole though, it looks back across the pond that separates 9 and 18. The sky was such a crisp blue, and the course was a lush green. This place must be paradise when it's only like 80 degrees.
10 and 11, nice holes both, but not for me. In fact, after we had our cool drinks, we took our time looking for our drives which were right of the green in some trees. There were many interesting plants in this area, an area shaded with lots of tall trees. This few minutes in the shade was a great respite from the hot sun.
The 12th, a Par 3 197 had to be the shining moment of the day for me.
It's about 165 to carry that pond from the gold tees. I seem to remember this shot being more like 185 or so, but the card says 197 from the gold. I absolutely remember using a 4 iron, so it had to be about 180. You can barely make out the green between those bunkers in this photo, but it was actually 20 or 30 yards past those bunkers. I hit a nice shot, a real four iron, loft, straight. The pin was deep and left, and I was about fifteen or twenty feet away. I two putt for a par.
Though there wasn't any lack of material, I didn't take as many photos the rest of the way. Except this shot of Dennis on the short Par 4 17th, 298:
I played a fine 17th, using my smart golf skills. I hit a six iron off the tee, unfazed by the Caribbean Sea to my left (I can just say 'Caribbean Sea' all day, if you hadn't noticed). From there it was 9 or a wedge, I can't remember, and a vanilla 2 putt. But a par is still an accomplishment in my world. And my world was blessed this July 31, 2012. If you play golf at all, and go to the Atlantis Bahamas, do yourself a favor and play a round here. I will be back if I can help it. (I'm thinking of buying one of those homes off the course, a lotta lotta thinking...)
