Bahia Beach Golf Club, Puerto Rico Review
Embodies A Perfect Puerto Rican Golf Expereince
The family of Independent Golf Reviews enjoyed the beauty and challenges of golfing at Bahia Beach Golf Course, in Puerto Rico in the summer of 2024.
We enjoyed our day at the St. Regis resort and had wonderful golf experience at Bahia Beach Golf Club.
If you are looking for something that perfectly embodies a golf vacation in Puero Rico, this is the place for you and your family.
This is my definitive Bahia Beach Golf Club, Puerto Rico Review.
Golf In Puerto Rico
I used to live in Puerto Rico so it has a special place in my heart, but setting that love aside, it really is a perfect vacation destination for US citizens.
You get an “out of the country” experience without “other country” headaches.
It is tropical, beautiful, luxurious, exotic, yet easy, comfortable and safe.
No passport needed, no other language skills required, and you will still feel like you are in the US (kind of).
You can’t find a better vacation destination with something for everyone to do and the Wyndham Rio Mar is the perfect location on the island to enjoy it all.
History of Bahia Beach Golf Club
Robert Trent Jones Jr. redesigned this course in 2008 from the original Bahia Beach Plantation.
I had the privelage of playing prior to the redesign.
At that time, there wasn’t much there other than a semi-private golf course.
It wove through the former plantation it was built on and finished with some of the best beach holes in golf.
In 2008 the redesign and addition of the St. Regis Hotel turned this into a resort destination.
While I know beach property commands top dollar, I miss the old hole 17 on the beach.
However with the redesign the entire course got better, well maintained and simply more fun to play.
Holes 16 and 18
The highlight of this course is where you start and end.
As you approach the clubhouse you overlook hole 18 and the beautiful Bahia Beach.
It isn’t until hole 16 that you return to the ocean.
You are greeted with an incredble par 4 that hugs the beach with from the corner of property heading back to the club house.
(I miss the original hole 17).
You jump in-land around some million dollar homes for 17 and then hop back to the ocean for an incredible finishing hole.
There is water on both sides; beach on the right, pond on the left.
It brings you right back to the clubhouse with the option to stop and enjoy drinks and food right on the beach after 18.
Perfect Conditions
Water on 15 of 18 holes means you will be challenged on almost every shot.
However the perfect turf conditions make it one of the most enjoyable rounds you are going to play on the island.
Sure the slope/rating is tough, but with firm fairways, smooth greens and soft sand, you won’t have any excuses about the course.
I was impressed how well they were able to keep it pretty firm and fast, yet receptive to good shots and fair.
The rough was just thick enough to catch balls that were slightly offline from going into the water.
Everything was green and lush, but not soft and squishy.
Lodging Options
You can tell right away when you enter the gates that this place is NICE.
The St. Regis Hotel looked to be top notch.
I was impressed by everything we saw for lodging on property.
There were multiple homes being built and others for rent.
There were condos and apartments for sale or rent too throughout the resort.
You could stay inland along the golf holes or you could find a beach place to stay.
It looked like anything from a 2 person room to a 20 person house was available on-site.
It might be a little more expensive than some other resorts nearby, but the amenities, luxury and seclusion were well worth it.
Northeast Puerto Rico
The best part about staying in the northeast corner of Puerto Rico is the variety of activities that are easily accessible.
The Bahia Beach Resort offered some in-house activities that look amazing.
You can kayak around the ponds, the beach is beautiful and the inflatable water obstacle course was calling my name from the golf course.
While the location is tucked off the main road a few miles, you can still access all the best of the island adventures.
You are 30-40 minutes from Old San Juan, 30 minutes to Fajardo, 15 minutes to El Junque, 15 minutes to Luquillo Beach.
This mean you have access to history, adventure, hiking, snorkeling, boating, fishing, horseback riding, clubbing, waterfalls, bioluminecent bay, kayaking, zip lining, shopping and restaurants.
There are 4 other golf courses within 30 minutes too.
There is something literally for everyone and this is an ideal location for visiting Puerto Rico.
Beach at Bahia Beach
2 miles of beach is what makes the Bahia Beach Golf Club so great.
Sure a good stretch of it has golf holes next to it, but the rest if soft, flat and has relatively calm waters for all ages to enjoy.
Because it is tucked back and secluded from neighboring properties, this stretch of beach is only used by hotel and resort guests.
It feels pretty private along the whole stretch, except for maybe the section immediately out for the hotel.
Summary
Bahia Beach Golf Club embodies a perfect Puerto Rican golf vacation with a beautiful and challenging course.
An ideal location for all the best experiences on the island, a luxurious resort with multiple lodging options, the seclusion of this resort tucked away on 2 miles of private beach, the perfect year round weather of the island and the ease of travel to and from this US territory.
Holes 16 and 18 are featured holes of the course, but the inland holes are a great variety of short, long, straight and dogleg holes.
The perfect turf conditions make this worth checking out when you vacation in Puerto Rico.
For more information: Bahia Beach Golf Club Website
If you want more Puerto Rico information: Discover Puerto Rico Website
About The Author