Emerald Bay

Prior to the Great White Shark, golf on the Bahamas was nothing to write home about. It was clear that things were about to change when Greg Norman disembarked from his multi million dollar yacht and stepped onto the dry land of the in-vogue island of Great Exuma.

There’s tropical beauty by the bucket and spade load at the former Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma at Emerald Bay (now owned by Sandals Emerald Bay), not to mention the crystal clear water.

Emerald Bay, or Emerald Reef as it is was once called, opened for play in 2003 and it’s a bit of a monster, measuring 7,001 yards from the back tees. There are five tee boxes to choose from, so take you medicine appropriately. This course is set to become one of the world's greatest ocean-side layouts and, once more, Norman has considered the environment and seeded the layout using friendly but lush seaside paspalum grass and the result is about as close as you might get to a tropical links.

The holes are routed thoughtfully and many are as dramatic as they are beautiful with the most memorable holes hugging the Emerald Bay shoreline. This peninsula makes for pulsating golf and we can’t think of a more stunning location for a course anywhere in the world. If the wind is blowing at Sandals Emerald Bay, hold on to your hat and wave goodbye to carding a decent score.