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Riddell’s
Bay Golf Club, located at the southern end of the
island near Warwick, holds the prestigious title of
being the oldest course in Bermuda, an endearing
quality for an island settled by citizen's of the
game's homeland. The first pins were cut on these
coastal highlands in 1922, the course has, over the
decades,
developed a simple and timeless
charm that is very much reflective in its guest
policy. There is a distinct pride in the club's
heritage, and they hope to instill that admiration in
visitors to Bermuda. As such, playing privileges for
non-members are restricted, oddly enough, to the
tourist rather than the local citizen, and tee times
can easily be arranged through a letter of
introduction from one's home club, or by approaching
Riddell's Bay using a hotel concierge as a conduit.
Pulling
the appropriate strings is highly recommended, as the
club is the quintessence of privacy and elegance,
first displayed in the front foyer of the clubhouse, a
150-year-old whitewashed classic Bermudian home that
presides over the undersized but uniquely challenging
Devereux Emmett layout. 5,713 yards is by today's
standards Lilliputian, but the nuances and strategies
of the game's roots are on full display here. Driver
is never necessary, but finding the right positions
and course management are imperative here. It is a
course for the purists, and much of the design is
mapped along an oceanside peninsula that offers great
harbour views and a chance to play the game, over land
that seems to have always belonged to golf.
Emmett was
also the noted designer of such courses as Congressional Country
Club, host of the 1997 U.S. Open, and Garden City Golf
Club in New York, a regular host of USGA championships
in the early 1900s. One of his unheralded talents was
to make a course fit naturally in condensed acreage,
and at Riddell's Bay, each element of the course fits
snugly with the next, as no other routing would have
been possible.
The
course’s highlights begin at the opening hole, a
sharply dogleg par four that is arguably the most
challenging hole at Riddell’s Bay. The hole demands
the most accurate drive of the day, best played close
to the right side. The elevated green usually requires
extra club to get back to the pin.
The eighth
hole is clearly the best hole on the course and could
be considered one of the better holes in Bermuda. The
360-yard dogleg right bends entirely around water, and
while it is possible to carry the corner, most players
would be well-advised to play a safe shot to the
corner. A bold play from the tee from a long hitter,
though, and a simple pitch and putt could remain.
The
par-three 11th measures only 107 yards, but provides a
stern test for golfers of all abilities. The putting
surface is a true tabletop with sharp drop-offs on all
sides, and a brutal bunker in front. This hole is
handicapped as the easiest on the course, but missing
the green by a small margin can be disastrous.
The
closing hole at Riddell’s Bay is a short,
straightforward par four, and affords a beautiful view
of the picturesque pink clubhouse. A good drive over
the ridge leaves an iron into a small green protected
by bunkers.
Because of
its modest length, Riddell’s Bay will allow the
opportunity for golfers to post impressive scores.
There are, however, many shots to be lost around the
difficult greens.
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