Jamaica’s golfing scene is guaranteed to impress even the most jaded golfing enthusiasts. Montego Bay is home to the country’s best courses, luring guests with the promise of rum punches under swaying palms with ravishing tropical backdrops.

Jamaica ascended to the top tier of Caribbean golf destinations when two stunning Von Hagge courses opened in 2000 in Montego Bay – the island’s tourist capital.

Maintaining its position as a leading golfing destination, Jamaica - already renowned for its diversified tourism product - now offers more championship courses than any other Caribbean destination, with picturesque courses that don’t compromise on challenge.

Contributing to Jamaica’s recent surge in tourism, legendary golfing courses accross the island have attracted holidaymakers and golfing enthusiasts from all over the world.

The Whitewitch Golf Course at the Ritz Carlton - one of the most prestigious courses in Jamaica

Next door to the Montego Bay’s Ritz-Carlton  – which has been nominated for four World Travel Awards this year, including Caribbean’s Leading Golf Resort - is the elegant Half Moon Resort  – nominated for 13 World Travel Awards this year, including World’s Leading Golf Resort - with its venerable Robert Trent Jones Sr. layout.

Over to the west is the former Johnny Walker venue at Tryall Club, long considered one of the Caribbean’s finest courses. This year it was nominated for Jamaica’s Leading Golf Resort by the World Travel Awards.

The Robert von Hagge/Rick Baril creation debuted in 2000 as the main attraction of the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall near Montego Bay.

In recent years, Jamaica has been officially recognised as a world-class golfing destination, as evidenced by the fact that Jamaica was named the premiere golf destination for the Caribbean and Latin America during the International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) in 2009.

Meanwhile, adding even more impetus to its status as a golfing hub, in recent years a growing of resorts that offer top golfing facilities have been nominated by the World Travel Awards.

At the World Travel Awards Caribbean & The Americas gala ceremony set to place in Jamaica on Wednesday 19 October, some of the leading lights of the golfing world will be present to find out which of Jamaica’s prestigious properties will take home an accolade for ‘Jamaica’s Leading Golf Resort’.

The Cinnamon Hill Golf Course at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa offers a seductive layout

Nestled between the scenic Jamaican mountains and turquoise Caribbean waters, Rose Hall Resort & Spa inhabits an exclusive ocean-front location than other Montego Bay Jamaica resorts.

As a member of the Rose Hall Golf Association guests have access to 54 holes of the finest championship golf in the Caribbean. Along with the property’s award winning Cinnamon Hill Golf Course, guests can also tee off at the White Witch and Half Moon.

The Cinnamon Hill Golf Course - one of three courses that Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa guests can access

The Cinnamon Hill Golf Course - an 18-hole championship level golf course designed by Robert Von Hagge, features a seductive layout with an open, wind-swept front nine - giving way to a tight, trap-filled back nine bordered by dense foliage.  Caddies are on hand to offer instruction.

The Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa was nominated for Jamaica’s Leading Golf Resort by the World Travel Awards 2011.

Sandals Jamaica invites guests to tee off at Sandals Golf & Country Club

Sandals Golf & Country Club at Sandals Royal Plantation stretches out over a rolling landscape with sweeping views of the sea and mountains. Narrow fairways have been resurfaced with Bermuda grass while miniscule, dropoff greens have been rebuilt with Tifdwarf Bermuda grass for a beautifully manicured course. Guests staying at any of the six Sandals Resorts in Jamaica are welcome to play at this most scenic Country Club.

Sandals Resorts have also been nominated for three World Travel Awards this year including World’s Leading All Inclusive Company.

Sandals Golf & Country Club at Sandals Royal Plantation

Historic Tyrall Course undergoes rennovations

The historic Tryall Course - nominated for Jamaica’s Leading Golf Resort by the World Travel Awards, is considered one of the finest tournament venues in the Caribbean. In recent years, the Tryall course has undergone a number of restorations with the addition of a second driving range and other practice facilities.

The 18-hole, 6221-yard, par 72 course was designed by Ralph Plummer, where the Johnny Walker World Championship was played in 1995, and is also known as the site of several international events hosted in the Caribbean such as the Mazda Champions and Jamaica Classic.

The historic Tryall Course recently underwent rennovations

The golf course features great views of the Caribbean Sea, lush tropical foliage and the historic aqueduct from the memorable 7th hole. The course winds its way around the estate through the lush hills and palm groves down to a mile and half stretch of scenic coastlines.

White Witch Golf Course at The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa

Situated on the historic 4,000 acre Rose Hall Plantation, and sited on 200 acres of lush greenery and rolling countryside, The White Witch Golf Course is carved from the rolling countryside of Jamaica’s historic Rose Hall Plantation and is an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Robert von Hagge and Rick Baril.

This 6,758-yard, Par 71 treasure, staffed by the Ladies & Gentlemen of the Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica is named for the plantation’s beautiful but wicked 19th century plantation mistress, Annee Palmer.

Legend has it that Annee’s ghost still haunts the estate, creating an alluring mystique that has fascinated island natives and visitors for generations. The White Witch is considered one of the finest golf courses in the Caribbean, characterized by mountainous terrain, cool trade winds, colourful foliage and spectacular ocean views from 16 of its 18 holes.

The Ritz Carlton Golf & Spa was nominated in four categories including Jamaica’s Leading Golf Resort.

The White Witch Golf Course is rumoured to be haunted by Anne Palmer’s ghost

Golf Academy at the Half Moon Golf

The multi award winning Half Moon, a RockResort, features a Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed, par-72 championship golf course, recently renovated by Roger Rulewich, and the Half Moon Golf Academy, directed by Scottish pro, Ewan Peebles.

Half Moon was a founding member of the Rose Hall Golf Association, a collection of Jamaica’s best championship courses located in the exclusive Rose Hall enclave. Golfers staying at Half Moon can also play at the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course and the White Witch Golf Course.

The Half Moon was nominated in 13 categories by this year’s World Travel Awards including Jamaica’s Leading Golf Resort.

Golf at the Half Moon. a RockResort

A distinguished line-up of travel industry professionals, senior executives from renowned travel companies representing Caribbean & The America’s leading hotels, as well as media from 60 countries will gather at the luxurious Sandals Private Island in Montego Bay to find out who will take home the coveted awards.

The Caribbean & The Americas Ceremony marks the fifth and final leg of World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Tour, and follows heats in Dubai, UAE; Antalya, Turkey; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; and Bangkok, Thailand. Regional winners from these events then progress to the Grand Final in Doha, Qatar in November.

The event partners are Sandals Resorts, BBC World News and WeClickMedia, while media partners include National Geographic Traveller, eTurboNews, Focus on Travel News, Breaking Travel News, JaxFax and Travel Daily News.

For more info about World Travel Awards 2011 Caribbean & The Americas Ceremony & bookings visit: http://www.worldtravelawards.com/americas2011

To find out what else is happening in Jamaica and Montego Bay, why not visit jamaica.city.mobi
or montegobay.mobi.