ON THE TEE WITH DALE

Dale is a freelance travel writer with more than 20 years experience in writing about adventure, golf, and the Caribbean. She is vice-president of the Society of American Travel Writers. Her career includes experience as a staff editor for newspapers, magazines and websites. Her articles have appeared in publications such as The Robb Report, Caribbean Travel & Life, Meetings & Conventions, LINKS, Executive Traveler, Continental, Hemispheres, AAA World, Dallas Morning News and Islands. This golf column is featured on JoeSentMe.com, the premier business travel website. E-mail Dale.Leatherman@gmail.com for reprints or rewrites for publication.

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July 2009 – Next time I’ll be writing a column about the British Open (what the Brits refer to as THE Open) at Turnberry in Scotland, which has undergone some changes I'm anxious to see. I’m also be attending the opening of a new David McLay Kidd course, Machrihanish Dunes, which lies on a peninsula a ferry ride from Turnberry. The course (and golf village), built by Southworth Development of Boston, is the first new golf venue on the west coast of Scotland in 100 years. It's next to the Machrihanish Golf Course created by Old Tom Morris 130 years ago. I’ll be playing some other historic gems—Machrie, Shiskine, and Dunaverty--someof the course oyu should play after you've marked the “trophy” courses on your putter shaft.

So, next week I’ll be playing in 50- to 60-degree weather, pelted occasionally by rain blowing off the Irish Sea. But I’ll also be enjoying great golf, great company, and 18-year old Macallan single-malt scotch--which tastes even better after a chilly round in the land where both scotch and golf began.

But today I’m thinking about a much warmer spot—and the bargain flights that can take you there during the so-called off season. At Jamaica’s Tryall Club, breezes off the ocean keep you comfy even in summer.

Tryall is a rich man’s club, but you don’t have to be wealthy to enjoy the benefits of membership. Sitting on the verandah of my rental villa, watching the sun light up the golf holes down below the Great House, I felt like a billionaire. I had the run of the 2,200-acre enclave, just like the homeowners and shareholders. Sixty-eight of the fully staffed estate villas are in the rental pool, along with 13 sprawling suites attached to the Great House. I had my little piece of paradise, and I made the most of it.

Many of today’s Tryall owners are related to the group of Texans (including John Connally and Lloyd Bentsen) who bought the defunct estate in the 1960s. The 1800s Great House was a guest house then, a stone sentinel on the brow of a hill surrounded by coconut palms and rampant foliage. The hilly plantation had produced coconuts for about 40 years until its closing in 1939, and a few trees remain. The Texans built family vacation villas throughout the estate, simple but stylish houses with swimming pools, guest rooms, and outdoor dining and entertainment areas.

They also engaged architect Ralph Plummer to route a golf course along the coastline and up into the hills above the Great House. Tryall and its golf course, one of the best in the Caribbean at the time, became famous throughout the world. It hosted the Johnnie Walker World Cup of Golf from 1991 to 1995, and once caused U.S. Open winner Curtis Strange to score in the mid-80s, a slice of humble pie typical of this windy venue.

Dozens of new courses have been built in the Caribbean in the four decades since Tryall made its debut, including another of my Jamaican favorites, the White Witch. Architects of newer courses have much great earth-moving capabilities than Plummer, who worked the natural lay of the land to create a classic track. At first itt may not look intimidating, but it quickly commands respect.

Although the course has kept up with the times, it hasn’t changed in the ways that count. At 6,721 yards (6,221 from the tees most golfers will play), it's short by modern standards. It wasn't designed for Tiger and will never give up its personality to accommodate long hitters. It may be the longest 6,221 yards you ever play. Remember Curtis Strange and his fellow Johnnie Walker competitors. Scores in the mid-80s. Don’t get cocky. If the wind blows, you are fodder for the Tryall gristmill.

That said, Tryall can be user-friendly. You don’t have the feeling after a few holes that you should gird your loins and prepare for battle. But while you’re happily enjoying the oceanfront holes, the sashay past a lily pond, the tee shot that passes through the stanchions of a functioning 18-century water wheel, and the frequent views of the ocean at the resort’s feet, the course is chipping away at your score. Quick, undulating, well-bunkered greens exact their toll, as do shots subject to the wind.

There are plenty of places you can get into trouble, starting with the par-3 fourth hole, which plays from ocean-side tees across the Flint River to a generous sloping green. The fifth hole requires a rifle-shot drive down a 200-yard, tree-lined chute to a viable position in the left dogleg for an approach shot.

The back nine is shorter but no less tricky, with its many elevation changes, canted fairways and doglegs to subtle, table-top greens like those on holes 11 and 13. The last five holes drop back toward the sea, offering views of the ocean and the Great House.

Caddies are required on the Tryall Course, and you’ll be grateful for their company. Many have been at the resort for most of their lives and play to single-digit handicaps. They know the wind, the lay of the course and every nuance of the greens.

Tryall has all the amenities you’d expect at a fine resort, including a highly regarded tennis center and program, a bird sanctuary, a full complement of water sports, a mile-long beach, an outstanding children’s program, and fine dining.

The resort is 12 miles west of the airport at Montego Bay, which is “Grand Central Station” for visitors arriving by airplane or cruise ship. Ask your driver to stop at one of the roadside stands for a cold Red Stripe beer and a meat pie. You’ll forget about the kamikaze motorcyclists on the road and be in a mellow Jamaican mood by the time you reach Tryall.

If you’re staying in an estate villa, simply tell the cook what you’d like for your meals, from fresh seafood to pasta to rice and beans (an island staple). The Great House has a wonderful dining room and dinner is often served on the terrace under the stars. The Beach Bar restaurant serves great salads, sandwiches and seafood dishes--and some wicked tropical drinks.