Green Monkey, Barbados

[Martin Toal]

While on holiday in Barbados a couple of years ago, I had the chance to play the Green Monkey course at Sandy Lane.

An interesting course partly laid out in a former quarry, with some of the quarry walls still present. The course has bermuda greens the like of which I had never played before, so the compulsory caddy was quite useful, even if I couldn't quite bring myself to follow his advice to play the break opposite to what it looked like!

A much better course than the other course at Sandy Lane, the Country Club which later hosted the World Cup of Golf.

[Charlie Goerges]

Those quarry walls look spectacular and dangerous. What an interesting place to put a course. How well did you like it?

[Martin Toal]

Charlie

I liked it a lot. It was in fabulous condition and the layout is challenging but not penal. At that time, it was not geting a lot of play, because the club restricted tee times heavily. I don't know if that situation has changed or not.

The biggest shock was the grain on the greens, which I was quite unused to. On the first hole, I had a putt that looked like it had a decent swing coming off the side of a hill down to the hole. Caddy told me it was straight and slow because of the grain. I didn't really believe it, so played it like I saw it. Needless to say, the caddy was 100% correct.

[Ronald Montesano]

Quarry courses are the balls!  Country Club of Buffalo, Merion, Tobacco Road, Tot HIll Farm, Black Diamond, and the list goes on.  I may be off on a few of the ones mentioned, but I've had my eye on a quarry just east of Buffalo for years...every time I drive by, I imagine a golf course there.  We have too many, though, to support a new one.

[Jed Peters]

All I know is that the tariff is exceedingly spendy.

$385 to play in a one hour window with a required hotel stay at (a minimum) $1000/night resort?

Youch.

[Wade Whitehead]

For those that aren't aware, note the green monkey in the right bunker on the par three (third photo).

WW