Aruba | Tierra del Sol

[John Burnes]

     I recently went to Aruba with the better half-we try to get away every February to somewhere warm.  Our rule is a direct flight from Philly and warm.  This usually leads us to the Caribbean.


As someone mentioned here a few years ago, “you don’t go to the Caribbean to play golf.”


That said, it was my first time to Aruba and I rented a set and played Tierra del Sol.  I had low expectations, but came away very pleased with the experience.  In short, the course utilized the terrain well while being sympathetic to the environment.  This has been my best golf experience thus far down there.


Here is a photo of one of the better Par 3s on the course (#3).  The California lighthouse is currently being restored, which is also nice to see.

[Brad Tufts]

Hi John,


I was supposed to go to Aruba a couple weeks ago, but we took a Zika-related rain check due to an abundance of caution for my wife's pregnancy.  They said Zika wasn't a big deal for Aruba because mosquitos are not as plentiful in the desert-like climate, but we decided it was too close to the alert countries.


Any other neat photos?  Will definitely give it a shot someday...it's an easy sell for a Dad activity during a family vacation...

[Tom Allen]

I enjoyed the course as well.  Have played it several times--Aruba is my favorite Caribbean destination.  The other course in Aruba (Divi Village) is a fun 9 hole diversion, but not a championship golf course like Tierra Del Sol.  Anytime there is a sign for which way the prevailing (20 mph+) wind goes, you know you are in for a fun time!

And I agree with not going at this time--although the mosquito chance is lessened, the mosquitos are still present.  (Especially if it has rained in the days or weeks leading up to the visit.)

[John Burnes]

We were aware of the virus piece, but it just didn't apply to us.  Actually, there were two cases near us in the states when we were leaving.


Just a great place-highly recommend it if you agree with our requirements above.  Some additional photos to follow.

[John Burnes]

This is the 6th hole, par 4, a slight dog leg, right to left, second shot.  I got lucky and cut the inside corner leaving a short iron in.  I liked the look of the second shot and had some time to shoot this photo waiting for others to hit.




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[John Burnes]

This is the par 3 15th hole, 205 from the tips.  This photo was taken to the left pf the tee and up a slight ridge.  As I mentioned earlier, you can see the dessert look of the island on these holes. 

[John Burnes]

15th from lower tees.

[John Burnes]

view from hotel room.

[John Burnes]

The fabled Cuban montecristo #2.  Very nice.

[SteveOgulukian]

I've been to Aruba a few times but didn't bother to bring my clubs the first few times mainly due to poor reviews of Tierra Del Sol. Their website doesn't help either.

On my last trip I decided to give it a try and I was very pleasantly surprised. I thought the course was very well laid out and had some really nice holes. I've heard many complain that the wind can make the course borderline unplayable and not enjoyable.  If that's the case, I can understand why some might not like it but I had perfect conditions where wind was a factor but by no means did it make any holes unfair.

Best of all, I had a 7am tee time and was on the beach with the family by 10:30.

I would play it again without hesitation.