Mid Ocean - Bermuda

[Joel_Stewart]

I considering taking my family to Bermuda and read the following on the Bermuda Golf Association web site.

"Mid Ocean Golf Club
Built in 1921, Mid Ocean was originally designed by Charles Blair Macdonald and then modified by Robert Trent Jones in the 1950's. This 6,512 yard course set in the the blue water of the Atlantic administers the classic test good shots are rewarded; bad shots are penalized. NOTE: An introduction by a club member is required."

I've heard great things about Mid Ocean, can anyone discuss it?

[Bill_McBride]

Joel, "simply fabulous" sums it up.  Stand on the elevated fifth tee (see Ran's profile) and and visualize Babe Ruth trying to drive the green 435 yards away across Lake Mangrove!  
The course is a prototypical MacDonald Raynor in a semi-tropical setting.  All the template holes are there, in somewhat exotic settings.  The 17th Redan is one of the rare really good downhill examples.

The caddies are excellent.  The conditions were great, fast and firm in spite of a rain squall that had my playing partner and I huddled with our caddy on the first fairway!  The rain blew through very quickly and the sun came out as we walked up the 3rd fairway.

I would love to go back.  We stayed in one of the cottage colonies and loved the entire Bermuda experience.  You don't need to spend much time in Hamilton, but be sure to rent a scooter and stop by the Swizzle Inn for a few.  The drive back on the wrong side of the road, foozled by the swizzles, will be worth the trip!

[Bill_McBride]

You also don't need an introduction by a club member (although it would be nice!), the concierge at your hotel can make the arrangements very easily with advance notice.

[CHC1948]

My father went there late spring last year and had many great things to say about it.  He doesn't carry a lot of knowledge in regards to architecture, but he did enjoy it quite a bit.  If you stay on site your round is quite a bit cheaper, which might make it more worth while.  If your taking your family to Bermuda....you owe yourself a round at Mid-Ocean Club!  Bring your camera, there are some get shots out there on the course.  Make sure you post them when you get back......

[Craig Disher]

Joel,
I played there post RTJ but I heard that Tom Doak did some work there since. It's pricey but the best course on the island. Some of the hotels can arrange for their guests to play - when I visited, 2 days a week were open for visitors. If you don't have an introduction, it would be wise to check with your hotel to see if they have that privelege.

The routing is remarkable, crossing roads and winding through a residential area that is  well shielded from the course. There are some terrific holes and some of Macdonald's templates. The magnificent par 4 5th is a sweeping dogleg from a high tee over a large pond that diagonally cuts the landing area. The 3rd (Eden), 13th (Biarritz) and 17th (Redan) are very good, the 3rd playing next to the ocean with spectacular views.

 

[PThomas]

I gotta run Joel, so , briefly:  make sure you play there!  I believe Doak has redone ALL the greens there in the last few years

[Phil Benedict]

Played the course years ago when I knew what I liked in a golf course but didn't know anything about architectural styles.  By far the best course in Bermuda.  The above-mentioned 5th is the prototypical Cape hole, which I think is a MacDonald original rather than a replica like the Redan.  If you go for the Mac/Ray style you'll love it.  Clubhouse has the feel of late British Empire, if you go for that sort of thing.  Slightly decaying and seedy but grand.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Great course, great halfway house, great members, great island!

[Mark_Fine]

First of all, leave the kids at home.  It's a couples island.  Laurie and I love Bermuda and Mid-Ocean is a special place to play golf.  A bit surreal!

[Bob_Huntley]

Joel,

Quite possibly one of the great experiences of ones golfing life.

Staying at the the cottages, being able to play the course at any time and then pop down to the local beaches for a quick swim is an absolute delight.

The course is old fashioned with one or two memorable holes but the ambience is extraordinary. The members are  understated and most delightful. Mid Ocean is one of my favorite spots in the world.

Take lots of sunscreen.

Bob  

[Tom_Doak]

Joel:

The only drawback to Mid Ocean in years past was conditioning.  They had common bermuda greens which were could be really slow, they don't have enough water for the fairways so they can get pretty wild in a drought, and labor is so costly on Bermuda that their maintenance budget doesn't go too far.

We regrassed the greens in 2001-03 to one of the new Bermudas, and now they are in good shape.  We had to take some tilt out of a couple of them so the course remained playable ... a couple of them had 6-7% tilt and were completely exposed to the wind, so it would have been like Kapalua yesterday where balls would de-green into bunkers.

It's a hilly course and there are 3-4 holes which don't quite stand up to the rest, but there are also some of the best holes in golf, and your wife would love it in Bermuda.

[Chris Munoz]

Hey Tom, what was the process you used to re-grass the greens at Mid-Ocean..I am just curious...And are those greens USGA specs, or push-up??

Christian C. Munoz

[Tom_Doak]

Chris:

They were push-up greens and they still are.

We did amend a bit of sand into them, but sand costs a fortune on Bermuda, and besides that they don't have the water supply for USGA greens.  The superintendent Norman Furtado was comfortable with the profile he'd been maintaining for years; we just had to figure out how to replicate it where we were changing grades.  Good old seat-of-the-pants engineering.

[Walker_Taylor]

Tom,
What was the slope on #16 and what is it now? I thought that was a great match play hole with the ravine to the right in play if you were into the wind, then facing a low knockdown to a knob of a green up near the first tee. Many matches ended there - it seemed like- in the Bermuda Amateur. The green is obviously exposed to the wind and wicked fast downhill and downwind.
Awesome golf course.
What was the slope on #4?
I did enjoy the challenge of the grainy bermuda greens. It always seemed to make you think really hard on your putts AND chips.
Lots of fond memories at Mid-Ocean...Is there still no out of bounds anywhere?
A kid got it up and down against me
 from the ROAD on number two with me holding up traffic for him. Off the pavement, over the wall, through the bushes, over the bunker, made the putt.
Firing over the cars and buses on number 4, 13, and second shot on 15. Had that feel of Royal Worlington firing over the previous greens from the next tee.
If you hooked your drive on 18 at MO it ended up in the drinking and pissing spot of the hidden caddie shed.
Want to play in the four-ball in November? Just kidding but it would be fun!
Look forward to going back someday soon....Stunning views and a great group of members and staff of the BGA (Tom Smith- hope he is still around).
Mid-Ocean could go in a book of 31 flavors for sure.
Adios.

[Voytek Wilczak]

Could someone recommend a nice place to stay in Bermuda?

Wife and I prefer small, boutique-like hotels of B&Bs.

Thanks.

Voytek

[Craig Disher]

Could someone recommend a nice place to stay in Bermuda?

Wife and I prefer small, boutique-like hotels of B&Bs.

Thanks.

Voytek

Try Horizons and Cottages.

http://www.horizonscottages.com/

[Tom_Doak]

The Pink Beach Club is frighteningly expensive, but it is gorgeous, and I believe it's one of two places which can arrange a tee time for its guests on Mid Ocean.

[Robert Kimball]

The Fairmont Hamilton Princess arranged a tee time for me (that was 4 years ago, not sure if that still applies). Obviously, no need to repeat all of the great things said before, but please do whatever you can to see it.

I'm not sure if this is still the case, but once you pay the green fee, you can play all day (and the staff is very generous). I walked 36 the day after running a half marathon (again, this was 4 years ago!!!! )

[Doug Wright]

Mid Ocean is a very fine golf course. Great elevation changes, excellent greensites, some challenge and good variety. A few of the holes don't stand out but by and large a really solid course with a couple of world class holes like the 5th.

I really love Bermuda. Pleasant people, decent but not great food, lots of sun and sand and water. I loved scootering around but you have to be careful--I've seen some nasty spills and collisions between touristas the few times I've been there.  

Voytek, the place we stayed (though it's been 10+ years so check it out) is Pompano Beach Club. Small, good service and right next to Port Royal Golf Club (RTJ) the 2d best course on the island and worth a try.  http://www.pompano.bm/  

[Stu Grant]

Voytek,

Another option to consider for Bermuda accommodations is renting a house.  I lived in Bermuda for four years...since we had a one-bedroom apartment our relatives found accommodations through www.bermudarentals.com which turned out to be great value versus renting a hotel room.

[Stu Grant]

Doug,

Great call mentioning Port Royal....the best public access course in Bermuda.  Though it doesn't have the history or the ambiance of Mid Ocean, architecturally speaking I think it at least MO's equal.

The oceanside par four 15th and par three 16th are two of the best holes anywhere.  The 16th is particularly famous, 178 yards as I recall from the tips, with the Atlantic Ocean lining the left side and a collection bunker to the right of the green to attract the conservative shot.  Fantastic hole.

Port Royal also features a very strong set of par 5's (#17, and particularly #2 and #7) as well as one of the great views of the island on your 2nd shot on the par-four 11th as you hit your downhill approach on this classic 420 yard? par four.  The 180 yard 8th hole facing the ocean is also a killer par-3 when facing the strong prevailing wind.

Anyways, have a great time in Bermuda...it is a truly wonderful place

[BCrosby]

Joel -

You will enjoy Mid-O. To get the real flavor of the place, try to have lunch in the main dining room.

I have played Mid-O many times. There are lots of great holes, but one often overlooked is the 6th. The first couple of times through it appears to be a dull, non-descript, shortish par 4.

But the more I've played it the more I am impressed with the fairway contouring. It's remarkably hard to hold what seems to be a wide open LZ. If you don't hold it on the left side (the high side) of the fairway, the short approach is very awkward.

There are many better holes at Mid-O, but I can't think of another hole where my opinion changed so dramatically with additional play.  

Bob  

[ForkaB]

Shifting slightly OT.......

Where would you go for a 5-7 day romantic break in early-mid October--Bermuda or Sicily?  This is assuming you can get on any golf course and stay at any place on either island.

Thanks in advance

[Sean_A]

Rich

If we are talking sex, why do you mention your sticks?  You kinky dog.  Leave the sticks home and go to Sicily.  Be prepared to gain some weight and get sand in your shoes.  

Ciao

Sean

[Craig Disher]

Rich,
If I'm going for a romantic getaway, the question isn't where I'd like to go. The question is "sweetheart, where would YOU like to go?" and hope she says Bermuda.

October is perfect-weather time - assuming no freak hurricanes. And how could anyplace be more romantic than one where the universal speed limit is 25 mph, all the buildings are pink, and everyone smiles all the time?