To me, there’s no doubt that Puerto Rico is the ultimate golf destination in the Caribbean. As of this writing, there are 23 golf courses on the island and six more under construction, and the brand new Trump International Golf Course in San Juan, a $600 million golf complex on the island's northern coast is now up and running. In fact, it's home this year to Puerto Rico Open, a PGA tournament featuring John Daly. Puerto Rico is also the only Caribbean island to boast golf courses by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. and Jr. Puerto Rico offers both established courses and top-shelf new ones.
Location: Puerto Rico is an island on the northern reaches of the Caribbean Sea just to the west of the US Virgin Islands and some 1,000 miles southeast of Miami.
Customs: Puerto Rico is a US Territory and thus falls under the U.S. customs jurisdiction – US citizens do not need a passport, just a valid picture I.D. Also, you will not need to pass through customs when traveling between the island and the United States.
Language: Spanish and English are the official languages of Puerto Rico, but Spanish is the language of most of the islanders. English is spoken by about a forth of the population and in all major tourist areas. Communication is, as they say, no problemo.
Time Zone: Puerto Rico is on Atlantic Standard Time (AST), which is one hour later than Eastern Standard Time (EST) in the US, and four hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Puerto Rico does not observe Daylight Savings Time.
Sunrise/Sunset: Puerto Rico is blessed with sunshine most of the year-round. Because of its latitude, there are no great variations between sunrise and sunset – the sun shines, on average, some 12 hours a day, rising around 6:30am and setting just after 6pm. True, it rains now and again but the showers are almost always short and seem to arrive mostly after dark.
Major Cities and Popular Destinations: San Juan, Ponce, Mayagüez, Bayamón, Fajardo, San Germán Cayey, and Caguas.
Where to Play Golf - Major Resorts:
- Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa
- El Conquistador & Golden Door Spa
- Golden Sands Villas Dorado del Mar Beach Resort
