A scenic tour of Bermuda’s best golf courses

The traveling show that is the PGA Tour stops in Bermuda this week for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The coverage on GOLF Channel will shine a spotlight on the Port Royal Golf Club, one of five impressive golf courses located right on the ocean. Tune in from 1:30-4:30 p.m. (EST) Thursday-Friday and 1-4 p.m. (EST) Saturday and Sunday.

Watching might even inspire you to visit. First, let’s clear up some misconceptions about Bermuda.

* It’s in the Caribbean. No, it’s not. Bermuda is located about 650 miles east of the Carolinas, well north of other famous islands well known for golf.

* Winter is the ideal time to visit for golf. Technically no, it’s not. Bermuda isn’t the sun-drenched paradise you might expect. While plenty of golfers still visit during winter to play because of milder temperatures from November through February, Bermuda’s best season for a tee time is spring. April and May are the driest months, according to climatestotravel.com. Summer is muggy and hot, but morning golf followed by a beach day on pink-sand beaches sounds like an amazing vacation.

* Bermuda is too expensive to visit. No it’s not. Yes, everything on the island is pricey, but it’s comparable to other luxury golf vacations in the Caribbean such as the Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana and Casa de Campo, Barbados or the Bahamas.

What’s cool about Bermuda is its variety of courses for such a small sample size. The most famous is an architectural classic, the Mid Ocean Club by C.B. MacDonald. It ranks among the 50 most beautiful courses in the world. Port Royal is the perfect resort/public course complement to the more private Mid Ocean Club (accessible only on certain days). Port Royal delivers stunning views, a historic fort next to the 15th tee and a solid history of professional golf. It hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 2009-2014.

The Fairmont Southampton and the Rosewood Bermuda jockey for the claim as the island’s best golf resort. The Fairmont is home to one of the world’s premier 18-hole par 3s, Turtle Hill. The Rosewood counters with Tucker’s Point Club, a sporty, hilly design that’s a par 70 of roughly 6,500 yards. A newcomer burst onto the scene this year, adding even more competition. The St. Regis Bermuda Resort overlooks St. Catherine’s Beach and offers the new Five Forts Golf Club. Like everything in Bermuda, it’s a little short on land (a par 62 of 4,436 yards) but makes up for it with an intimate connection to the shoreline and views for days.

Enjoy them in the photo gallery below.