The Black Pearl - Roatan Honduras

Titleistforlife

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Has anyone had a chance to play The Black Pearl in Roatan Honduras? It is an awesome looking newer Pete Dye course. I'll be spending a week there in January and plan to play there at least twice, maybe three times. :golf:
 
Has anyone had a chance to play The Black Pearl in Roatan Honduras? It is an awesome looking newer Pete Dye course. I'll be spending a week there in January and plan to play there at least twice, maybe three times. :golf:

I have not, but I will be looking forward to your round-up (hopefully) of it when you get back!!!
 
I am from Honduras, the island itself its pretty good but dont know much about the course, however, it should be a nice course, the have been investing i lot of money to have i lot of tourists stay longer rather than 8 hrs to a day like it is right now with the cruises
 
Got my brand spankin new Ap2 712's packed and ready to go...Leaving Thursday for 10 days in the sun! Will review the course upon my return...
 
Just got back and will post a full review later. Ended up playing this course 6 times this past week and all I have to say is "WOW". For the most part, I had the course to myself, playing 18 holes in 2.5 hours each day.

Played the tips one day, but they wore me out at 7200 yards. Shot scores from 77 to 83 (the day I played the tips)...Played a mixture of the Blacks/Blues also, but most rounds played the Blues at 6600 yards.

This is an incredible golf course and should be on every serious golfer's "bucket list"...More later, I am heading to bed after two days of brutal travel.
 
Cant wait to see all the pics....would love to play it.
 
OK...Here it goes:

As stated above, I had the pleasure of spending every day last week playing golf at The Black Pearl in Roatan Honduras. The course is a Pete Dye championship track (par 72) built in 2008. Approximately 7200 yards from the "tips" and 6600 yards from the "Blues". I played the tips one day, a mixture of the tips and blues one day and the straight blues the remaining 4 rounds.

For those that don't know, Roatan is an island (30 miles long and 3 miles wide) approximately 40 miles off the coast of Honduras. This is the only golf course on the island and was built in conjunction with a developement called "Pristine Bay". The resort is not open yet, and probably will not open until April, however, you can rent one and two bedroom private Villas overlooking the course and ocean for an incredible golf experience in the Caribbean.

The course is typical Pete Dye minus the railroad ties. Practically every hole is a unique adventure including the 11th, an Island Green similar to the 17th at Sawgrass. There are definately some "risk/reward" tee shots. Three holes actually have huge trees right in the middle of the fairway and you need to decide if you can go over the tree, left or right with a "risk/reward" on going either left or right. I was fortunate to be driving the ball extremely well last week...That is paramount to success on this course.

The par 3's are all fairly interesting as are the par 5's. The Island Par 3 11th, is (to me anyway) more challenging than the 17th at Sawgrass due to the distance involved. From the Blues the shot was 157 yards. This is also the shortest Par 3.

The par 5's are also all very interesting with a mix of creeks, elevated greens and bunkers.

Where I struggled most on the course is when I missed a green. Life would've been much better had I been carrying a 60 degree wedge as most greens are extremely sloped on the sides. When you miss a green you find yourself with a sharp 30 foot upwards shot to a tight pin. My 56 just wasn't enough to get the job done when I missed a green. I also struggled with reading the greens. The subtle breaks killed me.

The condition of the course was fantastic. The grass used on the course was a newer type of hybrid grass that can be watered with salt water from the ocean. The greens were perfect.

The course is hosting it's biggest tournament to date in February...The Central American Open.

Don't know what else to say about the course, other than that I came away extremely impressed. The fact that I was usually the only one on the course was a great bonus. The new Titleist AP2 712's seem to be a winner for me.

The only downside to this course is getting there. There is only one flight per day from United/Continental from Houston and one from Delta out of Atlanta servicing Roatan at this time. Rumor has it that American will be adding a flight soon out of Dallas and there might be something out of Miami.

This course is definately one for the "Bucket List" thread. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

Green Fees: $145 per round plus, cart. My cart was included with the Villa Rental and I was able to work out a golf package with the management. I paid for 5 rounds with the 6th round being free and didn't pay for a cart. A bargain in my book.
 
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