The Truth about Golfing in Roatan Honduras

To be honest, when golfing in Roatan Honduras I would say "Golfer Beware”.

Having played at some of the most outstanding courses, I find myself torn between loving the island of Roatan and being able to enjoy my passion.

Roatan has so much to offer; located 40 miles off of the northern coast of Honduras, this is a tropical paradise in the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

It is perfectly situated right in the center of the Meso-American Barrier Reef.

It is the second-largest barrier reef in the world behind the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Roatan is the largest of the seven Bay Islands. Here's why you want to visit the island.

But before you leave the island you have to spend time in West End Roatan.

However, golfing in Roatan, Honduras has its limitations with a few silver linings.

One of them is to stay at one of the outstanding resorts The Infinity Bay Spa and Beach Resort.

And that's not all...

When you are looking to do something special for the someone in your life while in Roatan there are many options.

Here are some of our recommendations for some romantic things to do in Roatan.

You may enjoy the island so much that you may want to consider it a place to invest in. Here is a look at what opportunities lie in Roatan Real Estate.

Golfing in Roatan Honduras The Good and the Bad

As for playing Black Pearl at Pristine Bay, Roatán’s first and only golf course, is a 18-hole, par-72, 7200-yard championship golf course created by Pete Dye, the architect who designed several state-of-the-art golf courses around the world.

In the Caribbean, among some of his designs, is the famed Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic.

If you are on vacation in Roatan or want to spend the day off the cruise ship, just beware of what you may encounter at the Black Pearl.

The course is challenging as it is more of a hilly/mountainous course than an ocean course.

The problem with Black Pearl right now is that there are some financial problems at the resort that also affects the golf course.

I am not going to go into details because that is not what this website is about.

I want to talk honestly about the best places to play in the Caribbean.

These are my observations from my visit in January 2020.

Golfing in Roatan Honduras is possible at the island's only 18 hole course. The Black Pearl. Designed by Pete Dye.

From this you can make your own decisions:

Take into consideration the cost of a taxi. Where you are staying on the island?

The roads in Roatan are small and it takes a while to get around.

If you are just on the island for the day how much will it cost to get to the golf course from your cruise ship?

All I will say from what I witnessed and from what I understood by talking to other golfers is that the course was not in as great of shape as I would have expected for what they charge.

There were areas around the bunkers that could use some work.

Overall the course was nice and very challenging.

It is worth playing for the elevation changes and the signature island green.

However, the greens were pretty slow and our balls plugged IN THE FAIRWAYS a lot of times.

Luckily my caddie was pretty good at finding those plugged balls.

Open fairways at the Black Pearl Golf Course in Roatan Honduras

I also suggest you take a caddie while it is not mandatory the holes are hard to navigate between green and the next tee box and their suggestions will make the round more enjoyable.

The pro shop is very small and they don't have much merchandise.

Still want to play but have limited time?

Here is my best recommendation The Black Iguana Golf Club