aruba golf club

I loved the staff not to mention the beautiful surroundings, my husband and I renewed out wedding vows on the beach near by as it was a surprise to me, the golf staff helped him find a preacher to do the job and helped him with the things necessary that most men dont think of. WHAT A SUNSET, LOVELY TIME!!

Gosh it had to 25 years ago that my Dad and I played here. When there were no other choices on the island, the 18 hole course yet to be in existance, we gave it a try. Despite it not being a normal game of golf by any stretch of imagination we got to not only whack the ball around, we had so much too. We laughed and laughed at the reality of the situation - goats getting in our way, or having to schlep the huge matt around for hitting each shot off of. I would love to go back in time and be with my old man there again. Or even another new memory. Its golf in a sense, but uniquely its own experience. You should check it out if the opportunity should present itself.

The Aruba Golf Club was at its height in the 50's and early 60's when Lago Refinery was in full operation, and many of the hundreds of foreign staff employees were members. Aruba is a desert island, with water scarce, so the little grass on the fairways (one of the other reviews mentions astro-turf - never happened!) at the time was pumped from brackish wells. The greens were made from oiled sand - not unique, as I've seen similar greens in the states, long ago. To take a putt, you would mark the ball's location, then use a heavy roller to smooth a track between the ball and the cup, and then replace your ball and line up the shot. Played very much like a fine-blade, close-trimmed grass green.The golf club was quite a social center for the foreign staff at the refinery, with barbeques and dances scheduled throughout the year. Tournaments were held on a regular basis, with competitions with clubs from Curacao and the mainland rounding out the calendar.The club was surrounded by a stone fence, which kept out many of the goats and all of the donkeys. The fence has since been pretty-well breached, so they are now in the rules as hazards, with rules of play if they get in the way.If you are a golfer, consider going by and taking a look. The Aruba Golf Club is an interesting bit of history - both of the game, and of the island.

If you don't take golf too serious and want something more than mini golf but something less than championship golf, the Aruba Golf Club is for you. We had a great time and played the course three times during our 3 week stay. But it's not for everyone. There are no water traps, no manicured greens and no overwatered fairways. Here the goats run free and the major hazards are the cactus. The course which is located on the south end of the island near San Nicholas is only 9 holes but you can play a second round from different tee boxes. The cost is $25 for 9 holes and $35 for 18 which includes the cart. The local rule allows for the use of an astro turf mat on the fairways. So if you bring your own clubs be sure to ask about the mat to save your clubs from damage on the rocky fairways. They do rent clubs and two people can share a set for $10. The greens are sand greens sprayed black and instead of raking the traps you get to rake the greens. The fairways are desert like with little grass and mostly coral rock. The washrooms are in serious need to upgrades and the club house could use a facelift. You don't need a reservation you just show up. The days we played there were very few others on the course. We will definitely play again!

After being told by many that it was closed we decided to go check it out anyway. It certainly looked closed but when we drove around we were surprised to see it was open! We played a round and gad a blast! Sure its not a country club eell manicured greens kind of course...but the goats were plentiful and the black sand greens were interesting. The cost was affordable although probably overpriced for the conditions. Definitely will return cuz it was great to swing away in Aruba!

If you come to Aruba and do not like the surf, go somewhere else, unless you enjoy shooting a round of golf in the ever present WIND. Real golfers will go elsewhere. Trust me.

Dave Hill once called Hazeltine in Minnesota a cow pasture during a U.S. Open. Well, you won't find a big tournament on this 9 hole test, and it's not a cow pasture. it's a goat pasture. It's not much of a golf course, but, you get what you pay for. Green's fee was $10. There is no grass on the course. We were told it once was an artificial grass (astroturf) course for the refinery workers, but that astroturf is long gone. All that was left was a bare desert like surface, weeds, and hundreds of goats.Still, it was a golf course, one which you tee the ball up, hit it, chase it, and write down a score. That was fun. The sand oil greens were especially challenging, and that made the day as by boyfriend and I had never played on sand oil greens. It was also very private in that only one other twosome was on the course. It's out of the way, and huge windmills that provide energy can be seen from the entire course. Sort of a new versus old thing.

I visited Aruba Golf course with a colleague in June 2009. It’s a bit out of the way in the southern part of the island. Obviously once a prosperous club, it has fallen upon hard times. When you pull up outside, it looks derelict as the large car park is empty and grass and weeds are growing through the surface. Inside, I doubt if the decor has changed since the early 1970’s.Aruba is described as a desert course. That is to say, there is no grass at all on either fairway or green. First thing is, do NOT take your own clubs. We hired ours and I have never seen two sets of mismatched clubs that have been so sorely punished and scarred. But at least we had a buggy to carry them.The tees are rubber mats on concrete bases and, although there are 18 of them, some of the back nine tees are not immediately obvious. A good straight shot off the tee (clubs permitting) will probably see your ball land in the fairway, take a nasty bounce off some stones or rock, and end up almost anywhere. The edges of the fairways are inhabited by rough grass, and some nasty looking spiky shrubs and bushes. There are out of bounds markers on some holes, but these are not always obvious until you find your ball on the wrong side of them.We didn’t see any of the much vaunted owls but I assume they were keeping well out of the way. Wish I could say the same about the goats which wander around all over the place. It is sometimes necessary to herd them off the fairway before taking a tee shot. We decided this was the best policy as we weren’t sure what the rules were if you hit one – especially a kid.I have saved the best until last. The greens are oiled sand. You can always tell those that have recently been done as they are black. The surface bears the marks of previous golfers, goats, donkeys and critturs that like to dig. By the side are lumps of wood with carpet wrapped round which are dragged across the surface to smooth it out. Not sure if golfers are supposed to do this, but we didn’t bother. Putting was certainly an experience and often resulted in much hilarity.Take plenty of balls as there are none on sale in the shop. My partner thought he might buy a couple of sleeves as he was getting a bit low. Instead, the guy behind the counter pulled out a polythene bag and picked out the best six he could find. He didn’t charge us for them, but I suspect he knew he would get them back next time he drove round the course. If you go to Aruba, you MUST play this course. It is an experience you will never forget and it is unlikely you will play anywhere like it ever again. How many golfers can say they have played on a course that has no grass? My colleague and I had a blast playing this course. Each hole was an adventure. Each tee shot a step into the unknown. Each shot into the green (can’t think of any other appropriate word – black?) a wing and a prayer job. I just wish I could go back.

Great 9 hole challange.