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Land Sports: For the Landlubber
Landlubbers will have no problem finding ways to occupy their days in balmy Bermuda.
Bowling. Get in the swing at Warwick Lanes (236-5290) and Southside Family Bowl (293-5906). Call Warwick for information on the annual Bermuda Rendezvous Bowling Tournament.
 Golf. Bermuda offers more golf courses per square mile than anywhere else. These layouts are both beautiful and challenging, featuring tight designs requiring perfect shots. Since the 1940s, Dwight Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Jack Kennedy, Harold Macmillan, Richard Nixon, Edward Heath, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and countless members of the British Royal Family have played Bermuda.
Major tournaments include the hugely prestigious PGA Grand Slam of Golf (Oct. 18–20, 2010) at Port Royal Golf Course, where the Southampton layout was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., opened to the public in 1970, renovated for $13.7 million and reopened in 2009.
The Grand Slam allows winners of golf’s top tournaments — the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship — to play one another in the sport’s most exclusive contest. Established in 1979, today the 36-hole event comes with a $1.35 million purse and television audience of 89 million viewers in more than 100 countries. Recent winners include Lucas Glover (2009), Jim Furyk (2003, 2008), Ángel Cabrera (2007), Tiger Woods (2000–02, 2005, 2006) and Phil Mickelson (2004).
 When the PGA selected Port Royal, Premier Ewart F. Brown said, “We are especially proud to have an event as prestigious as the Grand Slam at Port Royal, a spectacular public golf course that belongs to the people of Bermuda and speaks loudly to our country’s commitment to the game.”
For more on golf, contact the Bermuda Golf Association (295-9972, www.bermudagolf.org). To make advanced tee-time reservations at any of Bermuda’s many courses, contact the local experts at To A Tee, Bermuda Ltd., who specialise in such services (295-4640, www.toateebermuda.com).
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Some of Bermuda's popular golf courses:
Port Royal
Ocean View
 Some events of interest include:
- The Men's Amateur Golf Championship played at the Mid Ocean Club in March (295-9972, www.themidoceanclubbermuda.com).
- The Bermuda Senior Amateur Championships for Men and Ladies (Men 55+; Ladies 50+) played on different courses in May (295-9972).
- The Bermuda Amateur Stroke Play Championship for Men and Ladies in June at the Mid Ocean Club (295-9972).
- The Atlantic International Junior Championship played in July at the Mid Ocean Club. This is a 72-hole junior golf tournament (295-9972).
- The Bermuda Mixed Foursomes Championship, which is played in September at the Tuckers Point Golf Club. Men have a handicap limit of 24 and ladies of 36 (295-9972).
- The Bermuda Masters International Golf Classic at Castle Harbour (800-648-1136).
- The PGA Grand Slam of Golf at the Port Royal Golf Course in October (www.pgagrandslamofgolf.com).
- The Bermuda Four Ball Stroke Play Amateur Championships for men and women at Belmont Hills Golf Club in October (295-9972).
Did you know? The PGA Grand Slam of Golf will be played in Bermuda, again, in October 2010 at the Port Royal Golf Course. The Port Royal Golf Course is a Robert Trent Jones design and a public course recently undergoing a $13.7 million renovation. The tournament, established in 1979 was originally an 18-hole, single-day charity event, but has grown to a 36-hole challenge for professional golfers.
Read more about the PGA Grand Slam in Bermuda and Goodwill on the Green.
The Fairmont Southampton Golf Course
101 South Road, Southampton
Tel: 239-6952 / 1-866-540-4497
E-mail: southampton@fairmont.com
Website: www.fairmont.com/southampton
Two fabulous options await your golfing pleasure. 1.) Join friends on The Fairmont Southampton Golf Course, where skilful iron work rather than sheer power is what counts on this challenging and exciting 18-hole par-3 layout that commands some of the island’s loftiest and most scenic settings. The 2,762-yard course will reintroduce you to almost every club in your bag. Ranked by Golf Digest in their Top 200 Best Places to Play in the World, it is a healthy challenge for every golfer, with ample water hazards, elevated tees and strategically placed bunkers. Playing time is under three hours. In April 2010, Fairmont hosted the Bermuda National Par-3 Championships, and in 2011, they will host the World Par-3 Championships. 2.) Located just five minutes away, join friends at Bermuda’s oldest private golf club, Riddell’s Bay Golf and Country Club. Now Fairmont guests have access to this private course, winding along a peninsula that measures only 600 yards at its widest. The 6,000-yard par-70 championship course offers scenic delights and plenty of challenges, including undulating greens, winding fairways and three of the finest oceanside holes in Bermuda. Riddell’s Bay Golf and Country Club offers each golfer a magnificent challenge to his or her game — and camera.
Riddell’s Bay Golf & Country Club
26 Riddell’s Bay Road, Warwick
Tel: 238-3225 / 238-1060 ext. 101
Website: www.riddellsbay.com
A private club experience awaits visitors to Bermuda. Riddell’s Bay Golf & Country Club, located at the southern end of the island in Warwick, holds the title of oldest course in Bermuda. While Riddell’s Bay is a private club, visitors to the island are welcome. Golfers who leave Riddell’s talk about the wonderful views, the shot-maker golf course, the beautiful gardens, the friendly service and sometimes even the golf balls left behind in Great Sound. The true golf enthusiast will want to know that Riddell’s is a traditional and natural layout with Bermuda grass greens. The course offers challenges with well-bunkered greens, healthy roughs and, of course, well-appointed water hazards. This is truly the course in Bermuda that can be enjoyed by any level of golfer. Riddell’s is a must-play whilst in Bermuda.
To A Tee, Bermuda Ltd.
Tel: 295-4640 / 799-0842 (cell)
E-mail: info@toatee.bm
Website: www.toateebermuda.com
In the late 1800s, British Army officers brought their golf clubs to Bermuda. Today, Bermuda can claim more golf holes per square mile than any other place on earth. To A Tee, Bermuda Ltd., recognised as the on-island golf experts, provides advance tee time reservations for golfers on all of Bermuda’s courses and golf event management for groups and conventions. Why not try it on for size. It will fit you To A Tee!
Bermuda's Golf Courses and Fees (As of February 2010)
Take a whack at Bermuda’s leading layouts. Fees include carts, except as noted.
 Belmont Hills Golf Club
Location: Warwick
Tel: 236-6400
Greens fee for 18 holes: $110 (twilight $60, no cart)
Club rental: $60 (TaylorMade)
Lessons per 1/2 hour: $60
www.newsteadbelmonthills.com
The Fairmont Southampton Golf Club
Location: Southampton
Tel: 239-6952 Greens fee for 18 holes: $84 (twilight $65)
Club rental: $25 (TaylorMade, Nike)
Lessons per 1/2 hour: $50
www.fairmont.com/southampton
Mid Ocean Club
Location: Tucker’s Town
Tel: 293-0330
Greens fee for 18 holes: $250
Club rental: $45 (TaylorMade, Cobra)
Lessons per 1/2 hour: $55
www.themidoceanclubbermuda.com
Ocean View Golf Course
Location: Devonshire
Tel: 295-9092
Greens fee for 18 holes: $85 (twilight $60)
Club rental: $40 (TaylorMade)
Lessons per 1/2 hour: $50
www.oceanview.bm
Port Royal Golf Course
Location: Southampton
Tel: 234-0974
Greens fee for 18 holes: $180 (twilight $105)
Club rental: $50 (TaylorMade)
Lessons per 1/2 hour: $60
www.portroyalgolf.bm
Riddell’s Bay Golf & Country Club
Location: Warwick
Tel: 238-1060
Greens fee for 18 holes: $155
Club rental: $40 (Nike)
Lessons per 1/2 hour: $50
www.riddellsbay.com
Tucker’s Point Golf Club
Location: Tucker’s Town
Tel: 298-6970
Greens fee for 18 holes: $215 (nine holes $107)
Club rental: $75 (Callaway)
Lessons per 1/2 hour: $70
www.tuckerspoint.com
 Cricket. The Cup Match Cricket Festival consumes the attention of Bermudians and visitors each summer on the public holidays of Emancipation Day and Somers Day (July 29–30, 2010, at Somerset Cricket Club, 234-0327 / 297-0374).
Festivities come with full British protocol, plus plenty of calypso, reggae and rap; much socialising; and the wearing of outlandish fashions. This has been going on since 1902, when Somerset Cricket Club, now appearing in dark blue and red, and St. George’s Cricket Club, in light blue and dark blue, launched the ritual. Each club now hosts the event in alternating years.
No mere athletic contest, Cup Match draws thousands in person, and the sharp crack of ball against bat, followed by a roar from the stands, echoes via radio, television and Internet all across the islands.
British soldiers imported cricket in the 1840s. It looks much like baseball, except that teams have 11 members, and the pitcher is called a bowler. He aims at the wicket, a collection of three one-inch stumps (sticks), standing 32 inches high, with a pair of bails (crosspieces) teetering on top. Balls of cork and string, covered in red or white leather, are stitched at the equator. Bats are flat on one side and humped on the other. A batsman in pads and helmet protects his wicket and smacks the ball as far possible. If he can run to the other end of the oval without a fieldsman catching the ball, he scores. The Bermuda Cricket Board (www.bermudacricketboard.com), established in 1938, governs, promotes and develops cricket here.
Read more about cricket-crazed Bermuda in Cup Match.
Running. Bermuda lays at your feet countless miles of scenic hiking and jogging trails. They cross parks and preserves, parallel the beaches and ponds, round forts and lighthouses, even follow in the tracks of a defunct railroad.
The Bermuda Railway, which carried passengers in the 1930s and 1940s, was reborn in 1984 as the Bermuda Railway Trail, a peaceful pathway for walking, running and riding, offering spectacular scenery in nearly every parish. The best sections weave through Paget, Southampton and Sandys. Another trail runs the four miles from Royal Naval Dockyard to Somerset Village, passing Gilbert Nature Reserve and the Royal Naval Cemetery.
 Serious runners come each January for Bermuda International Race Weekend (Jan. 14–16, 2011), featuring the invitational mile, the 10K, 10K charity walk, half-marathon, marathon and new Bermuda Triangle Challenge. (236-6086, www.bermudaraceweekend.com)
Tennis. With at least a hundred courts sprinkled over the islands, tennis is a national pastime. Play night or day year-round, since most courts are lighted. Tennis pros give lessons starting at $20 or $30, and racquet rentals are nominal. This being Bermuda, do wear proper tennis attire. For information on tournaments, contact the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association. (296-0834, blta@northrock.bm)
The Bermuda Department of Tourism has compiled a guide to tennis facilities.
Cycling. A great way to get your cardio in while steering clear of traffic is to bike the Bermuda Railway Trail. Even on regular streets, great scenery is everywhere. Long, twisting roads make riding in these islands particularly rewarding. Many resorts provide bikes, which Bermudians call “pedal bikes” to distinguish them from the motorised kind.
 For more range but less workout, scooters or mopeds are the quintessentially Bermudian way to get around. Renting a scooter requires that you be at least 16 years of age, wear a helmet, and remember to drive on the left.
Many scooter liveries will deliver to your hotel, so shop around. Oleander Cycles maintains locations all around the islands — Paget, Hamilton, Southampton, St. George’s and Royal Naval Dockyard. (236-2453, www.oleandercycles.bm)
Football. The game known in the States as soccer was introduced to Bermuda by the British Army in Victorian times. Over the years, it became a national sport. In qualifying rounds for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Bermuda national team did well before eventually dropping out. It beat the Cayman Islands by a score of 4–2 in the first round, then ran headlong into Caribbean powerhouse Trinidad and Tobago in the second round. Although pundits predicted a walk for T&T, Bermuda won its first leg 2–1, sparking hopes of an upset. Much improved from teams of the past, the Bermudians look forward to future competitions with justifiable optimism. For more information, contact the Bermuda Football Association. (295-2199, www.bermudafa.com)
 Horseback Riding. A novel way to appreciate Bermuda's scenic beauty is from atop a noble steed. Spicelands Riding Centre offers private and group trail rides along some of the islands' most beautiful sandy shores. Riding lessons are available here as well. (238-8212)
In addition, competitors and spectators alike enjoy horse shows sponsored throughout the year by the Bermuda Equestrian Federation. (www.bef.bm)
Squash. This popular game is similar to racquetball, but played with a different-size ball. The island hosts some tournaments, and there are courts open to visitors. For more information, contact the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association (292-6881) or Moresby Squash Club in Dockyard (234-5794).
 Rugby. The rugby season runs from October to April, with two types of rugby: league rugby for professional players and rugby union for amateur teams. International rugby began here in 1972, and the World Rugby Classic started in 1988. To play in it teams have come from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, the United States, Spain, Portugal and Uruguay. The event grows each year, the standard of play improves and the ferocity of the tackling shows how much it means to the players. The World Rugby Classic 2010 will be held November 7–13, 2010. (295-6574, www.worldrugby.bm)
Read more about Bermda's World Rugby Classic.
 Soccer. The game known here as football was introduced to Bermuda by the British Army in Victorian times. Over the years, it has become a national sport. Bermuda is looking forward to the first qualifying rounds of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. For more information, contact the Bermuda Football Association. (295-2199)
Check out the Events section of this site for current sports events and venues. Or use the Site Search section which will put you in touch with every imaginable water and land sports operator in Bermuda.
DID YOU KNOW? Bermuda has more golf courses per square mile than anywhere else in the world.
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Fairmont Southampton Golf Course
