For the avid golfer who has already seen every type of course, Bonaire has a surprise in store: a special 18-hole links course.
Originally a ‘links’ was any rough grassy area between the sea and the land and the word itself is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘hlinc’, of about 931 AD, meaning a ridge. Today the term ‘The Links’ is commonly used to refer to any golf course.
On Bonaire, we play golf the way it once began: on a flattened, but very well designed desert that borders the sea. The club is not called ‘Piedra so’ for nothing, Papiamentu for just rocks. So don’t expect grass, but a fairway with naturally present gravel. No trees but high cacti and also bushes where your ball disappears in if you hit too far outside the fairway. The strong trade winds don’t make it any easier, but they are nice and cool.
A special course has special rules. For example, for each ball you may use a naturally occurring tee such as a donkey’s turd. And if there are wild donkeys on the course, courtesy rules require that you always give them the right of way.
Adventure guaranteed. You can contact PGA professional Florus Josten for a golf lesson, green fee or clinic.