GOLF TRAVEL: Mingling with green monkeys at Apes Hill Barbados

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SAINT JAMES, Barbados — There are several green monkeys hanging out in this sprawling saman tree, although you will have to take my word for it.

I know because as I was strolling around the stunning property at Apes Hill Barbados, a golf resort and residential community that is perched at one of the highest points on this Caribbean island, I watched a few playful primates scamper along a rock wall and then leap into these tangled branches.

I immediately thought of my three-year-old niece back home, an adorable encyclopedia of zoo animals and the sounds they make. But now, as I take aim with my camera phone, I’m straining to try to spot a nose or a tail. This will wind up looking like a photo of just a tree, which I suppose makes this one of those you-had-to-be-there moments.

Apes Hills Barbados is now a you-have-to-get-there destination for golf-trippers. They have made a massive investment in recent years to maximize the potential of what is a special setting.

First on the to-do list for new owners was a complete overhaul of their 18-hole headliner, with its dramatic elevation changes and panoramic vistas. Since reopening in 2022, it has often popped up in conversations about some of the finest courses in the Caribbean.

The transformation has also included the addition of both an island-green 19th hole and a Par-3 loop known as Little Apes, extensive renovations to the clubhouse and a commitment to a farm-to-fork program that ensures that many of your meal ingredients were grown on-site. 

They recently debuted their four-bedroom hilltop villas, a luxurious stay-and-play option at what is otherwise a private escape. From my bedroom window, I could see, in order, our own infinity pool and then Little Apes and, in the distance, the Caribbean Sea. My king-sized mattress was oh-so-comfy, but I could hardly wait to open the blinds each morning.

Apes Hill will continue to get better and better, since they are currently building a beach club. In roughly a 10-minute drive, you will go from 1,000 feet above sea level to being able to ditch your flip-flops and dip your toes in the water.

“I’ve seen that project go from first owners to now … and the difference is just incredible,” praised World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Ian Woosnam, who has long counted Barbados as a home away from home and is now affiliated with Apes Hill as a brand ambassador. “They’ve created Apes Hill as a golf course and a destination that everybody wants to go to.” 

I guess I’m now in the wants-to-go-back category.

I can tell you the exactly where I fell in love with Apes Hill — the tee-box at No. 12. The front nine features views of the Caribbean Sea. On this downhill stunner, you are suddenly gazing beyond an expanse of jungle and out at the Atlantic Ocean. The air feels even a little fresher, something that seemed almost impossible a few minutes prior.

Crazy thing is, some would contend that Hole 12 is only the second-best of their Par-3s. The splashy 16th is backdropped by a coral cave.

“We have 15 holes that look at water and three holes that look at two coasts, which is pretty cool,” said Jody Addison, who is originally from the United Kingdom and is now the director of golf at Apes Hill. “If somebody has not seen the course before, we tell them very little before they go out because we know what they’re going to discover.

“This is not a volcanic island. This was all under water at some point, and now you’re playing golf 1,000 feet above sea level. So we genuinely have some of the oldest caves on the island, natural caves. We have so much history here, which I think is quite cool, and we have tried to expose those natural assets on the course. I mean, how often do you see a bunker that has a wall made out of coral, like to the right on our fourth hole?” 

Barbados, with its beautiful beaches, tropical weather and a claim-to-fame as the birthplace of rum, has long been a hot-spot for sun-seeking tourists.

If you like to travel with TaylorMades or Titleists, this should also be a frontrunner for your next golf vacation. For further variety, you could add rounds at Royal Westmoreland or Sandy Lane. (Just don’t skip out on Little Apes. With holes that range from 70-154 yards, it’s an ideal spot to sharpen your wedges or introduce a beginner to the sport.) 

During my first of two spins around Apes Hill, which sits on 475 acres and with a championship layout that can stretch close to 7,000 yards, I wasn’t surprised the foursome in front of us was often stopping to snap photos. Chatting with them afterward, I learned they were all locals, treated to the member-for-a-day experience after they’d volunteered at a senior tour event a few weeks prior that had included Woosnam and a bunch of his smooth-swinging friends. When the area residents are awestruck, that’s a pretty strong hint that you are digging divots someplace special.

If Canadians need any more convincing, especially as so many of us rethink our usual winter getaways, consider this …

The membership at Apes Hill includes the prominent owner of an NHL team, and a just-retired sharpshooter — a guy who scored 200-and-some career goals and laced ’em up as recently as the 2023-24 campaign — was a regular on these fairways in his first season of free time.

In fact, after sunset, another delicious dinner and a few sips of rum, my foursome would plop onto the outdoor couches at our villa and watch hockey on the flat-screen.

Watching golf during the daylight hours proved to be a bit more of a challenge. Because when my playing partners were swinging away, I’ll admit that I was often distracted by the green monkeys as they bounded across the turf or chased one another through the foliage.

“We had another journalist, a year or two ago, describe this as like the Jurassic Park of golf, which I thought was pretty cool,” Addison said. “Except we don’t have dinosaurs. We’ve got monkeys coming out of the trees, which is a bit friendlier.”

Friendlier, for sure.

Just don’t expect them to pose for a photo.

wgilbertson@postmedia.com