Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club: Private Oceanside Golf Perfection on Great Guana Cay
Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club is one of the best golf course/club experiences in the Abacos, reserved for members who want world‑class golf wrapped in a private Bahamian beach community. Set along a slender ribbon of white‑sand shoreline on the west flank of Great Guana Cay, this Tom Fazio design combines ocean drama, wide platinum‑paspalum fairways, and low‑key luxury living.
Tom Fazio Design on a Sandy Shoreline
Laid out as Discovery Land Company’s fourteenth residential golf project, Baker’s Bay opened in 2010 on a spectacular sliver of Great Guana Cay, with the routing hugging the coastline and natural dunes. Tom Fazio served as lead architect, with his son Logan spending extensive time on site to shape the course so it sits comfortably in the island’s contours and trade‑wind corridors. From the opening holes, golfers are treated to expansive Caribbean views and broad playing corridors that invite aggressive lines off the tee.
Wide Fairways, Platinum Paspalum, and Sandy Waste Areas
From tee to green, Baker’s Bay is grassed in platinum paspalum, a salt‑tolerant turf that delivers lush, consistent lies even in a harsh oceanside environment. Fazio’s design philosophy here favors wide, uniform fairways that act as generous corridors, flanked at times by large sandy waste areas that frame shots and catch wayward drives. Generously sized putting surfaces provide multiple pin positions and encourage creative short‑game options, allowing the course to be set up as a relaxed resort‑style round or a stern championship test depending on wind and hole locations.
“Amen Corner” of Great Guana Cay
The four‑hole stretch beginning at the 12th is regarded as Baker’s Bay’s own “Amen Corner,” a sequence many members consider the heart of one of the best golf courses in the Abaco Islands. The 12th and 14th are short par fours that look like birdie opportunities on the card but often play trickier than expected thanks to angles, contouring, and coastal breezes. Between them, the right‑dogleg 13th tumbles away from the highest point on the Cay, delivering panoramic ocean views, while the par‑3 15th tucks its green close to the Atlantic shoreline for a postcard‑perfect tee shot that demands total commitment.
Hurricane Dorian, Recovery, and Renewal
In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian’s eye passed directly over the Abaco Islands, with Baker’s Bay absorbing sustained winds of around 185 mph that devastated the club, course, and surrounding properties. Fairways, greens, and infrastructure were heavily damaged, and much of Great Guana Cay required significant rebuilding. By late 2020, however, the private, members‑only community had become a “beehive of activity,” with the club striving toward a December reopening and hundreds of members expected over the 2020/21 holiday period—an early sign of Baker’s Bay’s resilience and long‑term commitment to remaining a leading golf course/club in the northern Bahamas.
Why Baker’s Bay Belongs on Every Golfer’s Wish List
-
Members‑only community set on 585+ acres of pristine white‑sand beach on Great Guana Cay, anchored by a Tom Fazio‑designed golf course.
-
Platinum‑paspalum playing surfaces, wide fairways, sandy waste areas, and generous greens that reward bold, creative golf.
-
Iconic four‑hole “Amen Corner” (12–15), including short, tempting par‑4s and a dramatic oceanfront par‑3 at 15.
-
Part of Discovery Land Company’s ultra‑luxury portfolio, blending top‑tier golf with high‑end residences, a beach club, spa, and wellness amenities.
-
A compelling story of recovery and renewal after Hurricane Dorian, underscoring the club’s long‑term vision and appeal.
You can learn more about Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean Club here.