Bermuda’s Amazing Golf Courses | Adventures in Golf Season 8

Bermuda has more golf courses per capita than anywhere else in the world. Erik Anders Lang visits two fundamentally different courses that share something special on this Adventures in Golf, presented by United and @RandomGolfClubFilms.

A groundbreaking muni takes on a powerhouse private club in a 1-v-1 match every year in Bermuda. Historic Ocean View GC members go up against the iconic Mid Ocean Club in what’s called the “Friendship Cup.” Erik and Ocean View’s former president, Quinton, join forces and tee it up against Mid Ocean on their legendary home soil.

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hi I’m Eric and this is adventures and
golf and for this episode we’ve been
Shipwrecked just off the coast of an
island that’s been unknown to man for a
hundred million years Bermuda was first
visited by the Spanish who left behind
some pigs and then the English who left
behind some cannons and some rum but as
always we’re here for the golf
[Music]
welcome
aboard the Shipwreck capital of the
Atlantic Bermuda has been a waypoint for
Sailors Rum Runners and Pirates
traveling the new world for half a
millennia the island territory is full
of beautiful beaches pristine Blue Water
and more golf courses per capita than
anywhere else on Earth it was only a
matter of time before I made this trip
of the seven courses on the island
there’s one that I’ve wanted to visit
since I first fell in love with Golf
Course architecture Mid Ocean Club it
was first laid out by CB McDonald with
assistants from Seth rer and Charles
Banks mid ocean is considered to be one
of the most historic and exclusive golf
clubs in the Western Hemisphere it’s
also thought to be the only only course
where these three Legends of golden age
architecture
collaborated mid ocean has been on my
bucket list for a long time but today
it’s going to wait a little bit longer
because I want to stop at a local mun
first that is if the weather
cooperates you know we’re here for a
couple days L how’s the weather going to
be uh not too good after today
tomorrow’s going to be rainy and windy
there actually a small craft warning
starting tonight which our driver for
this trip is Lloyd Roberts Lloyd tells
us about the island that he grew up on
so why do people come here what is
everyone doing right now why are they
all going to work like what’s what’s
what’s going on we got to work to make
sure that you guys keep coming but it
seems like there’s an industry here
that’s not tourism it is correct that’s
the insurance industry Insurance yep
insurance and
reinsurance that accounts for about 80%
of our GDP 80% of the GDP is Insurance
correct for a place mostly associated
with to ISM there’s much more to Bermuda
than retirees and flipflops and so
begins my Bermuda education which
continues here at Ocean View Golf Course
to meet you yeah hey Eric nice to meet
you how are you I’m well and yourself
dude we’re so excited to be here yeah
welcome to oce view yeah this is great
and congratulations ah thank you thank
you thank you this is the newly elected
president of the Bermuda PGA Quinton
Sherlock Quinton is a local golf pro
whose relationship with golf started at
a young age great up one of the great
things is that as a kid we had the most
golf courses per capita so we had nine
golf courses two of them have hosted a
PJ tour events Port wary and mid ocean
and then some other you know fantastic
uh tracks with some lovely views so I
was fortunate enough to kind of get some
early exposure and just kind of hung in
there yeah yeah man he’s also a past
president of Ocean View Golf Club a
position he remembers with pride one
thing I’ll tell you about Ocean View
Ocean View is the first Golf Course um
that was really opened up to blacks on
the island if you know a little bit
about bm’s history that we did have a
period of our segregation and blacks
weren’t allowed to play except for what
they called the Great crack of dor
golfers we had to play before the sun
came up then the DU was on the ground
and then go and caddy but uh in the
1950s I think Ocean View was established
as the first golf course that was not
just for blacks let me say it right but
for everybody and so this was a place
where everyone could come and play so if
you don’t mind I just like to take you
through and kind of see some of our
pictures and just see a little bit of
our history which is very rich and we’re
very proud of our history at Ocean View
I’d be honored yeah
go so these are three founding members
Mr Simons Mr pit and also Mr Lou the
course itself dates back as far as the
late 1920s when it was then known as
Devonshire Golf Links ocean View’s
history is murky Quinton tells me it was
a part of the British Army’s Garrison
that expanded to the center of Bermuda
In
1855 sometime after World War II the
Army course which had fallen into
disrepair was leased to a local
businessman named Frank
Wilson in 1953 Wilson agreed to rent the
course to a group of black golfers who
in turn took it upon themselves to make
the course playable and playable for
all tell me a little bit about the
course it’s it’s how many holes so it’s
a nine-hole public course and we have
our four sets of te’s so the ladies
would play their first nine from the
yellow second nine from the red the men
play their first nine from the whites
second nine from the blue public yeah
public course yeah right but it’s also a
club yeah it’s also a club that kind of
operates and functions somewhat
independent yeah so at one point in time
it was the club that had managed the
course and it was handed over to the
government ah okay so it’s so it’s also
IM mun yes yes yes in
essence the sun begins to show its face
so we head to the first tea to take full
advantage of the fair weather wow what a
beautiful tea
box and joining us is Javon Roberts for
the last two years he’s been the
assistant tournament director for the
Butterfield Bermuda championship this is
a PJ Tour event held every November at
Port Royal Golf Club but this morning we
discovered something else about Javon
sorry what’s your last name
Roberts like Javon yes it’s my son so
we’re hanging out with javon’s Dad all
day my dad is driving you around today
yeah you own that company yeah so that’s
the family business um so that was my
job before essentially before Co struck
so I went kind of looking for another
job and the tournament was like hey we
want you to come and help out so did he
ask you to please drive us around he did
what did you say what am I supposed to
say he’s the
[Music]
boss this is my first first golf swing
on Bermuda I don’t really count a
country has visited until I’ve hit a
golf shot
there that’s a good one well done
welcome
welcome one of the things that we are
credited to that was recently discovered
by our professor uh Dr Jeff Simmons was
that a former head pro actually helped
to break the color barrier in the US
Gulf in the professional ranks his name
was Lewis kid
Corbin Corbin developed his craft at
Devonshire links reportedly working as
the head pro back in
1933 throughout the 30s and 40s he would
travel abroad with the sole purpose of
playing in golf tournaments
he would call in to uh enter an event
with the last name Corbin and with an
accent from Bermuda so they didn’t know
any difference about who he was he shows
up and in this time as a black guy and
they’re like are you who you cading for
right that’s exactly he’s like no I’m
here to play and then what happened um
sometimes I think he’s even got into
play hence why they say he was one of
those that helped to break the color
barrier so he’s kind of the Rosa Parks
of golf yes yes yes and one of his other
claims to fame is that he taught Joe
Lewis how to play golf so we have the
image here with um Corbin Lewis and
three other Ocean View members Lewis
like so many of us became Addicted to
Golf and alongside Corbin became a
leading advocate for golf integration
which brings us right back to Ocean View
Ocean View is the co-host of what we
call the annual Governor’s Cup and so
what happened from the establishment of
Ocean View we had an ocean view team
that would be pitched against a team
that the governor got to select and pick
and nine times out of 10 the governor
ended up picking players from mid ocean
balmont and riddles Bay so a lot of
these images on the bottom row here
would be old Governor’s Cup images so
you can see the governor there in the
middle that’s his team and that’s the
ocean view team oh wow and that would
have been back in the 50s at the old
Clubhouse over the other side um behind
number seven T box so you’re saying this
is basically a a rer Cup match between
two races there you go yeah wow but
again using the wonderful game of golf
to to bring us together in a very
positive way and I’ll will tell you
until this day this event is still being
uh hosted and held the Governor’s Cup
yeah the Governor’s
Cup this is awesome like I feel like if
you just came here and played here
without even any of the stories that you
were telling me that make this golf club
really important I mean this course is
awesome yeah you’ll enjoy it yeah this
is just like stunning you still got to
golf your ball you know yeah exactly and
then you can take in the scene me along
with it yeah just avoid the
[Music]
bunkers I feel like a lot of times I
travel around to places and you see golf
is primarily a you know magnet for
tourists or an amenity for tourists not
not really part of the local culture I
would say nine times out of 10 is that
true here no I mean this this is a
course the people’s course 90% of the
play that you’ll find Ocean we going to
be locals 10% 15% might be tourists
during the heavy tourist season we get a
few come of the tour the cruise ship
business but the majority are bread and
butter if you will are
locals locals Like Richard what brought
you to the island well it was what drove
me out of Scotland which was the rain I
got off the plane and I got this blast
like opening a door and I went and
they’ll never get rid of me and that was
49 years ago tell me about you know
we’re here for the golf right and
Scotland’s the home of golf so can you
tell me about the uh similarities
perhaps between Scotland and Bermuda oh
the
similarities uh very very
few very few well when I came here um
all the rich pardon my swearing all the
rich Americans would take 5 and 1 half
hours to go around the game of golf and
I would go well you’re making too much
of this you know they all thought they
were Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicholas
back in those days whereas in Scotland
you oftenest not you have your bag under
your arm and you just run like hell and
get done in 2 and 1 half maybe 3
[Music]
hours hey I want to take a quick second
and thank United Airlines for allowing
us to travel the world these last eight
years to make this show it’s truly been
an
adventure so for your next adventure
consider booking your trip on the
airline with more International
destinations than any other on
united.com
this is members of Ocean View versus
members of midocean playing in something
called the Friendship cup yes what what
is that so this is more of just an
interclub match okay separate and
different from the Governor’s Cup so the
Governor’s Cup could have mid ocean
could have other clubs but this is
strictly mid ocean team first is an
ocean view team playing it out in the
Friendship cup here at Ocean View and we
can see the Carnage that had taken place
19 to 70 well what’s really interesting
is that there’s I don’t know of that
many places in the world where a top 100
golf course goes up against you know a
nine-hole municipal golf course right
I’m not I’m not making a comment on the
relevance of ocean view in terms of the
history of golf on the island but when
you zoom out into for example United
States where we have 18,000 golf cours
that that just wouldn’t happen but it’s
cool that it does here that’s the
uniqueness of the island and being in
such a small space yeah we we’re we we
have to engage and we have to interact
so we just try to make the most of
that so they’re trying to get out early
Friday morning to play a few holes down
there match a little a little a little
match two man match inspired by the
Friendship cup we asked Quinton to set
up a match between us and Mid Ocean Club
for 2 days from now thanks buddy thank
you for having me out yeah my pleasure I
can’t wait to uh take him down we got a
match on our hands all right let’s get
them got some work to do yeah so these
are all members of mid ocean here I’m a
I’m a big fan of this is is this the
that’s him Malcolm golin that’s the dark
rum black rum and also the ginger beer
and ginger okay if you want to do
non-alcoholic yeah well I don’t drink
but but I love I love Gosling Ginger
that’s that’s an island uh product yeah
yeah it’s one of our one of our local
products here we age all the gosin
family reserve Old Rum the papa seal
which is a single barrel rum we also
have a Ry Barrel finish rum as well so
all that you know small bat rum ages
here on island this is Andrew Holmes
brand director for Gosling’s Rum
bermuda’s most famous export what’s the
volume in here um it’s close to 800
barrels that we have aging down here
which is actually only a fraction of
what we have aged in an oak but we can’t
age it all here on the island cuz we
don’t have the space so we do age a lot
of rum down in the West Indies okay and
Shi it here to
Bermuda the history of the Gosling
family um how did they end up here so
the goslins are originally from England
and in 1806 a gentleman by the name of
William gosin chared a ship called the
Mercury and loaded the boat up with
10,000 lound Sterling with for wines and
spirits which is basically you know a
pirate ship for the booze and he decided
it was Battle for him remain in England
where he could oversee the business and
asked his eldest son James to get on the
boat and make the voyage across the
Atlantic so obviously you know James
pretty excited be getting on a boat with
that much of his father’s alcohol and
the world’s first booze crew set sail
and they never made it to the new
colonies so the goal was to set up the
the wi and spirit merchant business
there but they were becalmed at Sea and
the what at Sea becalmed like not a lot
of wind you know so they were just out
there drifting around and their Charter
was running out so the captain said look
we got two choices we’re either going
back to England or will drop you in
Bermuda which was the closest British
Port okay and they they set up a
business here selling all the wines and
spirits they had from England and then
1808 his brother Ambrose arrived and
it’s actually from Ambrose that nine
generations of golins have descended on
the island and then uh they realized
there was demand for rum cuz 1809 the
British Navy started construction on the
Royal Naval dockyard oh so they were
coming into town and the Godin like we
need to get some rum so they began
sourcing rums from all over the West
Indies because there was not enough raw
material here to start distilling really
so just like the British Navy does
sourcing rums from Jamaica Barbados
British Guyana Trinidad so they began
sourcing those rums shipping them here
to Bermuda and then experimenting with
blending them together to create their
own style so this is a bottle of our Old
Rum so we started bottling that in 2003
okay so this is uh you know a nod to how
they would have bottled it way back in
the day but it would have had no label
so if you just imagine the bottle on the
Shelf No Label di with black wax so it’s
you know so it’s kind of ominous yeah
yeah and then it was a gentleman by the
name of Francis gosin he was one of the
sixth generation of the gosin family
okay so his brothers were Malcolm and
Edmund Francis Illustrated the barrel
juggling seal as a play on words for the
wax SE right so the seal is actually
yeah it’s a play on words it’s not
actually an animal it’s yeah the only
seals here in Bermuda at the
aquarium as far as the Gosling family
and the relationship to golf what’s
there so Malcolm ly Goslin who would
have been the sixth generation um was an
avid Sportsman and Malcolm was in the
Golf and Tennis and so Malcolm’s kids uh
are working in the business here Nancy
Goslin who’s our president CEO of gosin
limited and then her youngest brother
Malcolm Goslin so yeah they’re both very
passionate about it I mean Nancy plays
every weekend Malcolm plays as much as
he can as well he’s a member of mid
ocean as the whole family were it’s in
their blood we say our goodbyes to
Andrew and his rum and make our way to
Billionaire’s row yes that’s what they
call it to see the famous course with
our own eyes on the pristine putting
green by mid ocean pink Clubhouse we
meet Kenton Brunson director of agronomy
that’s an exciting job how is this
agronomically speaking special it is
definitely special it’s very difficult
it’s very windy we had over 80 in of
rain last year which was a record it’s a
lot uh so it’s a lot of wind a lot of
rain the supply chain is really
difficult it’s tough to get sand it’s
tough to get fertilizer we’re limited
with certain pesticides We can spray so
it’s it’s hard it’s a tough environment
for sure do you buy any chance to use
Bermuda grass here yes on all the puding
surfaces we have Tiff Eagle ver and
those were planted 24 years ago and then
we’re looking at other grasses in the
future so I know you guys were at cabitt
a couple days ago so I’ve been talking
with Damon there they have they pass
palum right yeah so since we can’t bring
in vegetative
material that’s what you would typically
do for a to grass green we have to bring
in seed and so pass balum is a seatable
option that we could we could do to
regrasp all right should we go look at
the golf
course joining us at the first te is
golf professional Chaka D Silva this was
uh rated one year I believe best opening
hle for golf by Golf Digest I would have
a hard time putting that above spy
glass’s opening hole and this is above
spy glass and how do you know because I
worked at spy
glass this is a better first shot okay
why walk us through what’s going on here
yeah I mean your Landing zone is so
small um if you can drive it long you
can take take it over 17 green which is
a potential which is down there okay the
ideal t-shot is really that middle pot
bunker but if you’re long then you want
to go over that that longest bunker on
the
left oh just like that that’s a 300 yard
line gentlemen that’s my that’s my
partner or were you trying to cut that I
wanted to cut it a little more that’s
perfect be fine that’s
perfect shot wall that was the line
that’s a great shot position that’s in
the faway too come on come on good stuff
I’m never
leaving this CB McDonald course dates
back to 1921 and it boasts a rich
history since asking around for the club
historian our conversation leads to a
name that I’m actually familiar with so
I decided to borrow chaka’s phone and
surprise him with a call so this is a
member of David Woodcock who I’ve never
met but we’ve know followed each other
on Instagram for
years David what’s up
man
[Applause]
who you’re in Bermuda yeah we’re at mid
ocean dude we just got here oh for [ __ ]
sake I mean it’s only you’re only about
three years late past my invitation but
which you did kindly respond to so uh um
you know one of the things we were just
talking about actually David is um is
going through the clubhouse and kind of
getting a members tour that uh really
dives into the history of you know the
pedigree of the course sure you want to
do that yeah yeah I could do
[Music]
that the course was built for a
steamship company the withy furnace
steamline they were looking for offer to
I think provide to their their customers
as an incentive to get down to Bermuda
and in the early 1920s they engaged CBM
to uh come and come down here and and
design a course I mean I think you know
prohibition had something to do with it
as well in America at the time it was
the early 1920s prohibition had just
started so uh maybe they were looking
for an option to go somewhere else to
have a drink um and uh that’s something
we do well here uh so they came down the
course was I think ultimately open in
1923 forly uh but 1921 is the is the
sort of the date that we run our uh
Inception from um and then in
1951 um with the furnace you know post
World War II they were I think
restructuring and they eventually they
they said you know we want to sell the
we want to sell the course um and so
they sold the course and a collective of
uh local bedian families got together
bought the course and turned it into the
mid ocean Club um oh so what was it
called before I I think it was just mid
ocean golf course but uh I don’t uh so
it wasn’t really private no interesting
no and you know there’s still this air
of we are a members Club but like the UK
model here we have the opportunity for
people to come pay and play on Mondays
Wednesdays and Fridays so you can you
can still do that here that’s fantastic
yeah which I I love it look at this just
that is that is not a
inviting approach
easy game little left of the
pin oh I think one of the things that’s
interesting about mid ocean specifically
too is it’s like the echelon of guests
not even members yeah and this kind of
presidential lineage of I mean the the
Winston Churchill room is right over
here winon Church room Eisenhower uh
yeah we’ve got we got a few named um so
yeah it’s been it’s been a a place for
Summit meetings for a long time we had
uh Churchill Eisenhower and Joseph LEL
the uh French prime minister get
together uh and then there was a
subsequent one I think four years later
with Harold McMillan and Eisenhower and
then over over the years yeah so John
Swan former Premier here has hosted um
many uh dignitaries here and George H W
bush when he was president came down uh
and the US uh residents at the time was
in the middle of the island and um for
whatever reason it was felt that the
most appropriate way of getting him here
was on Marine One to land on the uh the
18th green so that’s certainly one way
of uh getting around the island so this
is my favorite spot on the golf course
why number one green two t box I think
it’s just an amazing view if you come up
here with a bad attitude or having a bad
day or not in a great mood this kind of
changes it all for
you describe
the golf course to someone who can’t see
it a lot of pushed up greens um so you
got to have your Arial game with you uh
and Bermuda grass you got to be able to
handle Bermuda grass particularly when
it comes to around the greens I would
just say actually commit quit yeah don’t
quit that time we just kind of stopped
at at the ground I sure did so would I
just take it there you go you got to
follow through so far but at least kind
to get that club room packed okay I
think it’s a very thick thick grass uh
and it it you know if you don’t quite if
you don’t quite get that Leading Edge
right then it’s going to grab a hold of
it real quick oh you’re you’re speaking
of this grass in comparison to the
Scottish Fescue which is concrete ex
yeah
[Music]
exactly there you go good
stuff 2024 is starting off strong there
we go the best is yet to come look at
that what about the speed though Chaka
what about the speed these are your
greens yeah but what kind of a
I played him yesterday he’s the one that
you chose the speed you’re you’re the
only person responsible for mother a
little further right than that mother
nature chooses the speed that’s good
well you’re and her family
did oh here you go he’s just doing that
to lur us into a false sense of security
yeah but uh you guys are away this is
like my worst
nightmare all right oh Paul let’s take a
four it’s not bad done we had a chipping
lesson so this is also for a four
but there we go Bingo good half the
wooden the wooden flag stick is always a
sign Classic golf course yeah you’re in
a classic Place yeah yeah the decision
to come to Bermuda is that like an easy
one or what is that like I had a I had a
friend who was already working out here
and he said hey you know you want to
come do some auditing for a couple of
years I said sure where’s Bermuda so
first Port call was to look at it on the
map uh and think okay yep that truly is
nowhere near the rest of the Caribbean
um and uh then did a bit more research
had a couple of telephone interviews
with my future employers and they didn’t
see through me just then so they they
took me on and and and and came out for
for for a two-year contract and 11 years
later I’m I’m still here so yeah great
place to be another you know cool thing
about this golf course is it crosses
over a public road yeah on four on I
mean 12 you’re on a public road on 13 it
crosses over 14 it crosses over 15 it
crosses over 16 it crosses over okay so
there’s a lot of car
interaction yes get in the hole
[Music]
oh talking to her not
you as it turns out kenton’s actually
been following our travels and has
agreed to the challenge but we still
need a club member to join us in the
match have you played the uh what about
the Friendship cup the friend I I
haven’t played in that one but we are
going to have a match tomorrow we are
going to have a match tomorrow so maybe
that can be all friendship
cup and just like that the match is set
so I so I believe it’s me and Sherlock
playing against you and K I believe so
yeah so he’ll he’ll show me where all
the bad blades of grass are that I
shouldn’t be chipping off and then uh
we’ll uh we’ll hopefully take you guys
to uh to T
[Music]
so there is a story of Babe Ruth stood
on this tea box what did they say like
12 times 11 or 12 times really hopefully
we’re not here that
long get him out the way now not to
worry we need to go to the range
Sherlock just sort some things out
yeah we used to think that golf was a
game for stuffy old dudes with Argyle
pants
or that golf courses were just a great
place to make out but over the years we
found that golf is actually an adventure
whether you play in your backyard or
thousands of miles
away so when we set out to make a club
we didn’t look around at what everyone
else was doing we made it for us for
everyone join random golf club for
events tournaments and Golf Course
benefits in your area
[Music]
from our first moments with Lloyd to
quinton’s Clubhouse full of photographs
to the infamous greens of mid ocean it’s
become clear to me just how special
Bermuda truly is putting the beauty in
the golf aside there is an air of
familiarity here maybe it’s because the
island is only 21 square miles
but it feels as if we are all neighbors
or perhaps Shipwrecked passengers making
the most of a waylay
voyage on our first day Lloyd told us
about rock fever it’s the sensation one
gets from living in an isolated
Community far away from a larger
civilization it can be easy to feel
alone but even over just the past few
days I’ve rarely felt so
connected sure it’s easy to point out
the differences in our match today
private be public presidents and
helicopters versus local caddies
stealing rounds on do soaked greens but
right now we’re for golfers chasing
after four golf balls playing a game
that we love together so this is the
final
green unless we’re going to tie which
you know we’re dormy here Quinton and
I but we’re both lion two and David and
Kenton are lion
three so
seems like the Friendship Cup’s going to
end up all square with everyone still
friends which is the goal as we finish
up our time here playing a match named
after the tournament that brings people
together no matter their race Creed or
class maybe what makes Bermuda so
special can be summed up in one word
friendship this is for the win this is
for the win so it all comes down to one
putt for Mr David Woodcock is it go
you know we we don’t want to beat you
guys up too B thank you very
much play buy was excellent enjoy thanks
Ken thank you so
much good stuff man he said it was going
to be out confidence that’s it when did
you know the match was yours today well
pretty much from the start we TR to give
these guys a you know head lead
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