Jamaica Golf Courses - Half Moon Resort Villas

The Cinnamon Hill Golf Course (formerly Three Palms), is very much a contrast to the nearby White Witch course. With several holes running directly along the sea, it is less hilly and more open, with the cooling trade winds putting a premium on club selection.

The layout moves from an open, windswept front nine into the lower elevations of the Blue Mountains on the back nine, where dense foliage traps the fairways of the incoming holes.

Hole-names are both interesting and intimidating, and certainly memorable - such as 'Big Bamboo' - no 1, 'Dead and Gone' - no 4, 'Caribbean Ghost' - no 5 and 'Majestic Blue' - no 7.

The course has been built on what once was a 400-acre sugar plantation, with remnants of the area's history, in the form of aqueducts, gravestones, and ruins of historic homes.

At the second hole, the first of these landmarks, the former house of Annie Palmer (The White Witch of Rose Hall), sits on the hill that forms a backdrop for the short hole. Few golf resorts in the world boast such a spectacular setting, and few architects have been able to accomplish such an excellent routing to take full advantage of the land. An exceptional caddie program only enhances the overall experience.

The great undulating greens of the Half Moon Course, challenging drives and breathtaking vistas are all typical of a Trent Jones Sr design.

Recently renovated by architect Roger Rulewich, protégé to Jones, the course features newly aligned, multiple tee complexes as well as repositioned fairway and greenside bunkers.

The greens demand special attention: while they are very playable, their shape and contour often force the better golfer to work the ball to get their approaches close to tucked pins, while leaving an opening for the novice player to run the ball in.

That was one of Jones’ greatest talents – designing a course balanced enough to challenge the best in the world, yet playable for resort golfers.

The White Witch Golf Course is carved out of 600 acres of lush greenery and rugged hills with panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea. The course is the centrepiece of the Ritz Carlton Rose Hall Resort, situated around the mountains of Jamaica's historic Rose Hall Plantation.

White Witch is considered one of the finest golf courses in the Caribbean and is named after the 19th century beauty, Annee Palmer, who owned the sugar plantation on which it stands.

The course is conveniently located just 10 minutes from the Ritz Carlton.