Bermuda a 'secret' winter golf destination

My first 24 hours on Bermuda have been filled with delightful discoveries.

I am sitting in my glorious room at Tucker’s Point, an 88-room Rosewood hotel that opened in 2009. The window’s open, letting in the fresh ocean breezes.

Bermuda doesn’t boast the steamy days like Caribbean destinations in winter, but snowbirds from the Midwest, Canada and East Coast shouldn’t care. The climate is still picture-perfect for golf, hovering between 65 and 70 degrees.

It rained heavily for about 20 minutes this morning before the skies cleared for my round at Tucker’s Point, a hilly resort track dating to the 1930s (see photo above). It was the perfect warm-up to tomorrow’s round at the Mid-Ocean Club, a C.B. Macdonald classic regarded as one of the best island offerings in the world.

Off the golf course, I’ve already destroyed two bowls of fish chowder, an island favorite, and another couple glasses of the “dark-n-stormy,” the island drink of choice, a mix of Gosling’s rum and ginger beer.

Thankfully, the weather here is nothing like the drink. Islanders are eager to let their little secret out. Golf in Bermuda is just as good as any other island destination at this time of year, even without the 80-degree temperatures. The courses are in great condition and they’re virtually empty. The exchange rate on the dollar is 1-to-1 and the customs process getting on and off the fish-hook-shaped island is a breeze.

Just like those soothing winds blowing through my room as I type.