The Blue Tip is named after the Great White, and if that's a little confusing, the golf course itself is not.
"The golf course is pretty straightforward, there aren't too many tricks to it," said Assistant Professional Adam Beange. "You can see what you've got to do. You can see around the doglegs and where the pin is."
The Blue Tip is a private course designed by Greg Norman, aka the Great White Shark, available only to guests of the Ritz-Carlton here on sunny Grand Cayman, an increasingly popular tourist destination in the eastern Caribbean, north of Jamaica, south of Cuba and east of Eden.
Since it's private, the course is untrammeled by the tourist hordes that pour out of the cruise ships that call on the island. You can scarcely find a ball mark on the pristine greens, and the course has the superb conditioning and excellent, little flourishes the Ritz-Carlton is known for.
The course only averages around 15-20 rounds a day, unless a large group takes up residence, so it's easy for the Blue Tip to keep its shine. The ultra-green paspalum grass is a beautiful contrast to the blue sky and white-sand bunkers, all framed artistically by swaying coconut palms.
The only problem: It's a nine-hole course. It is a superb nine-hole course, but a nine-hole course just the same. There is talk, officials say, of adding another nine, which would go a long way toward making this a more legitimate golf destination.
Still, nine-hole courses have a certain attraction. If the holes are memorable, you can look forward to playing them again. The Blue Tip is such a course.
Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman
Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, was designed by Greg Norman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, is a nine-hole course.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
Wind is usually a factor at the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, has superb conditioning.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
Watch out for the water at Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton: #5
A view of No. 5 at the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman: the first three holes are the toughest.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Bunker at Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
Watch out for the bunkers at the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, is available only to guests of the Ritz-Carlton.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
A view of the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
A view of the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
You'll need your driver at the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
A view of the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
A view of No. 7 at the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
A view of the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
You'll encounter some wildlife at the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
A natural canal winds through the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
A view of the canal at the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
A view of No. 9 at the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com
Blue Tip at the Ritz-Carlton
The No. 9 at the Blue Tip Golf Course at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, is an island hole.
Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com