Wish to be like a PGA Tour professional in paradise? Jamaica Professional-Am is for you

You don’t have to fret a few factor when taking part in within the Annie’s Revenge Jamaica Professional-Am. As a result of each little factor — from lodging to eating to the event itself — is best than alright, it’s unbelievable.

Given that you simply play three spectacular programs simply east of Montego Bay, at Cinnamon Hill, Half Moon, and White Witch, you’re feeling like a PGA Tour professional taking part in in paradise — not not like what the highest gamers on this planet expertise each January at The Sentry in Maui. The views of the Atlantic Ocean are gorgeous, whereas the routing of the holes via the Jamaican foothills is spectacular. The extreme slopes and undulations make it seem to be you’re taking part in Kapalua too.

That mentioned, the place you keep and dine might even high the golf. Gamers lodge on the Iberostar Jamaica, a beautiful beachside property situated simply a few miles down the highway from the three host programs. All-inclusive breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and drinks are included too. Not many issues are higher than sipping a Caribbean cocktail whereas watching the waves gently crash at your toes. Consuming seafood on the seaside feels fairly good too.

However guess what even tops that?

The caddies at Annie’s Revenge.

Extra so than the rest, Jamaican golf prides itself on the general caddy expertise. You need to have caddies accompany you, however you wouldn’t need it every other approach. Two caddies, every carrying white jumpers like those you see at Augusta Nationwide, work for every group. All of them present great perception, data, and recommendation about find out how to play a sure shot or find out how to learn a specific putt. You’ll be taught many issues about Jamaican tradition too, corresponding to phrases, sayings, and customs. Prepare to listen to a variety of, “YA MAN!” particularly after you roll in a birdie putt. The caddies are additionally your private cheerleaders, serving as your hypeman, simply as Ted Scott is to Scottie Scheffler. Higher but, they’re all the time smiling and pleased to accompany you in your journey. They love their job, they usually love assembly you, too. And possibly in case you are fortunate, you will see them sing:

As for the event itself, it’s not like the PGA Tour although you’re feeling like a professional whenever you play in it. Annie’s Revenge is 54 holes and incorporates a distinctive format. Every participant is a part of a four-man crew that features one PGA of America skilled and three novice gamers. The three amateurs should have an official and bonafide USGA Handicap Index to take part. That’s as a result of two scores are counted after every gap performed: the bottom gross rating and the bottom web rating. This enables all gamers of any ability stage to compete whereas making it an inclusive expertise for all. An 18-handicapper could make a 5 on a par-5, however that rapidly turns to a web birdie because of that participant receiving a stroke. It helps to have a stability of low handicappers and excessive handicappers because of this alone. Getting strokes is essential to the competitors.

After the primary 36 holes, which embrace one spherical at Cinnamon Hill and one spherical at White Witch, event organizers divide the sphere into 4 flights: Flight A, Flight B, Flight C, and Flight D. The competitors then utterly resets for the ultimate 18 holes and the highest three finishers in every flight obtain unimaginable prizes courtesy of Cobra Golf, the Professional-Am’s presenting sponsor. The event additionally options closest-to-the-pin and different competitions, which produce extra winners than not.

Like several participant who makes the reduce at an expert golf event, everybody heads house with a prize. You obtain unimaginable tee presents only for displaying up, which features a new hat, sun shades, footwear, socks, and balls courtesy of Bridgestone. But, irrespective of how every crew completed, everybody leaves Jamaica with a smile far and extensive, understanding an amazing expertise was had.

However how did this terrific event come to be?

Donnie Dawson grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, within the Sixties and Seventies, across the similar time when Bob Marley rose to worldwide superstardom. Dawson, a terrific athlete as an adolescent, performed soccer in opposition to Marley quite a few occasions in and round Kingston — one thing that appeared unusual on the time however is outstanding when trying again. Like every other Jamaican rising up then, Marley’s music was the soundtrack of Dawson’s youth, and it continues to enlighten him to at the present time. Exodus is his favourite album.

However Jamaica was not a fascinating place to go to then, which Marley’s Exodus alludes to. Violence and belligerence between a number of political events left the nation in peril. Marley was caught within the crossfire at one level, surviving an assassination try earlier than recording Exodus, essentially the most well-known and standard file of his repertoire.

That’s a significant cause why this album resonates a lot with Dawson. It not solely incorporates a terrific soundtrack however helps Jamaicans establish with what they had been going via on the time. Marley’s file additionally reinforces how a lot Dawson loves his homeland. Regardless that he now resides in Southern California, Dawson nonetheless has household who reside in Kingston. He visits no less than twice a 12 months — typically extra — and each time he does so, he feels at peace. No surprise he labored for the Jamaican Tourism Board for nearly 4 a long time. He’s pleased with the place he got here from and solely needs to share it with the remainder of the world. He’s a Jamaican ambassador at coronary heart.

Fortunately, these days, Jamaica doesn’t face the hazard it as soon as did. It’s an unimaginable island with a novel tradition that embraces love, happiness, household, and religion. Fixed celebrations — or “jamming” — occur throughout, and you can see this on full show at Annie’s Revenge, the event Dawson helped create greater than 15 years in the past.

Jack Milko/SB Nation

A golfer at coronary heart, Dawson initially needed to create a celeb event for tv. He needed the “Roger Clemens of the world” as his clientele, however then he met Tom Jaronski at a Professional-Am in Puerto Rico.

After working for Golf Digest all through the Nineties, Jaronski moved to Journey + Leisure journal within the early 2000s. On the time, Jaronski needed to create vacation spot journey occasions throughout the Caribbean for novice gamers from throughout. So he and Dawson started speaking and determined to stage one thing related in Jamaica.

Annie’s Revenge was born.

Dawson then linked the Ritz-Carlton resort to the golf programs and satisfied the Jamaica Vacationer Board to subsidize the event. (Iberostar Jamaica has since change into the host resort.)

Jaronski helped promote it via his journal and different connections.

Due to his in depth expertise within the golf trade, Jaronski has additionally served because the Match Director since its inception. He provides up all of the scores, establishes the principles, and enforces truthful play. He makes the morning bulletins and texts messages to all of the gamers, reminding them of the whole lot he mentioned. In case you have a query or a problem, you handle it with Jaronski, who in some way makes himself out there to any request and any participant.

Collectively, Jaronski and Dawson do a terrific job facilitating this occasion, which can have a good time its 18th 12 months in 2025.

However the largest problem they face any longer is with mere numbers. They need extra groups, extra golfers, and extra folks to expertise what Jamaica has to supply. This previous November, Annie’s Revenge had 21 groups. They need 40 at their subsequent one.

“It is a grassroots occasion,” Dawson mentioned.

“It’s not a giant made-for-TV factor. It is a grassroots occasion the place we will get the professionals, get gamers, and we are saying, ‘Hey, let’s entertain you and present you Jamaica.’ Everybody who comes loves it, however it’s simply recruiting the amateurs to come back, getting the professionals at numerous golf equipment to deliver their amateurs.”

Discussions are being made about whether or not November is a perfect timeframe for Annie’s Revenge. Heading to the Caribbean proper earlier than Thanksgiving might show troublesome for some folks, particularly those that should journey once more for the vacations. Perhaps January would work higher, contemplating that a lot of the nation has been blanketed by Arctic air all month. That might persuade extra golfers to flock to Jamaica, particularly since Santa Claus brings many gamers golf equipment, baggage, and numerous different equipment every December. Enjoying is on the forefront of each participant’s thoughts within the new 12 months, however the issue is, the place can they play?

You possibly can actually accomplish that in Jamaica.

“In case you’re a golfer searching for an immersive expertise in Jamaica,” Jaronski mentioned.

“Annie’s Revenge is arguably your best choice.”

Certainly it’s.

Now, chances are you’ll ask your self, what’s the price of taking part in in Annie’s Revenge?

For novice gamers, it’s a shade below $4,000, which incorporates the whole lot from golf to eating to the whole lot the resort gives. It’s according to different occasions like this, and admittedly, it’s a terrific worth contemplating all that it gives. It doesn’t embrace airfare, however if you need a Caribbean escape and play in a event that makes you’re feeling like a PGA Tour professional, then Annie’s Revenge is the right possibility. You’ll not remorse it both, as you’ll have recollections that may final a lifetime.

Ya, man!

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.