You don’t have to fret a few factor when enjoying within the Annie’s Revenge Jamaica Professional-Am. As a result of each little factor — from lodging to eating to the event itself — is healthier than alright, it’s unbelievable.
Given that you just 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 enjoying in paradise — not in contrast to what the highest gamers on the earth expertise each January at The Sentry in Maui. The views of the Atlantic Ocean are beautiful, whereas the routing of the holes by the Jamaican foothills is spectacular. The extreme slopes and undulations make it seem to be you’re enjoying Kapalua too.
That mentioned, the place you keep and dine might even prime the golf. Gamers lodge on the Iberostar Jamaica, a beautiful beachside property positioned 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 seashore 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 will need to have caddies accompany you, however you wouldn’t need it another means. Two caddies, every sporting white jumpers like those you see at Augusta Nationwide, work for every group. All of them present great perception, data, and recommendation about the right way to play a sure shot or the right way to learn a selected putt. You’ll be taught many issues about Jamaican tradition too, similar to phrases, sayings, and customs. Prepare to listen to a number 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 blissful 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 in contrast to the PGA Tour though you’re feeling like a professional while 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 will need to have an official and legit 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 internet rating. This enables all gamers of any talent 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 internet birdie due to that participant receiving a stroke. It helps to have a steadiness of low handicappers and excessive handicappers for that reason 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 sector 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 unbelievable 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 every participant who makes the reduce at an expert golf event, everybody heads residence with a prize. You obtain unbelievable tee items only for displaying up, which features a new hat, sun shades, footwear, socks, and balls courtesy of Bridgestone. But, regardless of how every crew completed, everybody leaves Jamaica with a smile far and huge, understanding an amazing expertise was had.
However how did this terrific event come to be?
Donnie Dawson grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, within the Nineteen Sixties and Nineteen Seventies, across the similar time when Bob Marley rose to worldwide superstardom. Dawson, a terrific athlete as an adolescent, performed soccer towards Marley quite a few instances in and round Kingston — one thing that appeared peculiar on the time however is outstanding when wanting again. Like another Jamaican rising up then, Marley’s music was the soundtrack of Dawson’s youth, and it continues to enlighten him to today. 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 common file of his repertoire.
That’s a serious purpose why this album resonates a lot with Dawson. It not solely incorporates a terrific soundtrack however helps Jamaicans determine with what they have been going by on the time. Marley’s file additionally reinforces how a lot Dawson loves his homeland. Though he now resides in Southern California, Dawson nonetheless has household who reside in Kingston. He visits no less than twice a yr — typically extra — and each time he does so, he feels at peace. No surprise he labored for the Jamaican Tourism Board for nearly 4 many years. 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 unbelievable island with a singular tradition that embraces love, happiness, household, and religion. Fixed celebrations — or “jamming” — occur throughout, and you might see this on full show at Annie’s Revenge, the event Dawson helped create greater than 15 years in the past.
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A golfer at coronary heart, Dawson initially wished to create a celeb event for tv. He wished 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 Nineteen Nineties, Jaronski moved to Journey + Leisure journal within the early 2000s. On the time, Jaronski wished 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 related the Ritz-Carlton lodge 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 by his journal and different connections.
Due to his intensive expertise within the golf business, Jaronski has additionally served because the Event Director since its inception. He provides up all of the scores, establishes the principles, and enforces honest play. He makes the morning bulletins and texts messages to all of the gamers, reminding them of every part he mentioned. In case you have a query or a difficulty, you deal with it with Jaronski, who one way or the other 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 yr in 2025.
However the greatest challenge they face any further is with mere numbers. They need extra groups, extra golfers, and extra individuals 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 are able to 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 varied golf equipment to carry their amateurs.”
Discussions are being made about whether or not November is a perfect time-frame for Annie’s Revenge. Heading to the Caribbean proper earlier than Thanksgiving might show tough for some individuals, particularly those that should journey once more for the vacations. Possibly January would work higher, contemplating that many 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 yr, however the issue is, the place can they play?
You may definitely accomplish that in Jamaica.
“If you happen to’re a golfer in search of an immersive expertise in Jamaica,” Jaronski mentioned.
“Annie’s Revenge is arguably your only option.”
Certainly it’s.
Now, chances are you’ll ask your self, what’s the price of enjoying in Annie’s Revenge?
For novice gamers, it’s a shade beneath $4,000, which incorporates every part from golf to eating to every part the resort provides. It’s in keeping with different occasions like this, and admittedly, it’s a terrific worth contemplating all that it provides. It doesn’t embrace airfare, however in order for you a Caribbean escape and play in a event that makes you’re feeling like a PGA Tour professional, then Annie’s Revenge is the proper choice. You’ll not remorse it both, as you should have recollections that can final a lifetime.
Ya, man!
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying Via. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.
