The Reef Golf Course & Disc Golf

The Reef Golf Course sits on the hills above Teague Bay, out on St. Croix's East End, and it is the island's third and most relaxed course: nine holes at par 35, roughly 3,000 to 3,100 yards, with fescue-lined fairways that run through low rises over the water. It is short, cheap, walkable and open to anyone. It also shares its grounds with something no other course in the region has, an 18-hole disc golf layout the property bills as the first in the Caribbean. For guests at our East End villas it is the quick round to fit between beach days.

The Reef course

The golf is nine holes, par 35, laid over a hillside that looks down on Teague Bay and the reef line offshore. The fairways are fescue-lined and roll with the ground rather than fighting it, and the greens are the part that asks something of you: they are groomed and contoured enough to hold your attention, and a few holes bring water into play. The overall yardage runs to about 3,000 to 3,100 yards for the nine, which is short by any measure and exactly why the course plays the way it does. Loop it twice and you have an eighteen-hole day at par 70.

Setting is a real part of the draw. The course sits on the dry, breezy East End, the driest quarter of the island, so the light is bright, the air moves, and the bay is in view as you play. The U.S. Virgin Islands tourism office and independent golf listings both describe it as the easternmost golf course in the United States, which fits an island that also holds the country's easternmost point at nearby Point Udall. There is a driving range for loosening up and a pro shop for checking in, renting gear and buying a cold drink before you tee off.

How the short course plays

This is a course built for enjoyment rather than survival. The modest yardage means the trouble is never length, so a beginner, a rusty vacation golfer, or a family with mixed abilities can all get around it and have a good time. The greens supply what challenge there is: groomed, rolling putting surfaces that reward a careful approach and a steady stroke, plus the odd water hazard to make you think about club selection. A steady player who keeps the ball in play will make pars; a wilder swing will still find plenty of room off the tee.

Pace is the other selling point. A nine-hole round here takes an hour and a half to two hours at a walk, which is why the course fits a vacation so well. You can be off the first tee early, done before the heat climbs, and on a beach by lunch, or you can play the last light of the afternoon and roll straight into dinner. It is a sociable, scenic round rather than a full day's undertaking. If you want the island's stern test of ball-striking, that is Carambola on the far northwest side; if you want ocean views on a resort layout, that is the Buccaneer near Christiansted. The Reef is the quick and casual one.

Green fees, twilight and the Friday scramble

Rates here are the lowest of the island's three courses, and they shift with the season, so use the figures below as a rough guide and call ahead for the current prices before you head out. This is what the shop was charging on our last look.

There has also been a summer special of around $20 for nine holes without a cart, which is about as cheap as golf gets anywhere. The twilight rate, from roughly 3 p.m. daily, is the value play if you want to golf around a beach afternoon. Every Friday the course runs a nine-hole scramble from about 3 to 5 p.m., a low-key, sociable format where teams share the best shot each turn; a visitor after a little company and a friendly go at it can call the shop and ask whether a spot is open. For anyone staying a while, the course sells single and family memberships in annual and six-month terms, though for most vacationers a walk-on round or two is all you need.

The Reef Shop, rentals and lessons

You can arrive on St. Croix with no equipment at all and still play. The Reef Shop rents clubs and carts, and it stocks the things you forget to pack: golf balls, hats, towels, sun-protective clothing, apparel and souvenirs, along with cold drinks. That is what makes the course walk-on friendly, since a guest can decide over breakfast to play nine holes and be swinging borrowed clubs an hour later. Private golf lessons are available too, booked by phone, which is a sensible first move if you have not played since last summer and would rather not spray your opening holes down the hillside.

The same shop is the counter for everything else on the property, disc golf discs and pickleball paddles included, so a single stop kits out a whole group for whichever game they choose. Call the shop at 340-773-8844 to check rates, book a cart or a lesson, and ask about the day's conditions.

Hours, access and booking

The course is public and welcomes walk-ons; tee times are appreciated but not required, which is unusual and part of the appeal. In practice a phone call ahead is still the smart move, both to confirm the shop is open and to time your round around the Friday scramble. At last check the summer schedule ran Wednesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Friday extended to 5 p.m. for the scramble, and the course closed Monday and Tuesday. Hours shift with the season and the day's staffing, so confirm by phone rather than assume.

There is no strict dress code posted, but ordinary course courtesy applies: wear something you can swing in and something that keeps the sun off, since the East End is open and bright with little shade between shots. Pack a cap, shades, sunscreen and a bigger bottle of water than a short round seems to call for. Parking is on site at Teague Bay, and the pro shop on 340-773-8844 takes bookings and handles club, cart and lesson rentals; the drive out is covered further down.

The Iguana disc golf course

The thing that sets this property apart is not the golf, it is the disc golf. The Iguana at The Reef is an 18-hole disc golf course, the kind where you throw flying discs at chain-draped metal baskets instead of hitting a ball toward a hole. The property bills it as the first disc golf course in the Caribbean, and lists it as the only 18-hole one in the region; treat those as the course's own claims rather than an independent ranking, but the layout is real and it is unusual for the islands. It runs across the same breezy hillside as the golf, so you play with panoramic views of the Caribbean and out toward Buck Island as you work down the course.

You can play it as a full 18 or a quick nine, and it is set up to suit everyone. Beginners and kids can get around it and have fun, while a stronger thrower who owns a range of shots will find it a genuine test, since the elevation changes and the East End wind push and pull a disc in ways a flat mainland course does not. You do not need your own discs; the Reef Shop rents and sells them, so a family can turn up empty-handed and start a round. The disc course has been listed with wider daily hours than the staffed golf shop, roughly 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on most days, but since check-in and disc rental go through the shop, call ahead at 340-773-8844 to be sure someone is there when you arrive.

How disc golf works

If you have never played, the game is simple to pick up. You throw a disc from a tee area toward a target, a raised metal basket ringed with hanging chains that catch the disc and drop it in. Each throw counts as a stroke, you play from wherever the disc lands, and the lowest number of throws wins the hole, exactly as in ball golf. Serious players carry a small bag of discs, drivers for distance, mid-range discs for control, and putters for the short throws, but a beginner can play a whole round with a single all-purpose disc from the rental counter.

The appeal for a vacation is that it is cheap, quick and forgiving. There is no swing to groom and no lessons required to start, the walking is gentle exercise between throws, and a mixed group of adults and children can all play the same course at the same time. On the Reef's hillside the wind and the slopes add just enough difficulty to keep it interesting for anyone who wants to take it seriously, while the views over Teague Bay make even a scattered round worth the walk.

Pickleball and tennis at the Reef

The property has grown into a small casual-sports complex, and racquet games are now part of it. There is a set of pickleball courts, five at last count with one lit for evening play, alongside a tennis court, and the counts have crept up over the years as courts were added, so different listings quote different numbers. Court rental ran about $10 at last check, and the Reef Shop rents paddles, so once again a group can turn up with nothing and start a game. Pickleball in particular suits the same crowd the golf and disc course do: easy to learn, sociable, and light enough for a mixed-age family to enjoy together. Between the short course, the disc layout and the courts, one hillside gives everyone in a group a game to play, which is the whole idea of the place.

Mini-golf and putting

Guests sometimes ask about miniature golf, the windmills-and-carpet kind, and the plain answer is that St. Croix does not appear to have an established mini-golf attraction we can point you to. Web searches for it mostly return the unrelated town of St. Croix Falls in Wisconsin, not the island, and no reliable island source lists a standing course. If that is a gap, the Reef fills the same casual, family-golf niche a different way: a nine-hole short course anyone can walk, an 18-hole disc course that plays like an outdoor version of the same idea, and pickleball courts a few steps away. For a family after a low-stakes hour of something golf-shaped, this hillside is the closest thing the island offers.

The casual golfer's St. Croix

The Reef is the clearest expression of a wider truth about golf on this island: you can play it lightly. You do not need to travel with clubs, since the Reef Shop and the other two courses all rent sets, so a bag is one less thing to check at the airport. You do not need to plan around a tee sheet here either, because walk-ons are welcome and a round is a phone call, not a reservation booked weeks out. And you do not need to give up a whole day, because nine holes or a twilight round takes a couple of hours at most, which leaves the rest of the day for the water.

That rhythm is what suits a villa vacation. Play a quick nine while the morning is cool, or a twilight round after a beach afternoon, then walk over for a few holes of disc golf or a game of pickleball with the rest of the group. Golf on St. Croix works best as one part of a day rather than the point of the trip, and the Reef is built for precisely that. A serious golfer will still want the bigger courses; a casual one, or a family, will find everything they need on this one hillside.

Where the Reef fits among the island's courses

The Reef is one of three courses on St. Croix, and it is the outlier: the short, cheap, casual one, and the closest of the three to the East End villas. The other two are full eighteen-hole rounds, one at each end of the island. Carambola, up its green valley in the northwest, is the island's championship course, the round a keen golfer plans a whole morning around. The Buccaneer, on the resort grounds a little east of Christiansted, is the seaside eighteen, ocean in view on most holes. What the Reef has over both is ease: turn up, pay little, play nine and go.

Geography keeps the planning simple. The Reef and the Buccaneer sit a short drive apart on the east side, so they slot into one golf day or two gentle mornings, while Carambola is a longer run to the northwest that earns a morning of its own. If you want the three lined up in a single table to plan the order, our Buccaneer guide sets them side by side.

The Reef at a glance

The headline facts, useful for planning. Treat rates and hours as last-check figures and confirm them by phone.

The one number worth remembering is the shape of the place: a short, cheap nine with an 18-hole disc course and racquet courts attached, all on one East End hillside over the bay.

Eating at the Reef and nearby

You do not have to go far to eat. Beside the course, Ollie's at The Reef is a cafe, deli and small convenience store serving breakfast and lunch, useful for a coffee before a round, a sandwich after, or basics when the villa runs low; the full write-up is in our East End restaurants guide. The Reef Shop itself keeps cold drinks for the turn.

Down on the sand at Teague Bay, directly below the golf and disc hillside, sits Duggan's Reef, the East End's beachfront seafood institution, family-owned since 1983, with dinner Monday to Saturday and reservations required at last check. That position, the course above and the restaurant on the water below, makes a twilight nine followed by dinner a clean East End evening. We describe Duggan's in full, along with the rest of the quarter's tables, in the East End restaurants guide.

An East End golf-and-beach day

The best thing about the Reef for a villa guest is what surrounds it. Wrap up a morning round or a disc game and the rest of the day is yours, with the East End's beaches only minutes away. Teague Bay itself lies right below the course, a long beach protected by a barrier reef with shallow, easy snorkeling and windsurfing off the sand. A short drive west, Chenay Bay is the shallow, protected family beach, and The Shoys is the calm crescent through the Estate Shoys gate by the Buccaneer. East toward the point, Cramer's Park is the local family park beach, and the hike-in Jack's and Isaac's Bays sit inside a nature preserve just before Point Udall.

Flip the order to suit the day. Beach in the morning, then a twilight round while the light goes; or a sunrise at Point Udall first, then golf when the shop opens. Our East End guide pulls the whole quarter into one plan, and the beaches near Christiansted guide maps the swimming close to the first tee.

Getting to the Reef

The course sits at Teague Bay on the East End Road, Route 82, roughly twenty to twenty-five minutes east of Christiansted and about half an hour from the island's airport, Henry E. Rohlsen, over on the south coast. A couple of things catch first-timers off guard. There is no ride-share on St. Croix, no Uber and no Lyft, so you either drive yourself or book a taxi in advance, and the island still drives on the left, a holdover from its Danish and British centuries, in ordinary left-hand-drive cars. A rental car is the easy answer, all the more if you want to tie the Reef to the Buccaneer on this side of the island or make the longer haul to Carambola. Our getting to St. Croix and renting a car guides lay out the drive.

Time your round to the weather and the heat. The East End is the island's dry quarter, so shade is scarce and the sun is strong; an early tee time or the twilight rate keeps you out of the worst of the midday heat, and the sea breeze helps the rest of the time. Summer runs hotter and quieter, winter cooler and busier; for the month-by-month picture, our weather and when to visit guide sets out the seasons behind a golf trip.

Questions guests ask

Is the Reef nine holes or eighteen?

The golf course is nine holes at par 35, running to about 3,000 to 3,100 yards. If you want a full eighteen, you play the nine twice for a par-70 round, and the green-fee sheet prices an eighteen-hole rate for exactly that. Separately, the disc golf course on the same grounds, The Iguana, is an 18-hole layout you can play as a full eighteen or a quick nine. So between ball golf looped twice and the disc course, there is plenty to fill a longer visit; most casual players are happy with a single nine and a walk over to throw some discs.

What does nine holes cost?

Nine holes ran $30 walking and $40 with a cart the last time we checked, eighteen $40 and $60, and a twilight round from about 3 p.m. $20 or $30 with a cart, plus a summer special near $20 for nine on foot. That keeps it the cheapest of the island's three courses. Prices move with the season, so treat these as a snapshot and check the day's sheet with the shop on 340-773-8844 before you book. Club and cart hire, disc rental and pickleball paddles are priced separately at the Reef Shop.

Do I need to book a tee time?

No. Walk-ons are welcome and tee times are appreciated rather than required, which is part of what makes the Reef so easy to fit into a vacation. That said, a phone call ahead is still worth it, both to confirm the shop is open on the day and to time your round around the Friday afternoon scramble. Hours shift with the season and staffing; at last check the golf shop ran Wednesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Friday extended to 5, and closed Monday and Tuesday. Call 340-773-8844 to be sure.

What is the disc golf course like?

The Iguana is an 18-hole disc golf course, which the property bills as the first in the Caribbean. You throw flying discs at chain baskets instead of hitting a ball, counting each throw like a golf stroke. It runs across the same breezy hillside as the golf, so you play with wide views over the Caribbean toward Buck Island, and the wind and slopes add real challenge for a strong thrower while staying friendly for a beginner or a child. You can play a full eighteen or a quick nine, and the Reef Shop rents and sells discs, so you can turn up with nothing.

Can I rent clubs and discs?

Yes, and it is one of the best things about the place. The Reef Shop rents golf clubs and carts, rents and sells discs for the disc course, and rents pickleball paddles for the courts, so a whole group can arrive with no equipment and still play any of the three games. The shop also stocks balls, hats, towels, sun-protective clothing and cold drinks. Private golf lessons are available by phone if you want to knock the rust off before a round. Confirm rental rates when you call 340-773-8844.

Should I play the Reef, the Buccaneer or Carambola?

It comes down to the round you want. The Reef is the quick, cheap, casual pick, closest to the East End villas and the kindest to beginners, families and anyone slotting nine holes between beach days. The Buccaneer near Christiansted is the scenic resort eighteen, with the sea in sight on most holes. Carambola in the northwest is the island's championship layout, longer and greener, the one a keen player crosses the island to take on. Have several days and you can fit all three in; want a single easy morning, and the Reef is the obvious call.

Is it good for kids and beginners?

It is one of the friendliest places to play on the island. The golf course is short and forgiving, so a beginner or a child is never overmatched by length, and the disc golf course plays like an approachable outdoor game that anyone can start with a single rented disc. Add the pickleball courts, which are easy to pick up and light on the body, and one hillside keeps a mixed-age group busy for an afternoon. Rentals for all three games mean nobody has to travel with equipment, and the low rates keep a family outing cheap.

Villas near the Reef

The Reef sits in the middle of our East End cluster, so a round or a disc game is a short drive from the homes we manage on that end of the island. The Cerulean and the Buck Island Overlook both face Buck Island from the East End side, the same water you see from the disc course, and Moko Vista and Dragonfly sit out this way too. Closer to town and the Buccaneer, Shoy's Beach House puts you on The Shoys beach. Browse the full East End collection, or scan every property on our villas page and pick the one that leaves the first tee a short drive from the front door.