Fore the Ages (Golf History) Uncommon Commonwealth Puerto Rico, A Golfer's Paradise Golfing Riches Abound The beautiful Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is fast becoming a major golf destination. Being a part of the U.S.A., Puerto Rico benefits not only from its year round tropical climate, but the airline and cruise line business which brings a large volume of travelers to San Juan, the capital city. Seated in the offices of Sydney Wolf, the energetic President of the Puerto Rican Golf Association, one gets the pulse of the golf tourism business first hand...it's booming. The island offers a red carpet welcome to golfers from the mainland with 3,500 local members of the P.R.G.A. and 16 golf courses headed up by 10 world class resort complexes. The island's unique geography has given the world's leading golf course designers the opportunity to build spectacular courses along the ever present coastline. The local population, some 4 million, speak English everywhere you go, but make no mistake, you will be thrilled by the Spanish legacy evident after centuries of settlement and conquest since the second journey of Columbus in 1493. Puerto Rico - U.S.A. Many American visitors find it hard to believe the U.S.A. took this island in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. The reason may seem obscure to present generations as you are made to feel welcome to the island's varied attractions. American expertise in golf course construction, design, and resort operations have left an indelible mark on the golf tourism business. Your host professional may be from Houston, Chicago, or Palm Beach, many who have found the special charms of Puerto Rico too attractive to leave. Golf in Paradise The Ocean Course at Westin's Rio Mar Resort. While watching 5-foot iguanas baking under the hot tropical sun on the fairways at the Ocean Course at Westin's Rio Mar Resort, one is reminded of the natural order of things in Puerto Rico. The butterflies seem larger, the pelicans dive with total abandon, and the scent of tropical flowers wafts on a never-ending breeze. The surreal Dali-esque visual impact is heightened by the looming rain forested mountain of El Yunque and as night falls, by the endless chirpings of the coqui (ko-kee), the tiny tree frog emblem of the island. The River Course at Rio Mar and the roller coaster elevations of El Conquistador's 18 holes are eye-stopping in their dramatic visual impact. These fabulous fairways are one-of-a-kind golfing challenges, the sweeping vistas distracting your every shot. The fascination of your daytime surroundings will only fade as the "ko-kee" chirpings grow ever more numerous, a sign that San Juan's night life is calling you. After-Golf Old San Juan's Spanish-inspired architecture, cobbled lanes, restaurants, casinos, and night life of this city of a million inhabitants awaits you. If the bossa-nova, merangué, and cha-cha are your thing, you'd better pack your dancing shoes! The late night attractions will keep you hopping till dawn &endash; just remember to push your tee-time ahead if you are serious about your handicap. The 10-year-old sipping rum and lingering fine cigar you enjoyed in the night might cost you a stroke or two in the morning. You will find yourself extolling the virtues of these paradisiacal fairways, where the tropical version of the game seems light-years from its Scottish roots on the cold, misty links of the Kingdom of Fife. With palm tree-lined plantations, beach side fairways, gin, and coconut water at the turn, your view of golf will never be the same. Come on down to Puerto Rico &endash; U.S.A.! Puerto Rico Golf Rules 1. Why play less, when you can play more? 2. Why go forward, when you can stay where you are? 3. Is it true, a hook is worse than a slice? 4. It's not the journey, it's how you go from bad to worse! 5. If you can dish it out, you have to take it! 6. Was that a "Chip-an-go" back there? (translation: I didn't see you putt out.) 7. I'm only kidding...no really! (translation: I don't feel like walking back alone.) The coqui, a tiny tree frog, is the emblem of Puerto Rico.   Trevor W. Jackson a noted golf historian, focuses on preservation of the history of the Royal and Ancient Game. As President of G.M.I., Trevor specializes in international golf real estate development, management and off-shore financial investments. He can be reached at 561-848-9052.