Destination photograph: hillside golf at Rose Hall above Montego Bay, labelled on Commons only as a Rose Hall course; not a confirmed view of the course.
White Witch is the Rose Hall course that turns its back on the beach and climbs. Robert von Hagge and Rick Baril routed it across the steep, wooded country above the Montego Bay coast, and it opened in 2000 as the golf course of what was then the Ritz-Carlton. The name comes from Annee Palmer, the plantation mistress at the centre of Rose Hall’s best-known ghost story. Two things shape a visit more than anything else: the course only opens from November to April, and every group plays with caddies.
White Witch Golf Course green fees and tee times.
Tee times are booked online through the Book Now link on Rose Hall’s golf page, which runs on the Chronogolf system, or by emailing golf@rosehall.com or calling 876-953-2984. The listed rate includes the green fee, a cart and the practice range, and a 10% government tax is added on top. Rose Hall does not publish its green fees on its own site, so you see the price only once you pick a date and group size. A caddie is compulsory at White Witch, at US$20 per player plus a tip, and that is not in the booking price. You check in at the Cinnamon Hill clubhouse and are taken up to White Witch by shuttle. Caddies are required here at all times. Solo players may be paired with a group one tee time earlier or later. Groups of 12 or more can book up to a year ahead.
The round, in perspective.
Von Hagge and Baril, with Mike Smelek also credited by GolfPass, built White Witch for the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, and it opened in 2000. When Playa Hotels bought the hotel and reopened it as the Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, the course was left out of the sale, and Rose Hall (Developments) Limited now runs it alongside Cinnamon Hill. From the back tees it measures 6,758 yards to a par of 71, with a course rating of 74.0 and a slope of 139, which makes it the stiffer of the two Rose Hall tests. Three further sets of tees come in at 6,365, 5,893 and 5,397 yards. Where Cinnamon Hill runs out to the shore, White Witch stays up in the hills on rocky, steeply tumbling ground. Chronogolf’s course notes describe forced carries and say all but two fairways look out over the Caribbean, so the sea is a view rather than a hazard.
Know before you go.
Season
1 November to 30 April
Caddies
Required at all times; US$20 per player plus tip
Check-in
Cinnamon Hill clubhouse, then shuttle
Riders
US$25, only when the course is quiet
Dress
Collared shirts; no denim or sandals
Make the trip work.
Rose Hall is clear that it runs no stay-and-play packages, gives no discount to guests of any particular hotel, and does not provide transport, so treat the round as a separate booking from your room. Rental sets are on hand if you would rather not fly clubs: Nike sets at US$30, Callaway Epic at US$40, Mavrik at US$60 and Paradym at US$80. Non-playing companions can ride along for US$25 when the course is quiet, dressed to the same standard as players. Collared shirts are required, with no denim, sandals or sliders, and golf or athletic shoes on the feet. The course offers no lessons.
Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (MBJ) is west of Rose Hall along the North Coast Highway. Hilton Rose Hall, next to the check-in point at Cinnamon Hill, puts the drive at about 15 minutes for roughly seven miles. Rose Hall provides no transfers, so arrange a taxi or a hotel car to Cinnamon Hill, where the White Witch shuttle starts.
The Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, on the shore below the course where the Ritz-Carlton once stood, have been shut since Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, and Hyatt now expects them back in early 2027. Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa sits beside the Cinnamon Hill clubhouse where you check in. The Iberostar Rose Hall complex further east reopened in December 2025, and Half Moon, which reopened fully in 2026 with its own course, is just west. None of these earns a Rose Hall discount.
Make a trip of it.
Cinnamon Hill is the natural partner, sharing a clubhouse and booking system and staying open when White Witch closes for the summer. Half Moon, Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s 1960s layout, is the third course on this stretch of coast. Away from golf, Rose Hall Great House, Annee Palmer’s restored plantation house, runs guided tours, and the Cinnamon Hill Great House tour shows the home Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash kept in Jamaica.
Find your season.
Rose Hall now runs White Witch as a seasonal course: it closes every 30 April and reopens on 1 November. That lines up with Jamaica’s drier winter months and avoids most of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November. The Jamaica Pro-Am, held over 18–22 November 2026, uses White Witch alongside Cinnamon Hill and Half Moon, so expect a busier tee sheet that week.
No. Rose Hall closes White Witch on 30 April and reopens it on 1 November each year. From May to October, Cinnamon Hill, the sister course at Rose Hall, stays open and uses the same booking system and clubhouse.
Do you have to take a caddie at White Witch?
Yes. Rose Hall makes caddies compulsory at White Witch and charges US$20 per player, with a tip on top. A four-ball shares two caddies, and the fee is paid separately from the online rate, which covers the green fee, cart and range.
How much does it cost to play White Witch?
Rose Hall does not print a rate card. The live price appears in its online booking system once you choose a date and number of players, and a 10% government tax is added. For multi-round or group pricing, email golf@rosehall.com.
Who designed White Witch golf course?
Robert von Hagge and Rick Baril, with Mike Smelek also credited in some listings. It opened in 2000 for the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall and plays to a par of 71 over 6,758 yards from the back tees, with a slope of 139.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
