Mexico’s Mix
Varied terrain makes for some outstanding golf in Mexico
With a collection of oceanside desert courses designed by the best architects in the game, Mexico is full of tough choices for golfers. Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, or Cancún? Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones Jr., or Greg Norman? Here, wide green fairways cross dusty arroyos, sweep past stately cactuses, and often play down to the edge of the ocean — or across crashing surf. We can’t help you navigate the fairways, but we can help you find the best ones. Here are nine great courses below the border.
You Don’t Know Jack
When visiting southern Baja to fish, John Wayne loved staying at the One & Only Palmilla hotel in Los Cabos. Today, golfers playing the 27 long holes of the resort’s Palmilla Golf Club (pictured above) may find themselves fishing for golf balls. The Jack Nicklaus layout yields daunting carries and stunning views of the Sea of Cortez. oneandonlyresorts.com
Dos Cabos
The Nicklaus-designed Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol in Los Cabos presents a natural track with a links feel, despite desert, mountains, and cactuses. Golf Magazine ranks this rugged beauty among the 100 best courses in the world. Meanwhile, Tom Weiskopf’s Desert Course, an inland layout featuring desert foliage, elevation changes, dramatic bunkering, and wide fairways, is a perfect complement. cabodelsol.com
Get Real
Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s muscular Cabo Real Golf Club has hosted two Senior Slams. The first six holes climb through Sonoran topography at the foot of rugged mountains. Free-form bunkers and small, elevated greens combine with fairways rolling across ridge tops to provide an expansive feel at this Los Cabos gem. The back nine is kinder and gentler, with wide fairways playing back down to the sea at the 14th hole. caboreal.com
The 19th Hole
Forty-five minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, Punta Mita (at right) pairs a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course with a luxe Four Seasons resort. The course features an optional extra hole called the Tail of the Whale. It’s a small, rocky island with a green that is accessible only at low tide — and not in golf shoes. fourseasons.com/puntamita
High-Low
Nicklaus took the high road with his layout at Vista Vallarta Golf Club, outside Puerto Vallarta. The course routes over grassy hillsides, through forests of palm and ficus, and across arroyos. It yields lovely views of the colonial city and Banderas Bay. On the other hand, Tom Weiskopf took the low road — his venue plays through dense jungles, beside deep ravines, and along swift creeks, but the drivable par-four 18th is a highlight. vistavallartagolf.com
Preserving Good Shots
Halfway between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo and nestled in a 2,000-acre nature preserve, El Tamarindo Resort is home to an oceanside course designed by David Fleming. It emerges from thick jungle to play along the water, with views of the coastline framed by Mojote and Cuba palms. This Yellowstone Club World property also sports two miles of private beach with oceanside spa huts to unwind in after the golf has wound you up. ycwtamarindo.com
Princess and the Tee
Twenty minutes from hopping downtown Acapulco, two golf courses at the Acapulco Princess are fit for royalty and ready for play. Ted Robinson’s Princess Course boasts narrow fairways lined with coconut palms, and 12 water holes. The adjacent Marques Course was renovated by Robert Trent Jones Sr. to host the 1982 World Cup. fairmont.com/acapulco
Blending In
Greg Norman’s new El Camaleon Golf Course at the stunning Mayakoba Resort recently hosted the first official PGA Tour event ever held in Mexico. Located near Cancún, the course winds through three distinct topographies: tropical jungle, dense mangroves, and oceanfront dunes. Limestone canals separate many of the holes — and many of the holes separate golfers from their balls. fairmont.com/mayakoba
Shell Game
Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s Estrella del Mar, one of only a handful of golf courses in Mazatlán, offers an elegant, palm-fringed parkland course associated with a quiet resort. There’s even a turtle preserve on property, perhaps to inspire guests to slow down. estrelladelmar.com
Jeff Wallach has written for Sports Illustrated and Golf Magazine.
Getting There: All destinations covered in "The Front Nine" can be reached by flying Continental Airlines. To book your vacation, contact Continental Airlines Vacations at covacations.com.
