5 Mexico Especials for Cinco de Mayo

May 5, 2014

Cinco de Mayo, contrary to popular belief, is not Mexican Independence Day, but rather a day of celebration of the Mexican heritage and pride. So, today we raise a tequila margarita to toast our neighbors south of the border and revel in these five beautiful GolfNow courses you can play down in Mexico.

El Cameleon de Mayakoba – Playa del Carmen

This Greg Norman-designed course is located in just south of Cancun in the heart of the Maya Riviera. Known for hosting the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, México’s only PGA TOUR event, golfers will walk off amazed at the stunning natural beauty of the course, which weaves through jungle, wetlands and alongside the Caribbean.

Although Norman’s courses tend to be by and large more difficult for avid amateurs, natural beauty wins out here. Enjoy the spectacular views and watch your step – you’ll have to walk around the cetones, or large open pits in the course, which opened up during construction to reveal rock and water below.

 

Palmilla Golf Club – San Jose del Cabo

For many Americans the phrase “Going to Cabo” means fun, sun, beach and more fun. Los Cabos had been a sleepy fishing village at the bottom of the Baja Peninsula until developers turned it into Southern California’s favorite close getaway.

Palmilla Golf Club is Jack Nicklaus’ first course design in Latin America, a 27-hole complex that ranges from the white sand beaches to a 600-foot perch overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Broken out into the Arroyo Nine, Mountain Nine and the Ocean Nine – a particularly dramatic course featuring towering cacti and 600-foot elevation change in the first six holes.

 

The Golf Club at Moon Palace – Cancun

Another Nicklaus designed course, Moon Palace is a 7,165-yard beauty nestled on the south side of one of Cancun’s sprawling resorts. Built to cater to corporate, family and pleasure travelers, Moon Palace can hold conventions yet still offer the intimacy of a secluded getaway for couples.

Enjoy the smooth Caribbean beach and true championship golf on this dynamic course accented with lush, native Mayan rainforest vegetation. Bring your precision for the No. 17 island green.

 

Flamingos Golf Club – Puerta Vallarta

This Percy Clifford design is set back off the coast and offers the golfer a very traditional Mexico golf experience amid lush tropics, mangroves and water hazards. Puerto Vallarta – “PV” to the locals – has an American feel, sharing the same latitude as Hawaii with similar weather, as well.

And there’s history – the central part of the city overlooks the small harbor and hillside apartments where its believed Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor began their life together.

 

CostaBaja Golf Club – La Paz

Off the beaten path on the Gulf of California, La Paz offers a desert-like setting for your round at Gary Player’s first course in Mexico. If not for the location near the Gulf, you might think you were in the Southwestern United States, as the views are comparable to those found in the Arizona desert as rock outcroppings, cacti and white sand offer a stark contrast to the lush green fairways and greens.

For an authentic Mexican getaway, La Paz’s Costa Baja Golf Club is a hidden gem.