OLÉ: TEE OFF AT NEW GOLF CLUBS IN OLD MEXICO
Holy 6- iron, let the fiesta begin. Golfers now have 54 new reasons to head for a par-popping vacation in Mexico. Three new 18-hole championship golf courses, located at two new country clubs in a pair of sunny Mexican resorts, are the cause for celebration. (“Corona, por favor, no limón.”)
The new Vista Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta opened 18 months ago and its majestic Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course will be the site of the 2002 World Golf Championships-EMC World Cup Dec. 12-15. That means some of the best golfers in the world will be knocking back tacos and knocking down 9-irons at a course you can play right now.
The club’s second course at Vista Vallarta opened last November and was designed by golf great Tom Weiskopf, who says the site is “one of the most dramatic inland properties I’ve seen anywhere in the world.”
The third new, picture-postcard Mexican course, designed by the Nicklaus Design Group, is at the Cozumel Country Club, which opened a year ago.
The trifecta of golf courses provides a great alternative to Puerto Rico, Hawaii, or other tropical locales — and the area is known for its cultural, arts, and water attractions. In addition, these courses are joined, in Puerto Vallarta, by the existing 18-hole Marina Vallarta Club de Golf and, in Cancún, by Pok-Ta-Pok Club de Golf Cancún to provide an outstanding golf experience in Mexico.
VISTA VALLARTA
A circular, cobblestone driveway, colorful flowers, and bubbling
fountains greet golfers at the Vista Vallarta clubhouse, an attractive
whitewashed hacienda with arched doorways and contrasting red tile roof.
Spread across 700 acres (in a setting Jack Nicklaus has called “the best of
both worlds, with views of the mountains and the ocean in the distance”),
the Vista Vallarta complex offers two distinctly different golf experiences.
The Nicklaus course is located on the property’s highest elevation, offering breathtaking views of Puerto Vallarta, the Marina, and Banderas Bay. Grassy hillsides, dense forests of palm, giant ficus trees, and natural creeks provide the setting for this world-class golf layout. The Weiskopf Signature Course offers a dramatic contrast. Located on the west end of the Vista Vallarta property, the golf course is built on extreme terrain in a dense jungle, twisting through towering palms and across deep ravines and swift creeks that run to the lower elevations of the property. Weiskopf has done a masterful job of blending the changing elevations with the natural features. The holes on both courses are designed to suit every level of golfer, from amateurs to professionals.
Here’s a look at a few holes:
The Nicklaus course is a striking layout and runs from 5,251 yards to 7,057 yards, depending upon which teeing area you choose. The par-5 third hole is the number one handicap and plays between 441 yards from the forward tees and 550 yards from the tips. The tee boxes are stair-stepped down a slope that opens into an expansive fairway framed by the blue-green Sierra Madre Mountains. The second shot requires crossing a barranca that dissects the fairway. The uphill approach adds a club or two to your third shot, and the green is framed by grassy bowls that will trap errant shots. As K.C. Crandall, general manager and head golf professional of the Puerto Vallarta club, advises, “Go right for the pin.”
At the sixth green, a long undulating test at the end of the par-4, 452-yard hole, look back to see the stately mountains that peer down on your putting efforts.
Nicklaus got the par-5s done quickly on the backside. On the 10th hole, players have a choice off the tee. Long hitters can split two trees and drive over a small barranca, setting up a second shot for the green. The safer play is to strike your ball down the left to a fairway landing area and play to reach in regulation. On No. 12, some 558 yards from the elevated blue tee, a Nicklaus-like high fade will take you onto a flat landing area. The second shot requires a carry of 150-200 yards. The 18th is a nice finishing hole, downhill and dogleg-left, that takes a well-placed shot in the right center of the fairway.
The Weiskopf course is much different. The fourth hole is the number one handicap and is a par-5 just 451 yards from the blue tees. But it’s a toughie, with a tunnel-like setting of palm trees on the right and other native trees guarding the left. The hole can be a little intimidating from the tee, with a necked fairway landing area, but the key is to hit your ball down the left side with a little cut.
On the par-3 seventh hole, which plays 187 yards from the blue tee, take one club less for the downhill shot. The par-3 15th is rated the easiest on the course, but the hole is spectacular, with a huge ravine separating the tee from the two-level green. The closing 18th hole is a short par-4 (310 yards from the blue tee), so most players hit a mid-iron off the tee. Split the bunkers on the left with an iron shot and leave yourself a wedge into the green.
As for the differences in the two courses, on the Nicklaus course, the corridors are wider and the landing areas are broader. The Weiskopf design is much more narrow and pinched in. On the Weiskopf course, you feel as though you’re in the jungle and, conversely, on the Nicklaus course, you have a feeling of standing on top of a flat mountain looking down on the city and the ocean. The Weiskopf course has more canyons and more elevation changes — and the illusions are more pronounced. The greens on the Nicklaus are more dramatic, with undulations and different levels.
In addition to being the site of the future World Golf Championships event, Vista Vallarta’s championship courses already have drawn major golf tournaments to the region. The U.S. Collegiate Golf Championships are scheduled annually through 2003.
COZUMEL COUNTRY CLUB
Once known almost exclusively as a paradise for scuba divers and
snorkelers, the sleepy island of Cozumel now offers Associate members a golf
experience that features a world-class course in an exotic jungle setting
that will put a smile on the faces of the visiting golfers and the resident
crocodiles alike. But don’t argue with the crocs about honors on the tee.
Since opening last October, the Cozumel Country Club, designed by the
Nicklaus Design Group, has been a winner with both visitors and residents of
the Mexican resort.
Cozumel, with just 70,000 permanent residents, shares sweeping beaches on both the Gulf of Mexico and along the rougher waters of the Caribbean shores. Visitors will find a colorful Mayan heritage, ancient ruins, and tall tales of pirates and underwater treasures. For years, Cozumel has been known for its world-class reef diving. Now, amid spectacular inland lagoons, dense jungle vegetation, and a plethora of local flora and fauna, add an 18-hole, 6,734 yard, par-72 golf course. This setting will encourage any diver to trade in his swim fins for a set of golf clubs.
The Cozumel Country Club design incorporates the natural habitats of the island. Carved out of the jungle, a number of fairways cut through the native red, black, and white mangrove thickets that hug the natural wetlands. Orchids and bromeliad live on the water’s edge in a limestone substrata.
Just 10 minutes from the Cozumel International Airport (with 18 direct flights a week) and 15 minutes from the international cruise ship pier, the club is attracting many golfers from among the two million cruise visitors each year, says club general manager Benny Campos. Upon arriving at the club, members and guests will find a rustic, south-facing palapa style clubhouse with casual dining for breakfast and lunch and a golf shop featuring the latest in golf merchandise, as well as Nicklaus rental clubs and FootJoy rental shoes. The practice area includes a putting green, range, chipping green, and practice bunker. Head pro Luis Rangel offers lessons.
The fairways and tees are Bermuda 419 and the greens are Champion Bermuda. During the dry season (February-May), the course sprinkler system gets a workout. Palm and sapodilla trees are among the 400 plant species on the island. The first hole is a par-4 dogleg-left that plays 408 yards from the back tee. (Each hole offers four tee boxes.) Your aiming point on this starting hole is the tower just right of a fairway bunker. The fourth hole is a short par-4 (289 yards from the tips) but is tricky, with a water hazard on right side. The 11th is a pretty par-4 hole protected by water hazards off the tee and three bunkers clogging the middle of the fairway. Two of the three closing holes are particularly challenging. No. 16 is a par-5 and the number two handicap hole. The smart play is to hit an iron off the tee and then carry the mangrove that splits the middle of the fairway on your second shot. The pretty little par-3 17th provides a breather, but watch the water. A long, twisting wooden bridge carries golfers over the swampy water on the way to No. 18, where players must carry the mangrove hazard twice to reach the green.
Golfers will remember these Cozumel links as rustic and challenging but they also are likely to recall the island’s ancient Mayan name of “Cuzamil,” which means “Island of the Swallow.” Indeed, birdies await in Mexico.
Glen Putman writes about travel, food and wine,
golf, skiing, and “other good things.” His idea of a great Mexican vacation
is plump shrimp, cold beer, and a hot putter.
ASSOCIATE CLUBS IN MEXICO
Cozumel Country Club
Five miles from international cruise ship pier; extensive practice
areas; casual dining area.
www.cozumelcountryclub.com.mx
Marina Vallarta Club
de Golf
18-hole Joe Finger-designed championship golf course; clubhouse,
bar, and lounge.
www.foremexico.com/marina
Pok-Ta-Pok Club de
Golf Cancún
18-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed course; two tennis
courts; pro shop.
www.cancungolfclub.com
Vista Vallarta
Full practice facilities; clubhouse; pro shop; breakfast and
lunch daily.
www.vistavallartagolf.com
Member Golf
Privileges
For more information about Associate member golf privileges at
clubs in Mexico, call the ClubLine at 800.433.5079 (within the United
States) and 972.888.7357 (from outside the United States).
PUERTO VALLARTA
Where to stay: Westin Regina Resort and the affiliate
Marriott Casa Magna Hotel (both located at the Puerto Vallarta Marina) and
the Sheraton Buganvilias Resort & Towers, Hacienda Cora, Melia, and Velas
Vallarta Grand Suites and Convention Center.
Where to eat: The food in Puerto Vallarta is wonderful.
Downtown, try the Blue Shrimp on Morelos and the splendid Café des Artistes
that combines Aztec/French cuisine in a stunning environment. At La Palapa,
my table for dinner was right on the beach. If you tire of Mexican cuisine,
Porto Bello in Marina Vallarta is good for Italian fare.
Sightseeing: Don’t miss the wonderful naif-style paintings of
local artist Manuel Lepe in his gallery/museum at 533 Juarez (Centro). Also
on Juarez, pop into La Reja and Indigera, where you’ll find charming crafts
by the Huichol Indians.
Web sites: www.foremexico.com
www.puertovallarta.net
COZUMEL
Where to stay: Two nearby hotels have attractive golf packages
as Founder Members of Cozumel Country Club. The affiliate Playa Azul Golf &
Beach Hotel is located on a beautiful white sand beach within five minutes
of the club. The 50 rooms and suites are air-conditioned and have balconies
or terraces facing the Caribbean. Two restaurants and La Palapa Bar serve
exotic drinks and tasty Mexican cuisine. New affiliate hotel, the Paradisus
Cozumel, is on a long white sand beach just across from the club. This
all-inclusive resort offers unlimited food and beverages, as well as
entertainment nightly. The 147 rooms and suites are well appointed and
air-conditioned. Café Paraiso is an à la carte restaurant with French,
California, and Mexican selections.
Presidente Inter-Continental Cozumel, a new affiliate hotel, is a 253-room
AAA Four-Diamond luxury hotel, offering contemporary, marble-floored guest
rooms, as well as suites with private terraces overlooking the ocean.
Where to eat: In town, Poncho’s Backyard is good for dinner
and Los Cinco Soles next door stocks more than 100 tequilas. At lunch, try
La Choza for shrimp Veracruz. For live jazz, duck into Babalu III on A.
Rosado Salas.
Sightseeing: The small, but orderly historical museum (Del
Museo) on the main street is worth a visit. Other recommended visits include
Punta Morena, a favorite surfing destination on the Caribbean side of the
island, and Chankanaab National Park, where you can swim with the dolphins.
Web site: www.cozumelcountryclub.com.mx
WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS-EMC WORLD CUP
Date and Place: Dec. 12-15 on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf
Course at Vista Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
History: The World Golf Championships-EMC World Cup has visited 14
countries and crowned a distinguished list of champions. In 2001, the EMC
World Cup was played at Taiheiyo Club in Shizuoka, Japan, where Tiger Woods
and David Duval of the United States attempted to defend their title. After
regulation play was completed, the United States, Denmark, South Africa, and
New Zealand were tied. A two-hole playoff determined the South African team
of Ernie Els and Retief Goosen the winners.
The field: Players will qualify for the 2002 EMC World Cup by
virtue of their standings in the Official World Golf Ranking. As the host
country, the Mexican team is exempt from qualifying.
Accommodations: Special room rates for Associate members are being
offered by the Westin Regina Resort, the affiliate Marriott Casa Magna
Hotel, Quinta Real Hotel, Sheraton Buganvilias Resort & Towers, Velas
Vallarta Grand Suites Resort and Convention Center, NH Krystal Village
Hotel, Holiday Inn, and Fiesta Americana.
Packages: Ticket and hospitality packages, including hotel and
transportation, are available. For details, call 866.809.3127 (from the
United States and Canada) or 01.800.EMC.2002 (in Mexico).
Tickets: Tickets for the week of the EMC World Cup (Tuesday to
Sunday) are available for $184 (including tax). Associate members who
purchase tickets with an American Express card will receive a 10 percent
discount (excluding tax). For tickets, call 866.809.3127 (from the United
States and Canada) or 01.800.EMC.2002 (in Mexico).
Web sites: www.rsapvr.com/worldcup/
www.worldchampionships.com
.