welcome to mexico’s finest fairways

1

WELCOME TO MEXICO’S FINEST FAIRWAYS

There’s no doubt about it. Mexico has become a world-class golf destina-tion that is gaining international recognition. In 2007 the first PGA Tour event in Mexico was held at Mayakoba in the Riviera Maya. November 5 to 11, 2018 will mark the 12th year of the OHL Mayakoba Classic. The World Golf Championships tournament relocated to the Chapultepec Golf Course in Mexico City and was renamed the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, beginning in 2017.

The country has almost 200 courses designed by some of the world’s top architects, including Jack Nicklaus, Davis Love III, Tom Weiskopf and Tom Fazio. Danzante Bay, a new design by Rees Jones in Loreto, has recently been named an official TPC course. Another first: Tiger Woods’ debut de-sign, El Cardonal, opened at Diamante Cabo San Lucas in 2014. Mexican-born Lorena Ochoa, who was the world’s número uno female golfer from 2007 to 2010, is designing a course in Riviera Nayarit. Slated to open late in 2018, Costa Canuva will feature a co-design by Greg Norman and Lorena Ochoa and a luxury Fairmont hotel.

Dunes Course, Cabo San Lucas.

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Home of the

WHY MEXICO

In addition to fabulous seaside and mountain courses, golfers will experi-ence sunny weather and the happy vibes of the people who work at the various clubs and resorts. Service with a smile is genuine and professional.

Compared to prices for hotels, resorts, meals and drinks in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, Mexico is a bargain. Luxury resorts, such as One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Four Seasons and St. Regis in Punta Mita and Andaz, Fairmont, Rosewood and Banyan Tree in the Mayan Riviera will exceed your expectations for style, service, cuisine and spa facilities.

Everyone loves the après golf experiences Mexico has to offer. Tradi-tional Mexican cuisine has been declared by UNESCO as an Intangible Cul-tural Heritage of Humanity. Each region serves up its own specialties-from crispy fish tacos on the Baja Peninsula to cochinita pibil (spicy pork cooked in banana leaves) in the state of Quintana Roo.

Tequila is Mexico’s national spirit and there are myriad variations on the margarita…but have you tried a smoky Mescal or some of the country’s award-winning wines?

Mexican’s love to party so you’ll never be far from a fiesta or cultural cel-ebration of some sort. The country also has a rich history. Take some time to explore some of the famous Mayan ruins, or perhaps indulge in a spa treatment inspired by pre-Hispanic traditions.

Mayakoba, Riviera Maya.

1 EDITORIAL

2 WHY MEXICO

6 WELCOME LETTER

8 BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA LOS CABOS

12 PACIFIC COAST PUERTO VALLARTA & RIVIERA NAYARIT

18 CENTRAL CENTRAL MEXICO

22 MEXICAN CARIBBEAN CANCUN & RIVIERA MAYA

MANAGING DIRECTORSandra Reed

ADMINISTRATION & RESEARCHJorge Jiménez

EDITORIALAnita Draycott

TRANSLATIONSarah Muñoz

GRAPHIC DESIGNERCarlos Caso / KSO

GOLF MEXICO 2018

Is produced by Meetings Alliance LLC

in cooperation with the Mexico Tourism Board.

Effort has been made to insure the accuracy of

the contents. Neither the Mexico Tourism Board

nor the publisher will be responsible for

any errors or omissions.

MEMBERSHIP

PHOTOSCover: Estrella del Mar, Mazatlan

p.4: Palmilla Ocean, San Jose del Cabo

MEXICO AND GOLF

Dear Reader, Today more than ever, we appreciate your interest in our country. We

are very happy to share that tourism in Mexico continues to grow at a his-toric rate. By the end of 2017, more than 39 million international tourists arrived, an increase of more than 60% compared to the previous five years. According to the World Tourism Organization, Mexico is already the sixth most visited country in the world!

Outside of the USA itself, Mexico is the most popular winter-season golf destination for US golfers. We are working to promote golf tourism and to position Mexico as one of the best in the world. For this and many other reasons, we invite you to visit us and discover why Mexico is “A World of Its Own.”

Throughout the country, we have an impressive range of 160 golf courses, many of them designed by the world’s most recognized architects such as Nicklaus, Dye, Von Hagge, Weiskopf and Jones, to name a few. During past years we have hosted top level events that attract the best PGA Tour golfers such as the World Golf Championships - Mexico Championship in Mexico City and the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in the Riviera Maya, an event listed as one of the best in the tour by professionals and the public in general.

Golf tourism is a constantly growing market and in recent years, it has become one of the most important segments within the tourism industry in Mexico. The great diversity of golf courses, whether in the desert or on the seashore, boast spectacular views, great weather, developed hotel infrastructure and services and serve to make our country one of the best places in the world to practice this sport.

A golf trip to Mexico is an enriching adventure from a cultural point of view. When accompanied with our internationally recognized gastronomy, it becomes the ideal destination for sports and family trips.

We welcome you with open arms!

Hector Flores SantanaCEO

Mexico Tourism Board

GOLF MEXICO 2018 / MeetingsAlliance com 9

Hollywood stars such as Bing Crosby and John Wayne, lured by the legend-ary sport fishing, initially put Los Cabos on the tourist map in the 1950s. While fishing still draws avid anglers to what’s called “marlin alley,” Los Cabos, where the desert meets the Sea of Cortez, has become the undis-puted golf capital of Latin America.

The International Association of Golf Tourist Operators named Los Cabos “Golf Destination of the Year” in 2017. No wonder. All the public courses can be found within a 28-mile stretch of coastline from Quivira Golf Club, a few miles west of downtown Cabo San Lucas, to Puerto Los Cabos golf course, a few miles east of San José del Cabo.

Jack Nicklaus officially opened his epic gravity-defying layout, Quivira in 2014, arguably his most daring design to date. Quivira boasts more ocean-front exposure than any other course in Los Cabos. All 18 fairways feature views of the Pacific. From December to March you will likely spot whales leaping in the wild blue yonder. Quivira and many other courses in Cabos offer golfers an all-inclusive experience serving complimentary drinks and snacks at various comfort stations on the course.

Cabo del Sol, the 36-hole resort that put Los Cabos on the internation-al golf map when its majestic Ocean Course debuted in 1994 is another “must” for your bucket list. Intent on creating the “Pebble Beach of the Baja Peninsula,” Jack Nicklaus charted holes across gently sloping terrain creased by sandy arroyos and dotted with tall cacti and tawny rock forma-tions. The Ocean Course is currently ranked No. 70 on Golf Digest’s “World 100 Greatest Golf Courses” list.

Cabo del Sol’s second venue is the Desert Course, Tom Weiskopf’s first design effort in Mexico. Routed in rolling foothills, all 18 holes on this sho-tmaker’s layout offer panoramic views of the Sea of Cortes. Shoehorned into rugged desert terrain crisscrossed by canyon-like arroyos, the Desert Course presents broad fairways framed by granite rock outcrops and a dense cactus forest.

One&Only Palmilla can rightly claim to be the “Grande Dame” of Los Cabos. Palmilla, was the first Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course in Mexico and home to the Senior PGA Tour’s 1997 Senior Slam. The Ocean, Desert and Mountain nines are brilliantly routed layouts over ponds and around desert scrub. Following a recent $3.5-million refurbishment, Palmilla’s 27-hole complex is better now than ever.

BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA

LOS CABOSFor the last two decades, the economy of Los Cabos-San Jose del Cabo, the 20-mile —long (32 km) Corridor, and Cabo San Lucas—has been anchored in tourism and related activities: sun and sand, sport-fishing, golf, gastronomy, and eco-tourism. Small wonder, given its jaw-dropping natural beauty, stunning sunsets, and top-notch infrastructure.

Palmilla Arroyo, San José del Cabo.

LOS CABOS

HOW TO GET HEREAIRPORT Los Cabos International Airport (SJD)

Recognized as one of the top 25 airports in the world, the Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) welcomes some 500 weekly connections serving more than 40 destinations, with new direct flights added fairly often. Currently there are direct flights from Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (California), Santa Ana, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The airport is currently in the midst of a multi-year, $48 million refurbishment and expansion that will add five new gates and a new VIP lounge, expected to be completed in 2019.

CLIMATE

Highs in warm season average above 91ºF (33ºC) with occasional rains August through October. The winter season has an average daily high temperature below 82º (28ºC) with cool nights. During the summer, the monthly rainfall averages out to two days, totalling one inch (21 mm) a month; the Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season begins May 15th and runs through November 30th.

DESTINATION TYPE

BeachEco-TourismGastronomyLuxury

Desert Course at Cabo del Sol, Cabo San Lucas.

Cabo San Lucas Country Club, Cabo San Lucas.

10 BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA visitmexico.com

ONE & ONLY PALMILLA 27 7,036 72

CABO REAL GOLF CLUB 18 6,848 71

CLUB CAMPESTRE SAN JOSÉ GOLF 18 6,966 71

PUERTO LOS CABOS GOLF CLUB 277,3487,1947,026

363636

CABO DEL SOL DESERT COURSE 18 7,049 72

CABO DEL SOL OCEAN COURSE 18 7,075 72

CAMPO DE GOLF DIAMANTE DUNES 18 7,022 71

CAMPO DE GOLF EL CARDONAL 18 7,363 72

The Tom Fazio-designed Chileno Bay is receiving rave reviews. The unique routing takes swingers on a journey toward the mountains of El Sauzal while delighting with ocean views on all 18 holes. The Chileno Bay Resort & Residences have been named the Number One Resort in Cabos for 2017 by the Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards.

Puerto Los Cabos now offers 18 holes by Jack Nicklaus and nine by Greg Norman. All 27 holes are perched above the Sea of Cortez and back-dropped by the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains.

Many new courses are slated to open in the near future in Los Cabos, including a Robert Trent Jones Jr. course at Costa Palmas on the East Cape and another Tiger Woods layout at Diamante San Lucas.

Villa del Palmar Resort at The Islands of Loreto’s golf course has be-come part of the TPC network and is now known as TPC Danzante Bay. Rees Jones’ debut design in Mexico waltzes players through a variety of settings, including valleys, arroyos, dunes, lakes and foothills with 250 feet of elevation changes. Fairways feature panoramic views of the sea, the mountains and the surrounding Islands of Loreto, a World Heritage na-tional marine park.

COURSES HOLES LENGHT PAR

GO WHALE WATCHING.

From December to April seven different kinds of whales, including grays and killer orcas migrate to The Sea of Cortez to feed and give birth before heading back up to Alaska.

PUB CRAWL.

Hit Cabo San Lucas’ local watering holes at Happy Hour. Sample a Cabo Waborita at Cabo Wabo and try to avoid being strung upside down at the Giggling Marlin where the motto is, “If our food, drinks and service are not up to your standards…please lower your standards.”

GO ARTSY.

Thursday night in San José is Art Walk from November to June. Studios and galleries around Alvaro Obregon stay open until 9 p.m. They encourage guests to browse and buy by handing out free drinks and snacks.

Palmilla Ocean, San Jose del Cabo.

French undersea explorer, Jacques Cousteau, called the Sea of Cortez “the World’s aquarium.” It’s a snorkeler’s and diver’s paradise.

DID YOU KNOW?

APRÈS GOLF ACTIVITIES


PACIFIC COAST

PUERTO VALLARTA & RIVIERA NAYARITThe coast of the state of Jalisco is tourism central, with Puerto Vallarta as its shining star. Stretching from the historic port of San Blas to Nuevo Vallarta in the state of Nayarit, this coastal region known as the Riviera Nayarit is home to some of the most luxurious beach developments in Mexico.

Isla Navidad Country Club, Colima.

Before John Huston’s 1964 film, Night of the Iguana, Puerto Vallarta was a sleepy fishing village. Now it’s one of Mexico’s most popular sun and golf destinations receiving more than three million visitors each year. The Puer-to Vallarta area and neighboring Riviera Nayarit feature colorful sunsets, the spectacular Bay of Banderas, the regal Sierra Madre mountain range, world-class golf courses and a plethora of après golf attractions.

At Vista Vallarta, visitors choose between two championship signature tracts designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jack Nicklaus-both roller coaster courses take full advantage of their setting in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains and both are ranked in the top ten for resort courses in Mexico by the Best Golf Guide to the Mexican Riviera Magazine. Also, in recognition for outstanding design, the editors of Golf Digest Magazine, and its national panel of course raters, named the Nicklaus Course number 79 among the “100 Best Golf Courses Outside the United States.”

Opened in 2001, the Nicklaus Course is located at the property’s high-est elevation and therefore affords fabulous views of Puerto Vallarta and the Bay of Banderas.

The Weiskopf Course winds through dense jungles and over deep ra-vines and creeks. Number 15 is a terrific par three that plays over a deep gulch with only a sliver of a green totally surrounded by bunkers. Scoring a par here is a true accomplishment.

Finish your rounds with tacos and margaritas on the clubhouse terrace.Conveniently located in the Hotel Zone, the Marina Vallarta course was

designed by American architect Joe Finger and is the oldest in Vallarta. The course provides a fine watery challenge, especially on the back nine. Thanks to the plentiful natural lagoons, wildlife abounds here and many players bring cameras along with their clubs. In addition to herons and iguanas, Marina Vallarta is also home to a few seemingly docile crocs that are best admired at a distance.

PUERTO VALLARTA

HOW TO GET HEREAIRPORT Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR)

The recently renovated Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) handles over 4 million passengers per year-by late 2016, the number of international passengers alone had increased by 10.9% over the previous year. It receives over 1,279 international flights. Currently it receives nonstop flights from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Ana (California), and Seattle.

CLIMATE

Sunny, humid and warm, with dry winters: the hottest month is June with an average in the low 80s (27ºC); the coolest month is January with temps in the low 70s (21ºC). The rainy season lasts from mid-June through mid-October; official Pacific hurricane season begins on May 15th and runs through November 30th, with maximum activity in September. However, Puerto Vallarta has been relatively free of big storms as compared to the Mexican Caribbean.

DESTINATION TYPE

BeachColonialEco-TourismGastronomy

El Tigre, Nuevo Vallarta.

Flamingos Golf, Riviera Nayarit.

14 PACIFIC COAST visitmexico.com GOLF MEXICO 2018 / MeetingsAlliance com 15

Litibu, one of the Mexican government’s Fonatur projects, the first of which was Cancun, means “song of the birds” in the language of the local Huichol Indians. With luck, you will be able to chirp about a few birdies on this spectacularly challenging tract that meanders over jungle, mountain and oceanside fairways. Litibu hosted the International Canadian Golf Tour Tournament in 2010, its inaugural year. This helped to bring much deserved international attention to the Greg Norman (a.k.a. the Great White Shark) design located between Sayulita and Punta Mita.

Norman’s par-threes at Litibu are outstanding. Surf’s up on the fourth: a downhill poke to a postage stamp green with a gorgeous view of Punta Mita at the end of the Bay of Banderas. Another memorable par-three is the eighth where the ball must land on an almost-island green.

The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita boasts two Jack Nicklaus Signature courses. In June 2008, the Punta Mita Pacifico Course was named the num-ber one golf course in the world by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. Paci-fico boasts19 fairways and the world’s only natural island green. To play this signature Tail of the Whale third hole, you must carry your drive about 180 yards across the Pacific Ocean. In low tide, you can walk over a rocky ocean-floor pathway to putt. Less adventuresome swingers can opt to play the alter-nate landlocked 3A. The Jack Nicklaus Signature design takes full advantage of the vistas of the surrounding Sierra Madre mountains, the white coral sand beaches and the tropical landscapes filled with palms and bougainvillea.

Jack’s newer Punta Mita Bahia Course may be less dramatic, but the severely contoured greens will challenge your putting acumen. The grand finale fairways 17 and 18 take golfers within steps of Punta Mita’s famed El Faro surfing beach.

Both tracts are in such impeccable condition, you would swear they trim the fairways with manicure scissors. If you are feeling a bit parched, the waiter at the halfway house provides complimentary iced towels and mango/banana smoothies.

As for food, the casita-style clubhouse serves spicy huevos rancheros-the ideal breakfast fuel before starting a round.

At El Tigre in Nuevo Vallarta, golf architects Robert von Hagge and Rick Baril have sculpted serpentine-mounded fairways with devious bunkers and plenty of water, especially on the par-three number six island green. El Tigre is the kind of course that can be played again and again. Good luck trying to tame it.

Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta offers three unique golf experiences. With lush jungle and the Sierra Madre mountains on one side and the Pacific on the other, the Nayar Course is a good test for all. Seven lakes, 49 strategically placed bunkers and constant crosswinds coming off of the Pacific, present plenty of challenges.

The new Greg Norman Signature Golf Course meanders along the banks of the mighty Ameca River with vistas of the Sierra Madre moun-tains from every fairway. The round starts with a ride across the world’s largest golf cart suspension bridge that spans the Ameca River from Nayarit to Jalisco.

Mr. Norman designed this tract as a resort-friendly course that achieves that fine balance between challenge and enjoyment. His generous fairways become tighter and trickier nearer to the green and are often protected, in typical Norman style, by cavernous bunkers. Along the way, golfers often spot tropical birds, iguanas and a croc or two.

The newest addition to the offerings at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta, is the ten-hole, par-three Lakes Course. It is the region’s only lit course, offering play until 11 p.m.

Located at the south end of Bucerias in is the best bargain in the area. Designed by Percy Clifford, Flamingos’ unique fairways have a bit of ev-erything-from plenty of forced carries and elevation changes, to resident crocodiles. The open-air Palapa restaurant is a convivial place for a frosty Corona and a languorous lunch after a good round.

RIVIERA NAYARIT

HOW TO GET HEREAIRPORT Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR)

Fly directly into the Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) then drive to your destination within the Riviera Nayarit, anywhere from 15- to 60-minutes away. This recently renovated airport handles over 4 million passengers per year-by late 2016, the number of international passengers alone had increased by 10.9% over the previous year. It receives over 1,279 international flights. Currently it receives nonstop flights from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Ana (California), and Seattle.

CLIMATE

Sunny, humid and warm, with dry winters: the hottest month is June with an average in the low 80s (27ºC); the coolest month is January with temps in the low 70s (21ºC). The rainy season lasts from mid-June through mid-October; official Pacific hur-ricane season begins on May 15th and runs through November 30th, with maximum activity in September. However, this area has been relatively free of big storms as compared to the Mexican Caribbean.

DESTINATION TYPE

BeachEco-TourismGastronomyGolf

Golf Las Hadas, Colima

Nayar Course, Nuevo Vallarta..

El Nuevo Colima., Colima

16 PACIFIC COAST visitmexico.com GOLF MEXICO 2018 / MeetingsAlliance com 17

MAZATLANMazatlan is perennial favorite for snowbirds. The area is endowed with a shoreline sprinkled with beckoning islands, a lovely seaside promenade, miles of golden beaches and a plethora of blue lagoons. It truly lives up to its name: “Pearl of the Pacific.”

Opened in the heart of Mazatlan’s Golden Zone in 1973, El Cid Golf & Country Club features 27 challenging holes. The newest Marina nine was designed by PGA Tour legend and Golf Hall of Famer Lee Trevino. El Moro’s nine holes will challenge the long hitter and reward those with keen aim. Locals call the eighth, a 611-yard, par-five, “the monster.” Castilla offers the most forgiving series of nine holes and is a good place to work out the kinks.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the 7045-yard championship Es-trella del Mar on Stone Island has been dubbed the “Pebble Beach” of Mazatlan. Located along the Pacific Ocean, this 18-hole gem boasts palm-lined Bermuda grass fairways, manicured greens and devilish bunkers. Six of the holes play down to and along the pristine beach. The highly ranked course has played host to the Canadian PGA Championship and the PGA Tour Latin-American Mazatlan Open.

The area’s newest Marina Mazatlan 18-hole course was designed by Da-vid Fleming and opened in spring of 2009. The course presents a watery challenge, especially on the signature 17th and 18th fairways. Fleming de-signs his courses with the philosophy that golf should be fun for swingers of all levels.

PUERTO VALLARTA

MARINA VALLARTA CLUB DE GOLF 18 6,573 71

VISTA VALLARTA NICKLAUS 18 7,074 72

VISTA VALLARTA WEISKOPF 18 6,993 72

RIVIERA NAYARIT

EL TIGRE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB 18 7,239 72

GREG NORMAN VIDANTA GOLF NUEVO VALLARTA 18 7,300 73

NAYAR VIDANTA GOLF NUEVO VALLARTA 18 6,500 70

FLAMINGOS GOLF CLUB 18 6,853 72

PUNTA MITA BAHÍA 18 7,035 72

PUNTA MITA PACÍFICO 18 7,014 72

CAMPO DE GOLF LITIBÚ 18 7,022 72

MAZATLAN

CAMPO DE GOLF EL CID 18 7,300 72

ESTRELLA DEL MAR GOLF 18 7,300 72

GOLF COURSE MARINA MAZATLÁN 18 7,300 72

COLIMA

CLUB DE GOLF LAS HADAS 18 6,502 71


La Patrona Equestrian Center & Polo Club in San Pancho is the only polo club in the state of Nayarit? Aside from polo, La Patrona Equestrian Center offers facilities and lessons for riding, jumping and dressage. Visitors may also arrange to go horseback riding along the beach or through the jungles of San Pancho. Sunday polo brunches at La Patrona take place from November until April.

DID YOU KNOW?

rimexDMC

Munch and mingle with locals on the Vallarta Food Tours Taco Crawl. The dinner includes tastings at several taco stands, a bowl of pozole (a stew of hominy and shredded pork) a shot of Mezcal and churros or Mexican doughnuts.

In La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, located in Riviera Nayarit, visit the Mercado del Mar to spot fishermen arriving with their catch of the day. On Sunday mornings, from October to April, this same space becomes a bustling organic farmer and handicraft market.

Vallarta Adventures offers thrills and unique experiences all along the Bay of Banderas. Visitors can become dolphin trainers for a day, go extreme zip lining, discover a hidden beach on the Marietas Islands and more.

Estrella del Mar in Mazatlan runs a sea turtle sanctuary supervised by a marine biologist. You can tour the sanctuary and become part of the conservation team for a day.


Estrella del Mar, Mazatlan.


CENTRAL

CENTRAL MEXICOMexico’s central region is its powerhouse, home to some of the country’s top manufacturing centers for aerospace, automotive, and tech, as well as a strong industrial and agro-industry sector.

Ventanas de San Miguel, San Miguel de Allende.

While most visitors head to Mexico’s beach towns, central Mexico is full of great golf courses, fascinating colonial cities, noteworthy cuisine and all sorts of “19th hole” diversions.

Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city and capital of the state of Jalisco, has several outstanding golf courses. With an altitude of 5,000 feet and some of the most perfect weather in the world, you can almost be guaranteed a sunny and dry round of golf.

This area is also birthplace to some of Mexico’s most famous traditions, including tequila, charreadas or Mexican rodeos, the Mexican hat dance and mariachi music.

The 6,763-yard El Cielo Country Club perches 6,500 feet above sea lev-el. Cielo means heaven in Spanish and the course truly lives up to its name featuring grand vistas of Guadalajara and the Lake Chapala region, home to many American and Canadian ex-pats.

Playing this roller-coaster, designed by DeVictor-Langham, means that you will seldom have a flat lie and you will be thankful for the cart and caddy that come with your green fee. The 370-yard, par-four eighth hole, for ex-ample, plunges more than 150 feet from tees to landing area.

The scenery throughout the 18-hole, par-72 course is spectacular. El Cielo, located in the Reserva de la Primavera hills, is home to a variety of wildlife including hawks, deer, marmots and various reptiles. Bring lots of golf balls and your camera.

Located about an hour from Guadalajara, en route to the town of Tequi-la, the challenging El Rio Country Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course, takes maximum advantage of the region’s steep valleys and canyons.

More than 1,000 trees were planted to add definition to the fairways and unsightly electricity pylons were removed to enhance the aesthetic quality of the experience. The championship tees stretch to over 7,500 yards. Three of the par-fives are definite three-shot tests, including the

GUADALAJARA

HOW TO GET HEREAIRPORT Guadalajara International Airport (GDL)

The Guadalajara International Airport (GDL) receives 1,490 direct international flights including direct flights from Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denve, Fresno, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, New York, Oakland, Ontario, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose (California), and Seattle. The airport saw an increase of over 8% in connectivity in 2016.

CLIMATE

During the day, the highs average 91ºF (33ºC) in summer and around 77ºF (25ºC) in the winter; the temperatures during winter evenings can drop down to 41ºF (5ºC). Guadalajara’s rainy season begins in the summer through early fall (June - October).

DESTINATION TYPE

CityColonialCulturalGastronomy

Cocoyoc Cuernavaca.

Alamo Country Club, Celaya.

20 CENTRAL visitmexico.com

656-yard signature 18th. Two rivers and various streams run through the aptly named El Rio.

The Atlas County Club, a semi-private gem, was opened in 1969 and designed by Joe Finger. Home to two lakes on the seventh and 14th holes, the course provides a natural habitat for a large variety of flora and fauna.

Lying west of Mexico City and southeast of Guadalajara, the state of Michoacán is sometimes called “the soul of Mexico.” From mid November to late March, many visitors flock to an area outside of Michoacán’s capital city of Morelia to witness the annual migration of the Monarch butterflies. Millions of these winged wonders congregate in highland forests.

Jack Nicklaus, who helped put Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta on the Mexican golfing map, has taken his design talents inland to the Tres Marias Golf Club located outside of Morelia, about a three-hour drive north of Mexico City.

Billed as the largest and most luxurious golf community in Latin Amer-ica, Tres Marias Residential Golf Club is a city within a city and spans over 540 hectares.

In 2005, the Tres Marias Golf Club gained international recognition by hosting the prestigious LPGA Corona Championship. The women’s golf championship has since been held every year at Tres Marias during the second week of April. Mexican female golfer, Lorena Ochoa, who won the LPGA Championship in 2006, 2008 and 2009, has greatly contributed to the popularity of the Tres Marias Golf Club and the increase in golf enthusiasts in Mexico.

The Golden Bear’s twenty-seven-hole layout encompasses the 18-hole Nicklaus Signature E Reto course (meaning “challenge” in Spanish), plus the tamer nine-hole El Desafio course. The development got its name from a rock formation called Tres Marias that looms over the course. The rock is a spiritual symbol for the native Purepechan Indians dating back to pre-Hispanic times. Both courses are situated more than 6,000 feet above sea level, so your Titleist should fly further.

EL CIELO COUNTRY CLUB 18 6,765 72

ATLAS COUNTRY CLUB 18 7,184 72

VENTANAS DE SAN MIGUEL 18 7,140 70


EPICUREAN ADVENTURES.

Taste & Travel offers tours to various regions in Mexico to learn about the gastronomic and cultural diversity of the country. The highlight of their tour of Guadalajara and Morelia includes boarding the Tequila Express train from Guadalajara to the Magic Town of Tequila to learn all about Mexico’s national drink. In Morelia, Taste & Travel offers a cooking class with a local chef to discover and sample the unique flavors of Michoacán.

SHOPPING.

Back in the 16th century, a bishop named Vasco de Quiroga, who was sent to the region from Spain, encouraged the native Tarascan Indians to develop specific handicrafts with the goal that each village would become self-sufficient and that the neighbouring Tarascan tribes would cooperate and trade with one another. The plan worked. Today in the towns surrounding Morelia, this artistic tradition thrives making the region a shopper’s bazaar. In Santa Clara del Cobre you can watch copper pots and pans being hammered into shape under intense heat. Uruapan specializes in lacquerware, Patzcuaro is known for its straw and pottery creations and guitars are still handcrafted in Paracho.

GO ARTSY.

Colorful and powerful murals grace the walls of many of Guadalajara’s public buildings. Beyond functioning as decoration, these murals depict the founding of modern Mexican identity. An artistic stroll through central Guadalajara will explain why some call it the “Florence of Mexico.”

Lorena Ochoa, who was the top-ranked female golfer in the world, was born in Guadalajara. She is the first Mexican-born golfer to be honored in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

DID YOU KNOW?


Club de Golf Los Tabachines, Cuernavaca.


MEXICAN CARIBBEAN

El Tinto Golf Course, Cancun.

When the mighty Mayan civilization collapsed around the 15th century, the stretch of beach and jungle now known as the Mayan Riviera, was inhabited only by farmers and fishermen.

But in 1967 Cancun became the first computer-planned resort in Mexico. It was a great success. Today the Mayan Riviera and Yucatan’s Caribbean Coast has become Mexico’s top tourist destination thanks to the quality of sugary white beaches, reliable sunshine, unique historical attractions and hospitable locals.

The first golf course in Cancun opened in 1976 with an original design by Robert Trent Jones II. Originally it was named Pok ta Pok which means “ball game” in the Mayan language, but it is now known as the Cancun Country Club at Pok ta Pok. Several fairways meander along the Nichupte Lagoon and two overlook the Caribbean. Near hole number three, golfers encounter some ancient Mayan ruins.

El Camaleon Golf Course at the Mayakoba resort made Mexican golf history by hosting the OHL classic in 2007, the first PGA TOUR full field event ever to be held outside of the USA or Canada. This 7024-yard lay-out is also Greg Norman’s debut design in Mexico. Like its namesake, the chameleon lizard, the 18-hole El Camaleon changes and blends with its environment. The course winds under mangrove canopies, along banks of turquoise lagoons and past natural ceynotes (the naturally occurring fresh-water caves or sinkholes unique to the Yucatan Peninsula). The fourth green is just a pitching wedge away from the rolling surf.

Another Greg Norman design, Playa Mujeres Golf Club, is played through a tropical rainforest. A natural cenote borders the ninth fairway. Prevailing sea winds and numerous water hazards will present a constant challenge. From the 13th green, golfers are rewarded with a beautiful view of the turquoise waters of the Mexican Caribbean.

Located in the heart of Cancun’s most exclusive residential develop-ment, Puerto Cancun Golf Club offers fairways framed by canals and spec-tacular views of the marina and a mangrove preserve. The signature 14th hole runs along the beach.

Home of the Big Break Academy, Iberostar Cancun Golf Club is both enjoyable and challenging for golfers of any skill level. Located in the heart of Cancun’s Hotel Zone, the course is nestled between the Caribbean Sea and Nichupte Lagoon and is a mere ten minutes from the Cancun Interna-tional Airport. Your green fee at this 18-hole, par-72 course includes the golf cart and unlimited food and beverages.

The exuberant combination of mangroves, exceptional ocean views, un-dulating fairways and impeccable greens, are just some of the elements that make the Riviera Cancun Golf Club an enjoyable challenge. A Signa-ture course by the legendary “Golden Bear,” this 7,060 yard course harmo-niously integrates nature and tranquility.

CANCUN

HOW TO GET HEREAIRPORT Cancun International Airport (CUN)

The Cancun International Airport (CUN) handles the second largest volume of traffic in Mexico, with 2,249 domestic flights and 4,533 international flights per year, and has received the highest ratings for its modern facilities and equipment. In 2016 the airport increased its air connectivity by more than 8%, and in late 2017 inaugurated Terminal 4 with 18 gates that increased annual capacity by about 9 million passengers, and features two levels plus a mezzanine, shop-ping area, and food court. This expansion makes it Mexico’s second busiest, with an estimated 25 million passengers per year or up to 75 operations per hour. By 2020, the capacity would increase to 32 million. It should be noted Terminal 2 is slated for renovation and Terminal 3 for expansion, which will include a hotel (2018). Direct flights are available from Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cin-cinnati, Cleveland, Columbus (Ohio), Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lau-derdale, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwau-kee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Newark, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.

CLIMATE

Cancun has a semi-tropical climate, with highs from mid-May until the end of August that can reach 110˚F (43˚C) and balmier weather from December through the end of April, when the average temperature is 71-89˚F (22-32˚C). Rainy season (short afternoon showers) runs from September through the end of November. Hurricane season in the state of Quintana Roo officially begins June 1st and ends November 20th. Maximum activity is between August and October, with the peak activity normally being in early to mid-September.

DESTINATION TYPE

AdventureBeachCultureEco-TourismGolfCancun Golf Club at Pok-Ta-Pok, Cancun.

CANCUN & RIVIERA MAYAThe youngest state in Mexico, Quintana Roo is home to Cancun and the Riviera Maya, two of the country’s top destinations for the MICE industry thanks to their extraordinary meetings and hotel infrastructure, where superb five-star properties far outnumber four-star and under accommodations.

24 MEXICAN CARIBBEAN visitmexico.com

El Tinto Golf Course at the Cancun Country Club was designed by Nick Price under PGA Tour standards. Price incorporates five lakes and 84 sand traps into his 7,439-yard romp.

Located ten minutes from Cancun International Airport, Moon Spa & Golf Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is the only 27-hole signature course in the Mexican Caribbean. Each of the three nines-Dunes, Jungle and Lakes-offers a completely different scenario.

Looking for a short and sweet game? Vidanta Golf Riviera Maya by Nick-laus Design offers a par-54, 18-hole course at a length of 2,923 yards.

For over a decade, the Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club has been stamping its name in the historical record books of international golf. Host to prestigious events such as the World Amateur Team Championships 2016, Big Break Mexico, Iberostar Riviera Maya Open (PGA TOUR Canada) and eight-time host of the Monday Qualifier for the PGA TOUR OHL Clas-sic at Mayakoba, the PB Dye masterpiece is must for your bucket list. Take advantage of free golf while staying at the opulent Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso. The all-inclusive concept extends to the golf course, and includes food and beverages before, during and after the round.

Designer Nick Price claims that the Grand Coral Golf Club is the most player-friendly course he has ever built. Eighteen holes of championship golf wind through a magnificent natural jungle overlooking deep blue lakes.

Beautifully designed in a dense tropical jungle, Robert Von Hagge’s Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya is said to be one of the toughest courses in all of México. Seemingly carved out of the enigmatic Mayan Jungle, this is a magnificent juxtaposition of wild natural beauty and man-made features.

The Riviera Maya Golf Club offers an 18-hole championship par-72 course and a nine-hole, par-three course, both by master designer Robert Trent Jones II. Using the natural landscape of jungle, sinkholes and lakes, Jones has created an experience you won’t likely forget.

The Cozumel Country Club, created by the Nicklaus Design Group, successfully balances the strict requirements of building a first-class golf course within the delicate ecosystem of the surrounding mangroves, marshlands and tropical rainforest. The course is home to blue crabs, igua-nas, crocodiles, raccoons and myriad birds. The Cozumel Country Club has achieved the designation of “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System, the first club in Mexico to do so. The club also offers tours for bird watchers. Cozumel Country Club has formed partnerships with several hotels on the island, extending vary-ing golf privileges to their guests, as well as to cruise ship swingers.

CANCUN GOLF CLUB AT POK TA POK 18 7,051 72

IBEROSTAR PLAYA PARAISO GOLF CLUB 18 6,704 72

MOON PALACE SPA & GOLF CLUB 27 10,798 70

PLAYA MUJERES GOLF CLUB 18 7,218 72

GOLF PUERTO CANCUN 18 7,241 72

RIVIERA MAYA GOLF CLUB BAHÍA PRÍNCIPE 18 7,272 72


RIVIERA MAYA

HOW TO GET HEREAIRPORT Cancun International Airport (CUN)

The Cancun International Airport (CUN) handles the second largest volume of traffic in Mexico, with 2,249 domestic flights and 4,533 international flights per year, and has received the highest ratings for its modern facilities and equipment. In 2016 the airport increased its air connectivity by more than 8%, and in late 2017 inaugurated Terminal 4 with 18 gates that increased annual capacity by about 9 million passengers, and features two levels plus a mezzanine, shopping area, and food court. This expansion makes it Mexico’s second busiest, with an estimated 25 million passengers per year or up to 75 operations per hour. By 2020, the capacity would increase to 32 million. It should be noted Terminal 2 is slated for renovation and Terminal 3 for expansion, which will include a hotel (2018).

CLIMATE

Riviera Maya’s weather is the same as Cancun’s: a

semi-tropical climate, with highs from mid-May until

the end of August that can reach 110˚F (43˚C) and

balmier weather from December through the end

of April, when the average temperature is 71-89˚F

(22-32˚C). Rainy season (short afternoon showers)

runs from September through the end of November.

Hurricane season in the state of Quintana Roo officially

begins June 1st and ends November 20th. Maximum

activity is between August and October, with the peak

activity normally being in early to mid-September.

DESTINATION TYPE

BeachEco-TourismGolf

welcome to mexico’s finest fairways

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