If you are one of those who believe that the Mayan calendar predicts that the end of the world will occur this December, you'd better get to Riviera Maya to play golf before it's all over.
Along 90 miles of surf-splashed Caribbean coastline south of Cancun, the resort mecca of Riviera Maya is now the 3rd most popular golfing destination in Mexico (after Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas in Baja). Meandering through lush jungle and labyrinths of lagoons and canals, the dozen or so golf courses on Riviera Maya are tropical beauties designed by some of the legends of golf––Nicklaus, Norman, Rees Jones, Robert Trent Jones, Jr., P.B. Dye and Nick Price are among the course creators.
Acres of sandy waste areas and deep, grassy swales challenge players on one of P.B. Dye's toughest challenges for golfers, Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club. Unlike most of the courses on the flat terrain of the peninsula, Playa Paraiso is characterized by elevation changes, undulations, and mounds, with more ups and downs than a rollercoaster. Golf balls bounce off hand-built stone walls, sink into deep bunkers and disappear into bottomless cenotes. Don't bother lugging your clubs; instead, rent Titleist, Nike and Mizuno sticks right here.The golf club is within sight of a replica of a giant Mayan pyramid, a landmark in the 5-resort Iberostar Playa Paraiso complex. The flamboyant 5-star-rated, all-suite Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso welcomes couples only, for pampering and privacy.
At Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort, 27 holes of golf—the Jungle, Lake and Dunes courses—were laid out by Jack Nicklaus, who took into account the native vegetation and natural wetlands that are home to hundreds of birds, and to iguanas, coatimundis and the occasional crocodile. Respecting the dramatic sand dunes, Nicklaus deftly arranged the three nines, elevating greens and tee boxes and directing forced carries over the numerous water hazards.
5 minutes from the tourist shops, nightclubs and restaurants of Playa del Carmen, one of the first golf clubs built on the coast, the Robert Von Hagge-designed Playacar Spa and Golf Club has 7,144 yards of narrow fairways winding through native vegetation, small greens and a scary 148 rating from the back tees. More than 100 Mayan ruin sites and many cenotes, have been preserved on the course, and three-foot-long iguanas are formidable residents.
In a reforested mangrove swamp on the northwest shore of Isla Cozumel, Nicklaus Design Group designed the Cozumel Country Club. Rife with saltwater hazards, where creatures with long tails and big teeth are known to appear, the track is criss-crossed by special corridors called ecovias, built beneath the roadways and wooden bridges, to provide safe passage for blue crabs, iguanas and other species. Four tees make it possible for every player to manage the significant carries over marshy areas. TaylorMade and Nike rental clubs and two-tiered practice tees are welcome amenities at this busy course (about half the players are cruise ship passengers), which is operated and well-maintained by ClubCorp.
Stay tuned here for Golf on Riviera Maya, Part II
Travelers from the San Francisco Bay Area fly non-stop to Cancun, which is just north of Cozumel and Riviera Maya.
Founder/editor of BestGolfResortsofTheWorld, Karen Misuraca is a travel and golf writer from the California Wine Country. She blogs golf travel and writes about Deep Culture Travel. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.
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