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ClubCorp enhances Puerta Vallarta golf reputation
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Located on the Bay of Banderas, one of the world's most beautiful bays, it's easy to see why Puerto Vallarta turned from a tiny fishing village to a world-class beach resort with more than 16 miles of beaches.
ClubCorp definitely enhanced Puerto Vallarta's stature as a true golfing mecca when it added 36 holes at Vista Vallarta, located on a hillside six miles from this city on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. The Dallas-based company brought in Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf to handle the designs, opening the Nicklaus in the spring of 2001 and the Weiskopf later that same year.
The Nicklaus Course hosted the 2002 World Golf Championship EMC World Cup, where two-man teams from 24 countries around the world competed. The Japanese duo of Shigeki Maruyama and Toshi Izawa prevailed. Four years later, the Champions Tour's Blue Agave was held on the same course with Morris Hatalsky emerging as the winner.
It is located on the highest part of Vista Vallarta, offering breathtaking views of PV, the marina and the bay and can be stretched to 7,073 yards from the tips. There are colorful flowering bougainvillea all over the place as the course meanders through grassy hillsides, Palm and Ficus trees, natural creeks and arroyos. Nicklaus provides ample room off the tee, but puts a premium on accurate approach shots. My favorite hole had to be the 178-yard No. 9 (blue tees) that played over a deep arroyo with the pin on the back right of a 38-yard deep green slanted on an angle.
The Weiskopf Course may actually be even better. Weiskopf did a masterful job of blending all the elevation changes and natural jungle features into an interesting, but challenging playing experience. It can be stretched to 6,993 yards, but will be more enjoyable at 6,595 from the blue tees or 6,031 from the white tees. Like the Nicklaus, there was a great par 3, the 173-yard No. 15, that played over a deep cavernous ravine. As usual, Weiskopf included a drivable par 4. The 18th measures about 300 yards, allowing long hitters a chance to challenge the bunkers on the left side to try and get home.
ClubCorp also owns and manages Marina Vallarta Club de Golf. This Joe Finger design is located in a fashionable neighborhood near the marina and is shorter (only 6,701 from the tips) and is a lot tighter than its two sister courses with plenty of water hazards waiting to catch errant tee shots. It costs about $50 less, but the other two with fees between $125 and $200 would still be the ones I play when I return, opting for the twilight rate in the afternoons if I wanted to save money.
Other golf courses in Puerto Vallarta include the Robert von-Hagge-designed El Tigre at Paradise Village, the Jim Lipe-designed Mayan Palace Golf Club and the Percy Clifford-designed Los Flamingos Country Club. The Four Seasons Golf Club Punta Mita, a Nicklaus design that features eight ocean-side holes and an optional par 3 with a green that is set on a natural lava rock island that is accessible at low tide, is just 45 minutes north of PV.
I stayed at the Sheraton Buganvilias and it would be a great place for all visitors to PV as it is within walking distance of the city with its cobblestone streets and outdoor markets. I really enjoyed sleeping on the pillow top mattress. Other hotels such as CasaMagna Marriott, the Velas Vallarta and Casa Velas offer special golf packages.
Puerto Vallarta is certainly deserving of its reputation as the culinary capital of Mexico with restaurants serving authentic traditional Mexican dishes to international delicacies and fresh fish caught in the nearby waters. My favorite restaurant was Cafe' des Artistes, featuring several different-themed eating areas plus a cigar bar and a wine bar. It was still packed when we left after 10 one night.
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