The Best Course You've Never Heard Of
“That is pretty cool,” Haywood said. “I can’t believe how close they are. They must be swimming in only a foot or two of water.”
As Haywood contemplated the daunting task ahead of her, carving a 6-iron 160 yards into a small green surrounded by bunkers, she glanced back at the balmy sea and the spectacle taking place just offshore.
“I don’t want to play golf,” she said. “I just want to watch the dolphins.”
Somehow Haywood and her playing partner, Michael Haywood, president of the Southwest Section of the PGA, were able to focus their attention back to the 7100-yard, par 72 layout, one of only a handful of links courses in Mexico. Links style courses, which originated in Scotland, are known for their uneven fairways and greens, sandy soil, deep bunkers and thick rough.
“It’s a true links course,” said Shelly Haywood, the former women’s coach at the University of Arizona. “There’s not a flat lie to be found.”
Puerto Penasco’s hot and dry climate won’t conjure up memories of Scotland, known for having all four seasons packed into one day. But in its layout and topography, Peninsula de Cortez has the look of a Scottish course, in particular, the 15th at North Berwick in Scotland—known as the historic Redan hole.
Arguably a golf architect’s favorite type of hole, a Redan is similar to a fortress, sheltered on three sides.
“The entire course looks like a Redan; It’s protected by a tidal estuary on its inside, the inlet to the south and the Sea of Cortez to its more exposed outside,” Jack Nicklaus II said. “This adds to the uniqueness, the beauty and the challenge of The Peninsula.”
It’s not unusual for a hot and sweaty single-digit handicapper to trudge into the clubhouse at Peninsula de Cortez begging for a cold Pacifico and a shoulder to cry on after barely breaking three digits. But the four sets of tee boxes, welcoming fairways and receptive greens offer every level of golfer a chance to make par on even the most treacherous holes.
“Most Nicklaus designed courses are known for their difficulty level,” said Michael Haywood, director of golf at the Tucson Country Club. “But this is one of the playable Nicklaus courses I’ve seen. The fairways are very forgiving and the undulations in the greens aren’t quite as dramatic.”
The signature hole is the sixth, a par 3, 190-yard beast that almost always plays into a stiff breeze. The green is surrounded by four bunkers and a pond. In six shots, no one in our group landed a ball on the putting surface.
The sixth might be the toughest hole, but the 412-yard, but the par four third hole is the most visually intimidating. From the tee, all that can be seen is a mound in the middle of a narrow fairway. The golfer is faced with a second shot to a narrow green with brush on both sides and the sea in the distance.
Arizona tourist Cory Norton spent the week staying at the Mayan Palace resort, which sits a few hundred yards south of the course. An avid golfer who has played St. Andrews and Carnoustie in Scotland and all over Hawaii and Arizona, Norton wasn’t expecting much from Peninsula de Cortez.
“To be honest, I was expecting a course that wasn’t all that kept up,” said Norton, 38, who belongs to a private club in Gilbert, Ariz. “But between the unique layout, the finely manicured greens and fairways, it’s one of the best I’ve ever played.
“I’d give the course an A and the driving range and practice facility an A minus. If you were to play this course in Hawaii, you’d pay $225. In Arizona, it would cost $120 and it would be one of the top courses in the state.”
The Peninsula is consistently ranked among the top 20 resort courses in Mexico, but you wouldn’t know it by the green fees. On any day of the week, you can play for under $100 and it won’t take five hours to navigate all 18 holes. It can be quite easy to lose balls in the desert or even on the endless beach, but most rounds are completed in less than four hours.
In Cabo, a course such as The Peninsula, might run close to $300.
“There’s not a golf course in Cabo that’s as good as this one,” said Andrew Gilchrist Anderson, director of golf at the Mayan Palace. “When you come here, it’s a great chance to play one of the top courses in the country without having to pay top 10 prices.”
There is more good news for visitors from Arizona. While Arizona’s courses overseed during the fall—sometimes for up to two months-there is no down time at Peninsula de Cortez.
“We want people in Arizona to consider us the overseeding getaway,” Anderson said.
The five-year-old Peninsula course is operated by Grupo Vidanta, the largest time share and golf course developer in Mexico. Vidanta’s other courses are located on the Riviera Maya, Acapulco, Nuevo Vallarta and Los Cabos. While the course is semi-private, the resort is offering special golf packages at a one-time only rate. Golfers can pay for three rounds and get two nights of lodging and food included in the deal. From Tucson and Phoenix, the Mayan resort is less than four hours away. A Mexican coastal highway that opened southwest of Yuma last year has reduced the drive from San Diego and Palm Springs to less than six hours. A new airport, also owned by Grupo Vidanta, is open, but so far there are no commercial flights into Puerto Penasco.
Special:
The resort offers three nights lodging, four days of unlimited golf and all meals for under $400 per person. A two-night package is priced under $300.
For more information and details, please email:
golfpuertopenasco@grupovidanta.com
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