Mexico
The 17th at TPC Danzante Bay
Cabo Del Sol - Los Cabos
Mayakoba Camaleon - Playa Del Carmen
Hard Rock Golf Club - Playa Del Carmen
Moon Palace Golf Club - Cancun
Quivira - Cabo San Lucas
Rancho San Lucas - Cabo San Lucas
TPC Danzante Bay - Loreto
Cabo Del Sol - Los Cabos
My rounds at Cabo Del Sol made up one of the most fun days that I have had on the golf course. On a break from beach time, I was on a solo mission with the course almost to myself. After 18 on the Ocean Course, I was able to get a sweet deal on a replay rate and went for 36 on the Desert Course. In one of my finer golfing moments, I rolled in birdie putts on the final two holes to end up at a personal best for 36 holes, even par 144. Nicklaus has done a great job with the finishing stretch on the Ocean Course, making great use of his ocean front terrain. 2 of the par 3's are literally right on the beach and beach goers on 17 even threw me some lost balls.
The course has been criticized as an overpriced tourist draw with only a few good holes. While there are definitely some "filler" stretches over the 36 holes, there are a dozen or so great holes that keep the round very exciting. I found the course a lot of fun and worth the money over all 36. I am sure those final two putts helped to seal the deal.
Mayakoba Camaleon - Playa Del Carmen
El Camaleon Mayakoba is host to the only PGA Tour event in Mexico and is one of the better courses I have played in the country. The Greg Norman design has several unique features, starting with the cenote bunker (subterranean cave) in the middle of #1 fairway. The course then makes its way through the mangroves and ends up on the beach for several of the par 3's. We also ran into several coatimundis, which is the weird tropical raccoon in the pictures.
On this particular round we teed off with several of Mexico's finest junior golfers. The Mexican junior National Championship was in town and these kids came to practice. The beat us badly.
Be sure to check out my 6 favorite things at Mayakoba on the Golf Blog
Hard Rock Golf Club - Playa Del Carmen
Hard Rock Golf Club, formerly Playacar, is one of the tougher tests of golf in Mexico. With Jungle lined fairways and plenty of water hazards, there is little room for error. However, there are plenty of lizards on this golf course.
In the gallery you will find close to a 50/50 ratio of golf photos to lizard pictures. These dudes were pretty chill and didn't seam to mind a quick photo shoot. The course features little to do with Rock and Roll but it does have Eddie Van Halen's old golf cart in the pro shop and a pretty cool logo.
Moon Palace Golf Club - Cancun
Before leaving Mexico, I decided to get up early and get a quick 27 holes in before my flight. I chose the Moon Palace Golf Club conveniently located next to the Cancun airport. I was glad I did.
Moon Palace is a 27 hole layout designed by Jack Nicklaus. It features an abundance of wildlife and well designed golf holes. As usual, Jack gives the golfer plenty of room off of the tee. Which is nice because it is usually fairly windy on the course. I found the course to be a lot of fun to play and turned in one of my better outings with 9's of 37, 37, and 34.
My favorite hole on the course was the par 3 3rd hole on the Dunes 9. It features a large cenote, which is a surface connection to a subterranean water body. Usually caused from a collapse of the limestone bedrock, they were also used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings. I sacrificed several golf balls.
Quivira Golf Club - Cabo San Lucas
Rancho San Lucas - Cabo San Lucas
TPC Danzante Bay - Loreto
