A Golf Vacation in Costa Rica

A few years ago, a golf vacation in Costa Rica would have been quite limited but now it can be an unforgettable experience. With several World Class courses that combine the spectacular natural beauty of Costa Rica with courses created by some of the best designers around, a golf vacation in Costa Rica is a must for avid golfers from around the world. In the following pages we give you a glimpse of what awaits you in this tropical paradise.

Cariari Country Club

The Cariari, long considered to be the best course in Central America, is a natural to play when arriving in Costa Rica. Situated on land that was once a coffee plantation, the Cariari was designed by golf course architect George Fazio and built by his now famous nephew, Tom Fazio. This par 71 course measures 6,590 yards from the Championship tees, but plays much longer. The course is heavily wooded, the fairways are narrow with few fairway bunkers, and the greens tend to be on the large side with sand traps throughout. The greens are Bermuda and roll fast and true. The course record is held jointly by Raymond Floyd and Costa Ricans Álvaro Ortiz and Mario Pérez. The Cariari was the site of the Friendship Cup in 1979 & 1980. These PGA sponsored events were won by Larry Zeigler (2 under) and Raymond Floyd (9 under). Rental clubs available.

Playa Conchal
Garra de León Golf Course

Garra de León Golf Course is an ocean course with a desire to replace the Cariari Country Club as the number one golf course in Central America. No expense was spared to create a course on par with the spectacular resort it surrounds. Beautiful vistas, sweeping fairways, large undulating greens, and mucha agua - - simply put, a big golf course.

This Robert Trent Jones, II golf course at the Paradisus Conchal Beach & Golf Resort was built over a period of four years and was well worth the wait. What I truly admire about this project is the attention to detail. Although newly opened, Garra de León Golf Course feels as though it has been here for years. When I mentioned to a friend of mine what a tremendous course it will be once it has matured, he reminded me that in Costa Rica’s tropical climate, things mature over a long weekend.

I had a great time playing with the course pro, James McAfee, and playing from the tips allowed me to see the entire golf course. Believe me, I saw the entire course! In the future, I will be playing this course from the blues (6,593 yards) and the whites (6,045 yards). This is what I call a BIG golf course. It contrasts with the narrow fairways and tall trees of the Cariari Country Club course and the rocky steep elevations of the back nine at Rancho Las Colinas. The golfer who visits Costa Rica now has the pleasure of playing various championship golf courses, each with a distinct style. Rental clubs are available

Parque Valle del Sol

Avid golfers in San José had been eagerly awaiting the opening of the new Parque Valle del Sol. The course is located fifteen minutes from San José near the town of Santa Ana, and is part of a golf course community being developed by the Brazilian company Habitasul. The property and golf course were initially developed by a North American in the late seventies. The course was never opened to the public and the owner and his friends were the only ones to play there. (Sort of a poor man's Steve Wynn with his exclusive Saddle Creek course in Las Vegas.) With this in mind, it is not difficult to understand why the "gringo" ran out of money before theproject was completed and returned north a wiser but poorer individual. The development became the property of a local bank in 1989. And Habitasul purchased the development in 1992. 

In 1994, Habitasul brought in golf course architect Tracy May to re-design and build a new course. The results achieved by May are an outstanding 18-hole championship golf course. May, with the assistance of the on-site construction supervisor Mark Dinan, has designed the layout to be challenging and fair under most conditions, and downright tough when the winds come swirling down from the surrounding mountains. The layout is diverse and requires the use of all the clubs in your bag. The rolling hills, mature trees that were part of the original course and the surrounding mountains create a great setting for golf.

Los Sueños Marriott Ocean and Golf Resort

The golf course in Costa Rica, Los Sueños, is all that we had expected from a Ted Robinson Jr. designed course. Having designed over a hundred courses around the world including Shiloe, the site of the 1998 PGA Championship, Ted has given us a course that few in the world can match for natural beauty and challenging golf. It is not uncommon for the guests of the Los Sueños Marriott to wrest their eyes away from the challenge of the golf course and just gaze up at one of the most picturesque settings on earth, a dense canopy of exotic plants, trees, and wildlife. Bordered by the Pacific Ocean on one side and rainforest on the other makes it a difficult task to concentrate on your golf game. If that isn't enough to distract you then there are a number of old magnificent trees that always seem to be between you and the area of the golf course you'd like to get to.

Following is a brief Hole-By-Hole description of the course. As a general rule the Par 5's were not reachable in two from the tips but it may be possible from the regular tees. The challenge wasn't so much the distance of the holes but rather the doglegs and the position of many of the trees I mentioned earlier. The Par 3's were all between 172 and 190 with wind being the greatest factor. I couldn't help but notice that the wind was either into our face or a crosswind, not once did we hit with the wind at our backs. One more factor to consider when playing Los Sueños is the rough which consists mostly of Mani (peanut) ground cover. This ground cover is about four inches high, is attractive with it's yellow flowers, loosely packed, but, it is very difficult to find your ball. You can play out of it if you do find your ball.

You'll enjoy this golf course and it's definitely worth taking more than one shot at. Los Sueños has come up with an idea that I think works very well for all the golfers on the course. They have what you would call a forecaddie that accompanies each group. The term "guide" is appropriate in this case as so much is to be seen besides the break of a putt. The charge for their services is entirely up to you, pay them whatever you feel their contribution to your golfing experience was worth. Rental clubs are available.

Hacienda Pinilla

Hacienda Pinilla, located on Costa Rica's North Pacific Coast is just a short drive from Melia Playa Conchal's Garra de León Golf Course. This 18-hole championship links style layout was completed in February of 2001. Mike Young designed the course on what used to be a working cattle ranch and is now part of a 5,000 acre mega-development.

The course is a coastal layout with wide, open fairways and the prevailing winds come into play on just about every hole. The bump and run is recommended for most approach shots as the greens are hard and fast. A truly distinguishing characteristic of Hacienda Pinilla is the many well-placed pot bunkers that are cleverly placed around most greens. It is challenging, and will reward conservative play more often than not. Carts are mandatory.

Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

About an hour North of Garra de Leon on the Papagayo Peninsula you'll find the new Four Seasons Resort and their incredibly beautiful Arnold Palmer golf course. This resort is situated on the point o the peninsula and the hotel itself is situated on a strip of land with sandy beaches on both sides of the property. Going in the other two directions you head up to hillsides that are as high as a thousand feet and with spectacular views of the Pacific. This land was chosen for the golf course because of these views and also the natural elevation changes that occur and create holes that are unforgettable. The Palmer team did a wonderful job taking advantage of what they were given and I doubt that they have ever had a better piece of land to work with. The day I played, my playing partner was Xavier Urbina, the on-site manager for the Palmer design team. It's always interesting and educational to be introduced to a new course by someone involved in the construction of the course. We normal players have little understanding of all the details that are involved in creating a truly great golf course. Xavier and I did play through a foursome and the players mentioned to us that they thought it was the most beautiful golf course they had ever played. They didn't know who Javier was but evidently he is getting accustomed to the praise that is being lavished on this new layout. The front side of the golf course is set up with three Par 3's, 4's, and 5's. The back is the traditional setup five, two and two configuration. The first hole is a very fair Par 5 that lets you get over the first hole nerves without putting up a big number. From there you simply play the course: a combination of great views, elevation changes with interesting holes, wind that is always present but not a major factor the day I played, greens that roll true and will be running about a 9 or 10 on the stimp meter, and rough that is still forgiving but will get tougher as time goes by. During the past year I have played six courses that are ranked in the top 50 worldwide. It won't be long before the new Palmer course at the Four Seasons Resort in Costa Rica will be included in many of these course-rating lists. The vistas are spectacular and are equal to any that you will experience at Kauri Cliffs or Pebble Beach. The elevation changes and changing wind conditions make each round a new experience. Similar to Pacific Dunes in that when the wind is quiet the course is manageable, but when the wind picks up even the best players will have their hands full. Playing the course at the Four Seasons can only be accomplished by staying at the resort and this makes it the most expensive round in Costa Rica. But an overnight at the hotel with an afternoon round upon check-in and then followed by a round in the morning is a good option. Due to fact that they don't allow outside play you can count on a course that is not packed and allows for plenty of time to take photos and simply enjoy the beauty that surrounds you