Puerto Vallarta has long been a popular tourist destination. But with seven world-class golf courses now in play, its main attractions may no longer be sun-lit beaches and verdant mountains.
Los Flamingos Country Club (6,452 yards, par 72) is located in Nuevo Vallarta. This traditional-style course enjoys the reputation of being the easiest to play because of its wide-open fairways. Phone: (322) 296-5006
The Marina Vallarta Golf Club (6,701 yards, par 71) Since most of the fairways are lined with palm trees and guarded by water, a premium is placed on accuracy. Phone: (322) 221-0545
The Four Seasons Punta Mita (7,014 yards, par 72), located 30 minutes north, has eight picturesque holes bordering the ocean. Hole No. 3, called the “Tail of the Whale,” is a 194-yard, par 3 that plays across the ocean to a rocky island green. Phone: (329) 291-6000
Vista Vallarta is really two spectacular golf courses at one location, just 10 minutes east of the airport. The Nicklaus course (7,057 yards, par 72) has garnered worldwide recognition since hosting the 2002 EMC World Cup Championship, and the Weiskopf course (7,153 yards, par 72) is equally outstanding. Both have generous landing areas on the fairways, but the undulating greens can be tortuous. Phone: (322) 290-0040
El Tigre Golf Club (7,239 yards, par 72) in Nuevo Vallarta hosts a lengthy course protected by traps and water throughout. The mammoth finishing hole is the par 5, 621-yard “Tiger.” Most golfers find it untamable because water runs all the way down the left side and the multi-tiered green is surrounded by sand. Phone: (322) 297-0773
The Mayan Palace Golf Club (6,856 yards, par 71) in Nuevo Vallarta is a fun course, though bunkers and water hazards are everywhere. The No. 14 signature hole is a beautiful 166-yard, par 3 with the ocean on the left and a lake on the right. Phone: (322) 226-4000
