Grupo Mayan Activities and Sports

As if the last few years could get any better for México’s golf industry, the PGA Tour went outside the US and Canada for the first time in 2007, taking it to the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleón Golf Course on the Riviera Maya for the PGA Mayakoba Golf Classic. Better yet, El Camaleón has the honor of being the second of México’s courses certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Furthermore, the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol in Los Cabos which was designed by Jack Nicklaus took the number 24 slot on Golf Digest’s 2008 “100 Best Courses Outside The United States” and snagged the fifth spot on their list of best courses in all of México.

With 200-plus golf courses and counting, many of which are also award-winning, practically everywhere you look, you can play on both nine- and 18-hole courses, public or private - and each one is guaranteed to come with lushly landscaped greens and drop-dead scenery that can “drive” you to distraction.

JOIN THE CLUB
Some say the best courses are in Los Cabos because they’re quite challenging. They also offer sigh-inducing vistas across the Sea of Cortés, the majestic Sierra Madre and the deserts.

Originally built as the Old San Jose del Cabo Golf Course by architects M. Schjetnan and Joe Finger, the 3,153-yard, nine-hole Grupo Mayan Punta Sur Golf Course (par 35) is a very popular course in Los Cabos because it offers all golfers a fairly challenging game. Filled with million-dollar views of the Sea of Cortés, count on a handful of holes that will give you pause. For example, hole five. A par five with green on top of a small hill, is surrounded by two bunkers. Hole seven features all-the-time crossing winds. The ninth is a good finishing hole with a wide sloping fairway with sand traps to the top, right and bottom of the green.

A PLACE IN THE SUN
A magical combination of incredible beauty and hypnotic charm, golf is the sport of choice in Acapulco. Golfers can play the Pedro Guereca-designed Grupo Mayan Copra Course. Coming in at 6,156 yards, this 18-hole (par 72) course is considered one of the most beautiful courses on México’s Pacific coast. A semi-flat field with soft undulations, this course offers the challenges of 49 bunkers and four lakes. No wonder Golf & Life magazine dubbed this course of the top 100 courses in the world.

Duffers and Grupo Mayan aficionados are happy to know that México holds the number two spot, behind Hawaii, as best golf destination for US travelers - and in 2007, México was honored with IAGTO´s (the global trade organization for golf tourism) prestigious “Golf Destination of the Year” for Latin America and the Caribbean. 

FIT TO A TEE
Bring your A game to the brand new Península de Cortés course at, Grupo Mayan’s very own, Mayan Palace designed by Jack Nicklaus and his son, Jack II. Only a three hour-plus drive from Arizona, the Mayan Palace and Península de Cortés are part of an alliance with Arizona Golf Partners (AGA), and have hosted two AGA events. This 7,210 yards, elite 18-hole (par 72) beauty is set along a two-mile peninsula with a tidal estuary and the Sea of Cortés on both sides. 

Half the holes are ocean side. The signature hole three will have you on your toes from tee to green. A blind shot off the tee box plays slightly uphill, guarding the visual delight you’ll enjoy as you approach your second shot. And – the course was featured in Nicklaus’ calendar as one of the most stunning new courses. 

VIVA VALLARTA
16 miles apart, Puerto and Nuevo Vallarta overlook the Pacific Ocean. An amazingly popular golf destination, the number of view-infused world-class courses has grown substantially in recent years.

A Grupo Mayan course originally designed by Jim Lipe, Jack Nicklaus redesigned the 18-hole (par 72), 6,936-yard Nayar Course. Surrounded by the Sierra Madre and Banderas Bay, this course comes with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and Ameca River. Boasting a 129 slope rating, the signature hole is the 14^th, 153-yard par 3 with the beach and a lake guarded entry on either side of the green.

Nicklaus also designed Grupo Mayan’s El Manglar, set along the Riviera Maya. An 18-hole (par 54), 2,923 yard course where water plays an important role throughout. Hole 7 is surrounded by sand traps and a tee box facing the ocean, hole 13, no less challenging, is played against the wind. “Donna Green,” signature hole 17, features two strategically placed bunkers on either side of the green and another at its center, making rather difficult to reach the desired par.