The Best Course to Play on a
Costa Rica Golf Vacation
By Craig Better ,
Golfvacationinsider.com
The 2004 opening of the Four
Seasons Costa Rica Golf Club
lent great support to the idea
that Costa Rica can be more than
the low-budget playground for
rough-and-ready trekkers,
backpackers, surfers, and
eco-adventurers.
And, not only is the Four
Seasons Costa Rica Golf Club the
best course to play on a Costa
Rica golf vacation, it is
arguably the best course in all
of Central America.
Architects from Arnold Palmer
Design carved the course into a
tropical dry forest and
incorporated the area’s
rollicking headlands and
canyons, so there are
precipitous elevation changes
and continual visual movement,
as well as spectacular ocean
views on 14 holes (the ocean
never comes into play, however).
The front nine showcases some of
the prettiest coastal scenery in
Costa Rica. Teeing off from a
high point on the Papagayo
Peninsula
The back nine lacks the splendor
of the front, but it offers a
superior challenge. In fact, the
toughest stretch on the course
may be holes 10 through 13,
where two long par fours bookend
a stern, uphill, par three and a
600-yard par five.
Lots of golf courses claim to be
“fun for all abilities,” but
with five sets of tees, a
wide-open layout, and no carries
exceeding 150 yards, this Costa
Rica golf course backs it up. To
be sure, wild shots will find
the jungle and likely be
unplayable, but even
semi-accurate players should be
able to avoid serious trouble
off the tee.
Not sold on Costa Rica as a golf
destination? Just wait. Plans
for the posh Papagayo Peninsula
call for as many as seven
boutique hotels and up to 36
more holes of golf. |
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