Maybe it was after eating some carnitas at a breezy beach bar. Or while sipping fresh coconut juice and gazing at the Sierra Madre Mountains. Then again, it might have hit me while watching a blazing sunset with a cold cerveza in hand. The exact moment doesn’t matter, but the realization was that Mexico has another golf destination that equals if not exceeds higher profile counterparts like Los Cabos and Cancun. I’m not sure why Riviera Nayarit, a sun-drenched stretch of coastline just north of Puerto Vallarta with a varied roster of quality courses, isn’t swarmed by golfers. But it should be. And soon.


This region initially showed up on


the golf radar back in 1999 when the Four Seasons established a first-class outpost at Punta Mita 45 minutes north of the area’s international airport. With it came Pacifico, a Jack Nicklaus design chiefly known for a dazzling par 3 over water known as the Tail of the Whale. That hole remains (it’s an alternate third hole, but you must play it) on the fun tropical layout. But last spring an adjacent 18-hole design called Bahia debuted, and just 18 months later it outshines its older sibling. Nicklaus incorporated a greater degree of chal- lenge, chiefly through more undulating greens (good luck on the par-3 fifth if the hole location is back). The routing is even better, and ocean views are equally as memorable. Both photogenic courses finish with waterfront greens. The Four Seasons continues to


1 2 3


(Opposite page) Punta Mita GC 1 Puerto Vallarta’s Los Arcos


2 Rock appetizer 3 Puerto Villa Del Palmar


anchor the area (a St. Regis opened in 2007 nearby within the same gated community) and this year it opened a new main restaurant called Aramara. The offerings include both infusion cocktails (combining sake, vodka and various fruits) and an Asian fusion menu (try The Rock appetizer, where you cook thinly sliced pieces of meat on a heated rock at your table). There are complimentary Kindles loaded with bestsellers for lounging by the main in- finity edge pool, and impeccable service (rarely, if ever, will an employee walk by you without a smile or greeting). There are also distance finders on the driving range and a free fruit smoothie at the turn. There is a catch, however. To play the courses you have stay at the Four Seasons (or nearby St. Regis) or be a guest of a member. And the resort is far


WINTER 2011 / NCGA.ORG / 45


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