Costa Rica Fishing & Golf Packages

History of Golf in Costa Rica

Where Are the Best Golf Courses in Costa Rica?

#1 – The Ocean Course at Peninsula Papagayo

At the top of our list is the spectacular Ocean Course located on the exclusive Peninsula Papagayo. Home to the Four Seasons, the Andaz Papagayo, and some of the most lavish private villas in the country, everything about the Peninsula Papagayo is five stars. Designed by the one and only Arnold Palmer, this course combines the contours of the peninsula that has you surrounded by both rainforest and the Pacific Ocean. The course is Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and is endorsed by the United States Golf Association. Throughout the course they have labeled important trees and you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for both howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys. The golf facilities include a driving range, practice green, pro shop, and golf pros for private instructions. Rated as one of Golfweek’s Top 25 Courses in the Caribbean/Mexico and one of the ‘Top 100 Courses Outside the USA’ by Golf Digest, it will not disappoint.

#2 – The Garra de Leon at Reserva Conchal

Next on our list is the other internationally ranked 18-hole golf course in Costa Rica, the Garra de Leon. Designed by Robert Trent Jones II, the “Lion’s Paw” is found at the gorgeous Reserva Conchal property. This was the first Audubon-certified course in Costa Rica and boasts an impressive sustainability efforts including bambu tees and a new water system that uses 100% of the waste water from the Westin Conchal Resort to water the greens and gardens. Golfers should keep an eye out for local wildlife including monkeys, deer, coatis, and several species of birds. This long course features several changes in elevation, rivers, lakes, and 63 sand traps! The golf facilities include a driving range, practice green, pro shop, and golf pros for private instructions. The Garra de Leon has also been included in Golfweek’s Top 50 Courses in the Caribbean/Mexico, ranking between #18 and #30 since 2006 and has hosted the PGA Tour Latin America.

#3 – Hacienda Pinilla

Located on a sprawling 4,500 acre property that includes three miles of pristine beaches, the golf course at Hacienda Pinilla is as beautiful as it is challenging. Yet another Audubon-certified course since 2001, the course weaves a magnificent balance between the dry tropical forest and the Pacific coastline. The longest of Costa Rica’s 18-hole courses, holes #8 and #18 are both over 550 yds and #14 measures a whopping 653 yds! If you can time it right, try to play your back nine in the afternoon because holes #15 and #16 will treat you to an incredible display of colors as the sun starts to set over the Pacific. The golf facilities include a driving range, practice green, pro shop, and golf pros for private instructions.

#4 – La Iguana at Los Sueños Resort & Marina

One of our favorite golf courses in Costa Rica is the La Iguana at the famous Los Sueños Resort and Marina. Built to make Los Sueños a truly complete resort along with the marina, luxury condos and villas, and beach club, La Iguana is the only 18-hole course located along Costa Rica’s popular Central Pacific Coast so it serves anglers from both Los Sueños and Quepos an hour to the south. La Iguana offers golfers a unique mix of resort holes that weave through the various condos and private villas, holes that go deep into Los Sueños’s 1,100 acres of rainforest, all before ending with three holes along the coast. The rainforest is considerably more lush along the Central Pacific than the dry forests in Guanacaste, so if you aren’t accurate with your drives or long irons be prepared with a few extra sleeves of balls. During the round golfers can expect to see monkeys, beautiful scarlet macaws soaring noisily overhead, over 150 species of birds, and yes, plenty of large iguanas. The golf facilities at Los Sueños include a driving range, practice green, pro shop, locker rooms, and golf pros for private instructions and swing analysis.

#5 – Valle del Sol in San Jose (Santa Ana)

When the Valle del Sol 18-hole golf course opened in 2001, it finally brought golf in San Jose out of the private country clubs and into the public’s reach. Located in the western suburb of Santa Ana, Valle del Sol is an oasis in Costa Rica’s bustling Central Valley as the course is full of ponds, ducks, and colorful bougainvillea. Santa Ana offers visitors cooler temperatures than the golf courses located along the coast due to San Jose’s elevation of 3,000 ft above sea level while also being one of the hottest and driest regions of the Central Valley. During your round you’ll be caught staring at the surrounding green mountain ranges more than once, which include the Irazu and Poas Volcanoes. The 7,011 yd course favors accuracy more than distance, although the par-5 18th hole plays at 632 yds from the black tees. Golf facilities at Valle del Sol include a driving range, practice green, pro shop, club rentals, restaurant and golf pros for private instructions. 

#6 – Cariari Country Club in San Jose (Heredia)

Costa Rica’s first 18-hole golf course was built in 1973 at the private Cariari Country Club, which is still going strong today. Located in the suburb of Heredia about six miles north of the capital San Jose, Cariari Country Club provides it’s golfers with cooler temps and great mountain vistas during their round. While not particularly a long course, architect George Fazio put a premium on accurate tee shots as many of the fairways are tightly lined with local Costa Rican trees. The 6,577 yd course used to be private exclusively to country club members, but has since softened it’s stance to become a semi-private course that is open to the public certain days a week. Golf facilities at the Cariari Country Club include a driving range, practice green, pro shop, club rentals, restaurant and golf pros for private instruction.

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