Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club, Ponce /Dean
Golf October-2005, By:Travel and Sports Staff
Golfing Championship Courses
Virtually all of Puerto Rico’s golf courses are of championship caliber, created by some of the best-known architects in the golf world and host to local, national and international tournaments. Players of all levels are tested by an abundance of well-placed bunkers and water hazards, spreading trees, rolling hills and the ever-present trade winds.
More than 20 golf courses in Puerto Rico test players of all levels with an abundance of well-placed bunkers and water hazards, spreading trees and rolling hills and the ever-present trade winds. Many courses have hosted local, national and international tournaments and rank among the best and most challenging in the Caribbean. Fairways border dramatic blue tropical waters, sand traps match the bone-white hues of beach sand, a profusion of flowering thickets add color to the roughs and the graceful fronds of coconut palms provide some shade.
With sunny skies, easterly breezes and year-round temperatures hovering around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, Puerto Rico offers perfect golf weather just about every day of the year.
Golf reached Puerto Rico in the 1920s, when most of the staff and managers of the major sugar mills were from the mainland U.S. Their love of the sport resulted in courses popping up in Río Piedras, Salinas, Guánica and Humacao. Today, the nine-hole course at the now-closed Aguirre mill in Salinas, established in the late 1920s, has the distinction of being the oldest golf course on the Island.
When World War II military
installations were established around the Island, most of them included a golf course. In Old San Juan, nine holes were landscaped onto the vast field leading to El Morro Fort, but they were removed as historic eyesore decades ago. Today, the holes at the former Ramey U.S. Air Force Base in Aguadilla, a favorite of President Eisenhower, are open to the public, while the courses at Fort Buchanan and the former Roosevelt Roads are limited to military personnel and families.
The modern age of golf began in the 1950s and 1960s, with the opening of the Berwind Country Club course in Río Grande and the four Cerromar/Dorado Beach courses in Dorado. The Dorado courses took more than a decade to complete, and Dorado quickly became the place to play golf in the Caribbean.
All golf courses in Puerto Rico today have golf pros, classes, driving ranges and clubhouses ranging from modest to magnificent. With the exception of the military courses, virtually all welcome public play on a daily basis. Fees vary greatly, ranging from a low of $50 or less (cart included) to $185 and up. High season is more expensive than low season, mornings more expensive than afternoons and there are often special rates for twilight play, groups and local residents.. You can find current fees and make reservations through the concierge at your hotel or you can call a particular course directly.
Independent courses
Puerto Rico has golf courses that are not connected to a resort hotel complex, and golf courses that are. In general, the independent courses offer fewer amenities, cost less, cater more to local golfers and, consequently, have more local flavor. The greatest concentration of championship golf courses is found along the northeast coastline of Puerto Rico. Of its two independent courses, the Bahía Beach Plantation (currently closed for renovation) is a short drive from San Juan in Río Grande. The nearby Berwind Country Club is a private club that welcomes visitors on weekdays and Sunday afternoons. If you continue clockwise around the coast you eventually reach Salinas and the venerable nine-hole Aguirre Golf Club. Club Deportivo del Oeste in Cabo Rojo is the only course on the west coast. In northwest Aguadilla, the modest fees at the Punta Borinquen Golf Course make it a favorite with local golfers. Walking is permitted on certain days at both Club Deportivo and Punta Borinquen.
Golf courses on the interior slopes of the Island, often in the shadow of the Central Mountains, are a relatively recent phenomenon. The Coamo Springs Golf & Tennis Club is set above the historic town of Coamo. Las Bambúas Golf Course is cradled between mountains near the town of Gurabo. The Island’s newest golf course is the Caguas Real Golf Club, in the central city of Caguas.
Resort courses
Courses linked to island resort hotels pamper their golfers with well equipped clubhouses and well stocked pro shops and they are close to the upscale restaurants and other amenities of a luxury resort. The prime of golfing in Puerto Rico is found at the four 18-hole courses surrounding the Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Country Club in Dorado. They are considered among the top 50 resort courses in the world. The East Course and West Course adjoin the Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort. Half of the North and South courses, now part of the Hyatt’s Plantation Club, are open for play. Weather conditions permitting, all 36 holes, renamed the Sugarcane Course and Pineapple Course, will be open by November along with a new clubhouse and pavilion. Nearby, the Embassy Suites Beach & Golf Resort is the setting for the Dorado del Mar Golf Course. Its driving range is lit up for nighttime practice. On the opposite side of the island, the Ponce Hilton & Casino in Ponce showcases the Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club. In nearby Guayama, Chi Chi Rodríguez’s new El Legado Golf Course, part of a property management resort, is now open for play.
In northeastern Puerto Rico, Paradisus Puerto Rico in Río Grande shares the coastline with Coco Beach Golf & Country Club and its four 9-hole courses – the Mountain Course, Ocean Course, Lake Course and Wetlands Course. The Westin Río Mar Beach Resort & Golf Club in Río Grande has two classic resort courses, the original Ocean Course and the newer River Course. Non-hotel guests must reserve 24 hours in advance. The El Conquistador Golf Club in Fajardo has been listed as one of the top 75 golf resorts in the world. On the east coast, the sprawling Palmas del Mar Resort showcases the lovely Palm Course and challenging Flamboyán Course. Call ahead to check for availability and reserve your tee time.
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