Top 10 Costa Rica

The BIG question? WHERE DO WE PLAY?

My guess is that like all golfers you have a hard time choosing the destination for your upcoming golf adventure. There are dozens of great golf destinations and picking the right one is never an easy decision. While many destinations have much to offer, I believe few can match Costa Rica for overall quality, cost, and safety. The Costa Rica experience combines great golf, new and exciting non-golfing adventures, and the chance to meet and interact with the warm and friendly people of this charming country. What is truly remarkable is that all of this is set in one of the world’s most beautiful and ecologically diverse locations.

Following is a brief description of the most popular 18 hole courses in Costa Rica. The courses offer all types of terrain and playing conditions but all are a fair test of golf.

Golfing in Costa Rica

Parque Valle del Sol Golfing in Costa Rica
Par: 72 Yardage: 6,542 Architect: Tracy May
Located near Santa Ana close to San José eagerly awaited the opening of the Parque Valle del Sol in the suburb of Santa Ana. This is now a public course and green fees are $75 including cart. The property and golf course were initially developed in the late seventies, but the course was never open to the public. In 1994, golf course architect Tracy May was hired to re-design and build a new course. Finally open to the public in 2001, this course is now an excellent 18-hole championship golf course. The layout is challenging and fair under most conditions. It can get a little unfair when the swirling winds are blowing down from the picturesque mountains surrounding the course. The setting is pure Costa Rica, with mountain vistas on all sides, giant trees scattered everywhere and rolling hills along the length of the course. This makes for a lot of diversity, and a great round of golf.

Cariari Golfing in Costa Rica
Par: 71 Yardage: 6,590 Architect: George Fazio
Cariari located just off the Pan American Highway between the San Jose airport and San Jose, was the best course in Central America until the competition recently stepped up, so there is a historical aspect that makes this golf course a must play when you come to Costa Rica. George Fazio designed this par 71 course that measures 6,590 yards on land that was formerly a coffee plantation. The course is heavily wooded, the fairways are narrow with few fairway bunkers, and the fast greens tend to be on the large side with sand traps galore.

Hacienda Los Reyes Golfing in Costa Rica
Par: 70 Yardage 2917×2 = 5834 Architect: Robertson Ward & Assoc.
This 9-hole golf course is touted as a challenge for any player and features fresh breezes and attractive mountain views. Completed in 1976 the complex also features a driving range, putting green and clubhouse. The greens and fairways are large and attractive.

Costa Rica Country Club Golfing in Costa Rica
This 9-hole course is unique, and exclusive, open to members and their guests only, with tight and challenging fairways and approaches. The Costa Rica Country Club is the oldest in the country, and reeks of tradition and prestige. The course demands accurate drives, letting up only slightly on holes 3,9 and maybe 7. Hole #1 is the only par 3. The sand traps are small, but the greens are elevated, so you don’t have much room to work with. This course requires concentration and skill; your score can go downhill very quickly around here! If you get an opportunity to play this golf course, you should take it just for the tradition alone. (Plus you can lord it over all of your friends for years to come.)

Golf in Costa Rica: Nicoya Peninsula Golfing in Costa Rica
With 3 stunning 18-hole courses and 2 public 9-hole courses, the Northwest Pacific Coast is now the most golfer-friendly area in Costa Rica. The new bridge over the Tempisque River will eliminate the need to wait for a ferry in Puntarenas, so homeowners at Lomas de Carara will have fairly easy access to these courses very soon. Improvements to the roads will also cut down the travel time considerably. The only drawback here is the tropical heat. Morning tee times are preferable; some courses even offer steep discounts for afternoon tee times.

Hacienda Pinilla Golfing in Costa Rica
Par: 72 Yardage: 7274 Architect: Mike Young Hacienda Pinilla is the newest course in Costa Rica. It lies south of Tamarindo near Playa Langosta and green fees are $100 including cart in the morning and $70 in the afternoon. The course was previously a cattle ranch and its layout of reflects this with Texas sized, open fairways that bring the prevailing winds into play on nearly every shot. There is a lot of variety on this course and the fast greens are among the best in Costa Rica. The well placed pot bunkers offer unique challenge, and they are one you will become quite familiar with since they are around most of the greens. The back nine offers lovely ocean views.

Garra de Leon (Melia Conchal) Golfing in Costa Rica
Par: 72 Yardage: 7,080 Architect: Robert Trent Jones, II Garra de León Golf Course is located on the ocean at Conchal Beach in Nicoya. It offers you beautiful ocean views, sweeping fairways, large undulating greens, and lots of water. Robert Trent Jones, II built the course over a period of four years and the great attention to detail shows up everywhere. The course blends naturally into the landscape. It is a very long course from the back tees, a championship caliber course. Many of the holes feature panoramic ocean views. Howler monkeys are a common sight (and sound!) along the fairways that are bordered by stands of virgin forest. The course also features many lakes and ravines, so accurate approach shots are required.

Royal Pacific Golfing in Costa Rica
Par: 72 Yardage: 6,802 Architect: Ron Garl Royal Pacific Golf and Country Club is a short drive from Conchal’s Garra de León Golf Course. The 18-hole championship course opened in 1997. It offers an interesting contrast to the wide-open spaces at Conchal. The front nine is relatively flat with many of the holes following a river that borders the western edge of the course. Try not to let the Howler monkeys interfere with your game! On the back nine more rugged terrain comes into play, with steep fairways cut through rocky hills. Here, accuracy is more vital than length. The course offers a lot of variety and challenge.

Los Delfines Golfing in Costa Rica
Yardage: 3315 yards * 2 = 6630 yards This 9-hole public course is in a lovely setting next to the Barceló Tambor resort. It has nine intriguing holes that you will enjoy playing twice. The course was recently renovated and green fees are as follows: Standard Green Fees are $20 for nine and $30 for unlimited play Carts are available at, $20 for nine and $25 for 18

Tango Mar Golfing in Costa Rica
This 9-hole public course is also at Playa Tambor and charges $25 with cart rentals available for $30.

Los Sueños Marriott is cleverly located at the Los Sueños Marriott close to Jaco. As with a beach areas, it is hotter’n hell so bring your deodorant.

Playa Conchal Northwest. THE Garra de León Golf Course Garra de León Golf Course is an oceanside course is located in Guanacaste at the Paradisus Playa Conchal Hotel. Very popular course in beautiful surroundings.

Hacienda Pinilla is just a short drive from the Playa Conchal course

The Four Seasons. It is part of the Four Seasons hotel chain