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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | January 2006 
Golf and Tourism
 El Universal
| | Lorena Ochoa, Mexico's young golf star from Guadalajara is bringing more young Mexicans, including women, into the sport than ever. |
"I don't want a cut fade into the wind," says golf coach Ernesto Pérez, as we pause to look over the 18th hole with his set of clubs made up mostly of Mizunos and Pings.
I try to look unimpressed and at ease. But the truth is I have no idea what he is talking about.
Lorena Ochoa, Mexico's young golf star from Guadalajara is bringing more young Mexicans, including women, into the sport than ever, but golf hasn't been very accessible until recently. While nearly every U.S. city has a municipal golf course, there are no public courses in Mexico and the sport is still seen as elitist, with only 70,000 golfers nationally.
However, golf is a phenomenon on the tourism scene. Last year 600,000 players from the United States and Canada came to Mexico to play golf, a figure expected to increase.
"Currently there are over 170 courses in this country, and 35 being planned as we speak," says publisher Chuck Kinder of Best's Golf Guide Mexico.
He says that there are an estimated 27 million golfers in the United States with 8 million of these considered "avid golfers," meaning that they will travel to play the sport. Mexico is now the number one worldwide destination for U.S. golfers.
Golf Destinations
Ernesto has just taught me about clubs and why golfers have so many - usually 14 - different ones (but only one driver, sandwich and putter), about the decline of the caddy, what the "fairway" is, as distinguished from the "rough" and the "green," what is meant by a "birdie," why there are fewer back injuries in the sport nowadays, and that everything is measured in yards.
This was my first ever golf clinic at Mexico's newest golf course, El Camaleón, near Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo. Ernesto, a handsome 31-year-old from Tijuana, has been golfing since he was 4 years old. He considered going professional like his father, but has found his dream come true in his new job as golf operations manager at this par-72 championship course designed by Greg Norman.
Camaleón will bring Cancún and the Riviera Maya's golf courses up to eight, but there are another 18 scheduled for the area.
Los Cabos on the Pacific Coast in Baja California is still the high-end destination for golf in the country, and one of the hottest in the continent, attracting incentive groups from international corporations. The country's top ranking course is the 18-hole Cabo del Sol, designed by Jack Nicklaus with five oceanfront holes. Green fees are US$295, including drinking water, cart and practice balls. Golf Guide to Mexico ranks other Cabos courses second, fourth and fifth, respectively, El Dorado golf course, Palmilla Golf resort and Querencia Country Club, with only the Isla Navidad course in Colima stealing third place.
But now competition is coming from the Caribbean.
Currently Los Cabos has 14 percent of Mexico's golf market share, with Cancún rivaling Puerto Vallarta, at 8 percent to the Pacific resort's 9 percent. But with current developments, Kinder predicts Los Cabos and Cancún will be on an equal footing, with Vallarta in third place.
Better Bargains
Since the new golf Cancún is aiming for an affluent market, Vallarta will remain a major attraction for national golfers as well as those from the north.
"Puerto Vallarta has seven courses, with a further three in the Manzanillo area. They are half the price of ones in Cabo, and they are outstanding," says Kinder admiringly, noting that Vallarta caters to the Mexican national market as well as international.
Nationwide, a fee of US$100 is now low range for 18 holes, and US$295 the established price for the top range.
Yet this is no obstacle to growth and golf packages knock prices down considerably.
In terms of golf tourism, the average golfer coming to Mexico spends about US$1,800, Kinder says, playing about two rounds of golf, and staying on average four days (three nights). There is a growing trend of golf packages, through specialized agencies such as Teetimes, which has the world's most advanced tee time reservation system. GolfinMexico.net also offers "Stay and Play" packages.
However, far from the resorts, as long as you know a member you can still play on a private course for as little as around US$50. Kinder speaks very highly of Cocoyoc near Cuernavaca - "the best 9-hole in Mexico" - although he points out "this is not serious golf, but recreational."
Cuernavaca's long-established 18-hole Los Tabachines course also deserves a mention while the two 18-hole courses in Avandaro, Valle de Bravo are "outstanding." In Mexico City, Club de Golf Mexico and Club de Golf Chapultepec receive 10th and 19th ranks respectively; in Guadalajara the Guadalajara Country Club and El Palomar make 14th and 27th; and Monterrey has two 18-hole courses in the Club Campestre and Club Palo Alto, as well as Robert Von Hagge design Las Misiones Country Club out of town.
There are 12 driving ranges in Mexico City, one of the most established being the Santa Fe range, extremely popular with young executives on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. It receives 1,000 clients per month and charges about 60 pesos for a basket of 55 balls. A new range is being built in Guadalajara, says Kinder, and Malinalco is another golf destination to watch out for.
Barbara Kastelein writes a weekly column on travel for The Herald. sirio@data.net.mx
Environmental legislation in Mexico has also become more stringent in the last five years, says Kinder, even if it is not quite up to U.S. standards.
"For example, you wouldn't be able to build a course like Cabo del Sol's anymore because of its proximity to the coastline, and the danger of run-off from fertilizers used on the grass."
Changes involve greater care over the use of water, and regulations on the cutting down of trees. Ernesto from Camaleón said not a tree was cut down without being replanted in another part of the Mayakoba property.
Golf-Mexico to Host Debut PGA Tour Event In 2007
Reuters
Mexico will stage an official PGA Tour event for the first time next year.
The Mayakoba Classic will be played at the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course at the resort of Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya from Feb. 22-25, Tour officials said on Friday.
The tournament, being held in the same week as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, will offer a purse of $3.5 million with a first prize of $630,000.
"The PGA Tour is very excited about making golf history in Mexico," commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement.
"One of our goals is to expand the reach of golf and Mexico has demonstrated a growing passion for the sport."
"We are pleased to be able to showcase our players to Mexico and in turn showcase Mexico to the world."
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Honolulu, Hawaii) |
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