Two world-class courses make Ixtapa a golf haven

With the addition of a Robert von Hagge-designed golf course to the area several years ago, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo sealed its standing as a golfer's mecca. Two excellent and very different courses--one doubles as a wildlife preserve, the other features winding inlets big enough for yachts to cruise through--challenge golfers at all levels. Both courses are located within walking distance of the Ixtapa hotel zone.

The course also serves as a wildlife preserve (watch for crocodiles in the water hazards!). There is a complete club house with five lighted tennis courts, a large pool, pro shop, locker facilities, restaurant and bar.

The Marina Ixtapa course features a series of saltwater inlets (ideal for cruising pleasure craft), allowing water to come into play on 13 of the 18 holes--a real beauty! The complete facility includes a club house, two lighted tennis courts, lockers, a restaurant, bar and swimming pool.

Designer:

Robert Trent Jones Jr.

18-holes
Par 72
Rating 70.0
Championship yardage 6898
Men’s yardage 6408
Women’s yardage 5801

Driving range,
practice putting green,
Golf lessons available,
Pool,
4 tennis courts,
2 paddle courts,
Restaurant & bar including a mobile bar on the course,
Open year round 7 days a week

18-holes
Par 72
Rating 74.1
Championship yardage 6781
Men’s yardage 6328
Women’s yardage 5197

Driving range,
Practice putting green,
Golf lessons available,
2 tennis courts ,
Restaurant & bar including a mobile bar on the course,
Open year round 7 days a week

Famous for his imaginative fields, the Texan Robert Von Hagge designed the layout for the championship level course of the Marina Ixtapa Golf Club, with water channels winding through it. The channels provide delicious recreation routes and nautical transportation between the private villages, the Club House and the Ixtapa Marina facilities. Its dune style topography requires exact shots both at departure and approaching, to navigate for the undulant ground, the expansive sand traps and the aquatic dangers that enter in action from the 14 to 18 holes. Because the greens are big and undulant, arriving to them is only half of the challenge, however, with four departure positions in each hole, the course can be enjoyed by players of any skill level. 

The Club House
  
The Club House, with Spanish Mediterranean architecture, possesses roomy restaurant rest areas, with panoramic windows and balconies that view the marine for yachts and the golf field. The facilities include a Pro Shop with all the services, dressing rooms for ladies and gentlemen, tennis courts, swimming pool and of course, the hole 19 for that additional round. The Marina walkway is very close, adjacent to the docks, with outdoor and indoor cafeterias, boutiques and El Faro (The Lighthouse) nightclub located on top of a tower that resembles a real lighthouse, with a fabulous view and live music to dance. Par: 72 
Longitude: 6,781 yards 

Open the whole year, 7 days per week, from 7 AM up to the dusk.

The Course
Hole 1.
Par 5, and probably your best opportunity to get a " Birdie ", so make your best effort, later on any " birdie " will be more difficult to obtain. 

Hole 4. Par 4. You will need a very exact departure shot, since there is water all along the right side, and mounds all along the left side. An approach shot to a very protected green, is equally difficult. 

Hole 9. Par 4, with water at the left side and sand traps at the right side from the departure tee up to the green, to catch any wandering shot. To hit right to the green requires an approach shot that passes above a large lake size that is the home to numerous crocodiles. They don't eat golfers, but they like to watch the game while taking the sun, so bring your camera. 

Hole 12. Par 4, quite long with a marked dog paw at the right side. The possibility that the shots leave the course by the left side, and the forest by the right side, make this a difficult hole for departing shots. The approach shot is to a very high green surrounded by sand. 

Hole 16. Par 4, long with a marked dog paw toward the left and, causing bigger difficulty, there is water along the left side from the tee up to the green. It is type #1 hole as for the handicap and the starting of the very difficult three final holes. 

Hole 17.Par 3. The designer's characteristic hole--150 yards of water over which it is necessary to fly to arrive to a green totally surrounded by sand, water and mounds. 

Hole 18. Par 5, well-known locally as the Devil's Hole. With 609 yards, it is probably one of the most difficult Par 5 that you ever have the chance to play. There is water at the left side from the departure tee up to the green, and a series of sandtraps all along the right side, arriving to a very narrow green surrounded by more water and sand in the right side. To get a Par in this hole is really something to show off.