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While playing golf in Guanacaste you will experience natural beauty and wildlife undisturbed. Howler Monkeys, Parrots and Iguanas await your foursome. Hacienda Pinilla is a Mike Young design and is one of the best championship golf courses in Central America. Paradisus Playa Conchal is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design with a beautiful resort layout with plenty of wildlife and nature.
Golf
Costa Rica has just recently been ‘discovered' as a fabulous golf destination. Imagine yourself on the pacific coast of tropical Costa Rica ; better yet imagine a golf vacation on the pacific coast of tropical Costa Rica .
A new world leader in eco-tourism, Costa Rica is also earning a reputation as a home for world-class golf. The golf scene continues to move forward, putting the country well on it's way to becoming the world's newest golf travel destination. In response to the increased popularity of golf in Costa Rica , the existing clubs are upgrading their facilities and improving their courses.
Golf Courses in Costa Rica
Meliá Conchal Golf Club and Las Colinas Golf Course
In late 1997, two of these Guanacaste projects were completed and are the first of many courses that will bring visitors to this region: the Ron Garl-designed course at Rancho Las Colinas Golf & Country Club and the Robert Trent Jones II course at Meliá Playa Conchal Beach & Golf Resort.
Las Colinas' course is primarily a golf course community, with private homes and condos situated around the course.
Home sites are still being offered at Las Colinas Golf & Country Club, as well as condos overlooking the back nine with great views. The golf course at Las Colinas takes full advantage of the steep, rocky terrain on the back nine, while the river that borders the front nine attracts a large variety of tropical water birds and a troop or two of Howler monkeys.
Meliá Conchal Golf Club, the Robert Trent Jones, II course, at the Meliá Playa Conchal Beach and Golf Resort has beautiful vistas, sweeping fairways, undulating greens, lots of water simply put, a big golf course.
Not only does Conchal challenge golfers with its length, it also confronts them with constant elevation changes. Sometimes subtle and sometimes dramatic the elevation shifts play an integral part of every club selection you make.
Garra de Leon, or Lion's Paw, named after the shells that resemble the paw print of a lion, is a world-class golf course capable of hosting any professional golf event.
In fact, at the end of next September it will host the Tour Las Americas golf tournament with the top pros from Central and South America competing for $200,000 in prize money. The event will be televised on the Golf Channel and ESPN.
Parque Valle del Sol
In the San José area, Parque Valle del Sol, is located near the Juan Santamaria International Airport in the Central Valley .
It is part of a golf course community being developed by Habitasul. The Brazilian firm bought the unfinished project in 1994.
In 1994 Parque Valle del Sol brought in golf course architect Tracy May to re-design and build a new course. The layout is diverse and requires the use of all the clubs in your bag. The rolling hills, mature trees that were part of the original course and the surrounding mountains create a great setting for golf.
Cariari Country Club
Costa Rica 's premier golf course, the Cariari Country Club was built in 1972 by George Fazio.
The first 18-hole course in Costa Rica , the Cariari Country Club opened in 1973. It is a short distance from the national capital of San José in the central valley.
The Cariari is a narrow, challenging course. Several international professionals say some of the holes are the most challenging and beautiful they've ever played. That's why it has hosted many international tournaments and has been the crown jewel of Costa Rican golf for many years.
Keep in mind the Costa Rican golf scene is in its infancy and changing rapidly, but always for the best.
The 10-hole executive course at Tango Mar Beach Resort is a tough little course measuring 2,000 yards and it is part of the intimate and beautiful Tango Mar resort.
Costa Rican Country Club
The oldest golf club in Costa Rica is the Costa Rican Country Club in the suburb of Escazú. Its a private club but short - what most North Americans would describe as an ‘executive' course.
If you're staying at one of Costa Rica 's major hotels, the hotel front desk can usually get you a tee time.
About two hours' drive from San Jose on the Pacific near Jacó is a course, Los Sueños. It's a beautiful course and well worth the drive for the avid golfer, it is associated with the Mariott group. Players are expected to be guests of the Marriott.
Hacienda Pinilla
Hacienda Pinilla, located on Costa Rica 's North Pacific coast near Flamingo Beach , is just a short drive from Meliá Playa Conchal's Garra de León Golf Course.
Surrounded by hundreds of acres of undeveloped grasslands and forests, Hacienda Pinilla is an 18-hole, championship-style course spanning 4,500 acres along the Pacific. Designed by Mike Young, who is responsible for some of the finest courses in the southwest United States , this is certainly a spectacular layout meandering along the Pacific cliffs.
The course is open to the public. Keep in mind that Guanacaste can get very warm, so most golfers should try to get out early in the morning or late in the afternoon in the sunny season.
Peninsula Papagayo
Set on the Papagayo Peninsula with cool, prevailing breezes, Four Seasons Golf Club Costa Rica boasts sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean on 14 of its 18 holes. This Arnold Palmer signature golf course has wide, undulating fairways with large and contoured greens, providing a fair and challenging test of your golf finesse.
The spectacular course is laid out over sloping terrain between the rain forest and the Pacific, and offers sea views on 14 holes. Play is limited to guests of the very exclusive, posh resort that caters to the wealthiest travelers. | 
