Where to play in Riviera Nayarit

For decades, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, has been known around the world for its romantic atmosphere. These days, its magic includes golf.

Known as the Riviera Narayit, this sprawling, 200-kilometer stretch along the Pacific Ocean is full of unforgettable resorts and public outreach courses. As prime golf season approaches south of the border, here are five of the best places to play in and around Riviera Nayarit.

Punta Mita Golf Club

There are many ways to tell the golf story at Punta Mita, a 1,500-acre resort and residential community adjacent to an expanse of white-sand beaches. A good place to start is “Tale of the Whale.” That's the one-of-a-kind par-3 moniker that marks the only natural island green in the world. The hole, which requires a 194-yard carry from the tips to a rocky tee-covered tee, plays like hole 3B on the Pacifico Course. In other words, a 'different' slot on the score card. But it's not an experience you want to miss (note: if you're strong, the green is only accessible by motorboat). The Pacifico Course is one of two private Jack Nicklaus Signature designs in Punta Mita that make tee times available to resort guests, offering manicured golf on palm-fringed fairways with sweeping ocean views. Both courses also participate in one of the most popular golf and lifestyle events in Mexico, the Punta Mita Invitational, a five-day gathering full of food and wine where winners from the major professional golf courses play against novice participants in an easy-space walk.

El Tigre Golf Club

At over 7,200 yards from the back tees, with a course and slope rating of 75.4/144, this Robert von Hagge course has been described as one of the toughest in Mexico. It sure has a lot of teeth. A herd of animals lives in the area, including crocodiles and monkeys. The par-3 17th, which plays over the water to the green peninsula, is the most worrying hazard behind it: the tiger enclosure, which was rescued by the golf course director.

Vista Vallarta Golf Club

In Spanish, as in English, 'vista' means view. And, boy, do they stand out at this 36-hole resort, at the foot of a mountain east of Puerto Vallarta. The two courses here, designed, respectively, by Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf, complement each other in their pursuit of beauty and shooting. The former, which appears to be a little more than 7,000 meters, twists and turns between palm trees and ficus trees, its path divided by streams and arroyos, while the latter is a little shorter and cleverly uses the changes in altitude to increase its initial level to eliminate danger and rewards. What both properties have in common are the stunning vistas, sweeping from the coast and Banderas Bay to the green fringes of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Vidanta Neuvo Nayarit-Vallarta

This sprawling resort, just north of the Puerto Vallarta airport, spreads over more than 3,500 acres, allowing space for dozens of swimming pools, dozens of bars and restaurants, nine miles of boardwalks and a golf course. More golf, including the Nicklaus signature design and Greg Norman course that hosts the Mexico Open. Both courses can be bearish or healthy, depending on the tees you choose, and there's also an easy-to-use 10-hole par-3 course that's lit at night, and a golf school to help you get your bearings.

Flamingos Golf Course

Built in 1970, this Percy Clifford design is one of the area's OGs, and offers a traditional tropical experience. Its slow route passes behind mangroves, lagoons and lush rainforests. Although the coastal winds are always close, the fairways are as forgiving and the greens are as rolling as any around.

Josh Sens

Golf.com Editor

Golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a contributor to GOLF Magazine since 2004 and now contributes to all areas of GOLF. His work has been honored in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: The Cooking and Partying Handbook.