“Golfing” in Panamá

By Bill Upchurch

Just the sound of the word “Golfing” makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and soon I start to twitch. One does not go golfing, one plays the game of golf. You would not go “footballing” or “tennising,” now would you? Bowling, on the other hand, is ok because you can’t set your cigarette next to your Scotch & Soda and consider this an athletic move! But I Digress!!

Panama is not a country where you would think you could find great golf…….you would be wrong! Panama has several unique, beautiful, scenic and challenging Golf Clubs along the Pacific coast from Panama City to Rio Hato. Let me tell you about the three that I frequent most.

Vista Mar Golf and Beach Resort in San Carlos is fantastic design by Mike Poellot (designer/builder of golf courses all over the world.) The course has twisting, bending holes with sand and water coming into play frequently and several blind shots from perfect locations. Two of the holes had me muttering in the middle of the fairway “Where the heck is the green?” Talk about trusting the yardage marker!!

Photo courtesy of GolfAdvisor

Buenaventura may be the “Gem” of Panama. It was designed by some guy named Jack Nicklaus (I’ve heard that name somewhere.) You know what that means…..Sand!!! The last time I played the course, I thought I should have brought a pale and shovel instead of my golf clubs. But that is not the fault of the Golf Course. BuenaVentura is truly a wonderful track. In my opinion, this may be the best kept Golf secret in the Americas. Very well maintained and manicured tees, fairways, rough and greens. The greens are so fast, you would swear they were just waxed!!

Photo courtesy of Buenaventura Golf Club

Then we have BlueBay Coronado Golf and Beach Resort. This George Fazio design is probably the most difficult of the three. This tree lined beauty has everything one needs for a perilous round. Trees, bunkers, water, elevated greens that when missed with your shot, send your ball into the abyss never to be seen again. The first hole starts off with water, sand and a couple of Caymans on the right and if you miss the fairway a bit to the left, you are joining a family barbecue! Like I don’t have enough swing thoughts before starting a round! Don’t get me wrong, I love this golf course and would go out of my way to play it!

Photo courtesy of Blue Bay Resort

All three of these courses have playability for all levels from the scratch handicap player to the weekend hacker. These courses have tees that go back to 7000 + yards at the tips and a much more manageable 5000 yards from the forward tees.

There are several more golf courses in Panama City as well as a few in the mountains near Boquete. I can’t wait to give them a try!! So, if you are a golf enthusiast visiting Panamá, bring your sticks! You don’t want to miss out!!