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Flamingos Golf 30th Anniversary of the very first one!
Thirty years after its inauguration and an investment of several million dollars in its renovation, the course in its maturity is better than ever! Flamingos Golf is reborn with a new shimmer, though keeping the essence of its original design, an essence perceived by those accepting the challenge of playing it under par (a feat not easily achieved), as they walk the links and experience every stroke. All details are being looked after to the utmost, and upon crossing the fairways you can assess the original outline of the course, uncovering new and fascinating natural scenery many of us who have played here before would never have suspected. The lightly inclined fairways are an exciting path between natural lagoons, estuaries and swamp, always surrounded by an abundance of greenery provided by the parota trees, eucalyptus and other fruit-tree species, responsible for the course being a paradise for birds, a fact well appreciated by some golfers who take advantage of their visit to practice some bird-watching. ○ Playing the course from the white marks: The perspective of playing the field varies according to each player’s level of play. To golfers of good to excellent level a good number of the fairways are a constant challenge to be played aggressively with woods, always aware that the natural course slope demands precision in each stroke. To beginners or those with a high handicap, the same context of Flamingos Golf is a warm invitation to dare to hit the ball without being intimidated on their quest to raise their level of play. • Hole 1 – Par 4 It features a wide fairway from the start with a very clear perspective towards the flag. The approach stroke must be precise as the green is elevated and protected by a sand trap on its right, and a long slope on its left marking the OB [out of bounds]. • Hole 2 – Par 4 From the tee box you cannot see the location of the green and the fairway keeps ascending while it turns lightly left, creating a visual effect that makes a great deal of golfers strike a hook; in the middle of the fairway there is a huge sand trap (which cannot be seen from the tee box), right on the best spot where you could make your approaching shot to the green. As on the rest of the course, the field’s slopes and two sand traps in front of a flat and ball-friendly green, demand precision. This par 4 hole represents an exciting opportunity to finish it off with a birdie. • Hole 3 – Par 5 The longest hole on the course and one of the most beautiful and challenging. It displays a straight and wide fairway, one that invites you to use your woods merrily. Its sand traps, placed on the left, act as huge ball-attracting magnets. The green’s best protections are its elevation and slopes at both sides. It is recommendable to study well your initial shot as if it goes to the right, you can consider it a lost ball. • Hole 4 – Par 4 A beautiful hole with a straight and narrow fairway, always offering you a forthright shot to the flag or green, which is guarded by two sand traps. Your best initial shot is achieved aiming at the “Great White Ball”, the course’s emblem, or following the line formed by the trees lining the right side of the fairway. A friendly hole for a birdie, or what experts refer to as “a hole to recuperate”. • Hole 5 – Par 5 A challenging fairway with a double dogleg ending to the right and demanding precision from the start, especially if you want to keep the ball within the zones that give you forthright strokes to the green. To reach the green on your second shot you will need to play aggressively shooting over the trees, taking two very high palm-trees as reference indicating the beginning of a second and more pronounced curve before you can see the flag. Its wide green is hidden between three sand traps and it offers you a partial view of the El Quelele estuary, the magnificent refuge of a great variety of birds. Finishing this hole on par is quite an achievement, but hitting a birdie here is something to be celebrated. • Hole 6 – Par 3 A fascinating hole where water appears for the first time as an inlet of the estuary faces the tee box. The persistent headwind raises the level of difficulty, especially in the afternoon. Its elevated green surrounded by three sand traps make it the toughest par-three hole on the course. From the tee box, the view of the short fairway, the green and surroundings is simply captivating. • Hole 7 – Par 5 Originally par 4, this is a panoramic hole converted into par 5. It offers you a beautiful fairway, accompanied all along by water on its left side. Again the “Great White Ball” can be used as a reference on your initial shot. The lagoon and a great unleveled sand trap in front of the green force the player to strike a great approach shot aimed at the center of the green, always challenging if you wish to land there in two strokes. • Hole 8 – Par 3 Considered the friendliest par three, it is a hole where the terrain’s slopes, seen from the tee box, create a visual effect that in many occasions results in the ball falling into one of the sand traps located at the green’s entrance. Here the wind is always a determinant factor to consider on your choice of which iron to use. • Hole 9 – Par 4 It is a short hole allowing a forthright stroke through a straight and wide fairway. A firm stroke with a wood can place you in an excellent position to reach the green on the second stroke and finish it off with a birdie. The fairway’s left side is flanked by some residences protected by trees, while the right side is decorated by some islands with great palm trees which can become your main obstacle versus completing on par if you are not precise on your initial stroke. • Hole 10 – Par 4 A very narrow hole and beautiful fairway with a clear view to the green. Majestic palm trees obstruct your visibility as you tee-off, sometimes intimidating you into not using your woods. Before reaching the very elevated green, a capricious sand trap creates a visual effect that increases the difficulty of an approach shot. Behind the green, a resting spot right before the OB limit, offers just a slight margin for error on the approach. As in no other hole, the shades of the palms and trees can be a misleading visual factor. • Hole 11 – Par 4 Probably the most difficult hole with the OB limit much closer than it appears to be on the right. The fairway turns left demanding precision if you want to keep the ball in play and on par. Although you cannot see the ocean, it must remain a reference when striking. The headwind is strong and constant, therefore determinant in choosing what iron or wood to use. From most any angle your second stroke is always forthright to the well-protected green, with sand traps staggered so precisely they raise the level of difficulty. This hole boldly challenges the most skilled golfers to complete it with a birdie. • Hole 12 – Par 4 To many, the most spectacular hole! It has a left-turning fairway crossing a swamp, to immediately afterwards be faced with a lake you must shoot your ball over to reach the green, which besides having water on its left, it has the protection of three hazards in front at either side. The swamp in front makes many nervous while they search for references. Much precision is needed here and most abstain from using their woods. • Hole 13 – Par 3 A magnificent, tricky and quite challenging hole, with a wide and attractive green above level, which is also enclosed between six sand traps. The water facing you as well as the strong, combined winds are factors which greatly raise its level of difficulty. During tournaments this is the hole used to reward a “hole in one”. • Hole 14 – Par 4 It is a hole with a dogleg fairway and water on its right. From the blue marks the initial shot must fly over the bushes. The approach shot to its narrow and well protected green is always a forthright stroke as long as you shoot from the fairway’s center. The green’s slopes demand a great calmness and a precise putt. • Hole 15 – Par 5 A hole with a beautiful, narrow and straight fairway displaying a soft hill located right after the teeing ground, and forcing you to make a complicated and challenging shot without a clue of what lies beyond. Past the hill the fairway starts to descend an uneven slope inclined to the right and ending in water. As long as you keep the ball in the fairway, the approaching shot will be a forthright one to the green, semi-covered with two sand traps in the front and one in the back. • Hole 16 – Par 3 A spectacular and challenging hole requiring great precision to reach the green in one stroke, embraced by two large sand traps. The lagoon at the left and front of the tee off box, in addition to the fairway’s slopes, creates a confusing visual effect that makes it tough deciding in which direction to shoot and what iron to use. Even to skilled golfers the possibility to strike a birdie is not a very promising one. • Hole 17 – Par 4 An uncomplicated hole in its wide fairway making it a break for the golfer. The fairway is decorated by some eucalyptus trees on its right side. The approaching shot to the green is one of the most resolute and fastest. You must consider avoiding three sand traps with elevated borders in order to complete the hole on par. The OB limit behind the green is quite short, requiring a careful and precise approach. • Hole 18 – Par 4 A short and wide fairway with palm trees at either side and always open to the green. To achieve the par or a birdie you would rather approach the green playing towards the left of the fairway. In line with the characteristics of the course, the green is also elevated and is guarded by sand hazards in front at either side. • Hole 19 It is a course with nine water hazards and forty-three sand traps or bunkers, always representing a challenge for the player of any level; but upon finishing the round, most agree that what is most complicated at Flamingos Golf, it is to read the lightly faster greens. Thanks to its topography and location in respect to the bay, playing on this course is always influenced by several factors like the sea breeze, the swamp’s humidity, the soft hills, the terrain’s slopes, the wind coming from the mountains or the sea, the shade of the trees, among others, allowing conditions found nowhere else in the Bay of Banderas making its perspective and level of difficulty change with the hour of the day. Thirty years from its inauguration we can say that the present administration of Flamingos Golf, has achieved a rebirth of one of the most beautiful courses, displaying the splendor of its original design. Presently, the Bay of Banderas is recognized as a highest-level golfing destination and it is vitally important to acknowledge that this new phase of the history of our paradise made up by Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit began 30 years ago! ■ Green Fee Rates: • Daylight: From 07:00 hrs. to 14:30 hrs. 110.00 • $77.00 USD ■ Services in Flamingos Golf: • Course Marshals during the winter season • Get acquainted with the exact location of Flamingos Club de Golf and how to get there by ■ To Remember: • Caddy services are mandatory for a minimum of three players. Flamingos Golf
Greetings, and our recognition to Flamingos Golf on its 30th anniversary! Jesús de Avila *The elaboration and publishing of this article would not have been possible without the contribution and support of Claudia Staines, Fidel Pérez Acosta and Everardo Rodríguez Marcial. To all of them, our heartfelt thanks and a million blessings. |
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Flamingos is an 18-hole, par 72, 6853 yard, professional, championship golf course, designed by Percy Clifford who, making the best of the natural topography, designed a spectacular circuit in which contact with nature is a sensible experience that besides adding a challenge and excitement to the game, also offers the opportunity to be touched by a calm and beautiful environment, decorated by more than fifteen-hundred palm trees and hundreds of different species of trees which are the guardians and sentries of the challenging greens. Flamingos was the first golf course in the Bay of Banderas and is presently the most traditional one and favored by golfers of all levels.
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