Playa Mujeres is one of the newer (and better) Cancun golf courses you can play.

If you've been considering a Mexico golf vacation, you've probably heard the name Playa Mujeres Golf Club buzzing around. An opulent Greg Norman design that opened in June 2006, it's one of many new Cancun golf courses that are elevating this area to true "golf destination" status. Here are a few handy tips if you want to make it part of your Mexico golf vacation:

First, Playa Mujeres lies just north of Cancun's "hotel zone", but don't believe anyone who tells you that the course is just 15 minutes away. Not even Cancun's craziest cab driver can get there that quickly. Give yourself at least 30 minutes.

Second, though it's longer than, say, El Camaleon (the Norman design here that hosts a PGA Tour event), Playa Mujeres is one of the friendlier Cancun golf courses, making it a good choice for those who have a low tolerance for frustration.

Wide fairways and inviting approaches keep the jungle at bay for the most part. If you stray from the immaculately groomed turf, you may not be able to pull off a green-seeking recovery shot, but you'll at least stand a decent chance of finding your ball.

The Shark did resort players a favor by situating the greenside peril away from the front of the putting surfaces. His trademark, close-cropped collection areas extend out from the green, but the falloffs are gentle, so, getting up and down is manageable.

Playa Mujeres does have teeth, though it's not until the back nine that the hazards truly buckle the knees. Water hugs the green on the par-three 11th and par-four 12th holes, for instance, and 15, another one-shotter, features an uncharacteristically steep falloff on the right and a devilishly deep sand trap on the left. After holing out, you drive along the beach before turning inland to the 16th tee.

Though it's one of the youngest Cancun golf courses, Playa Mujeres is in excellent condition. We were especially impressed by the trueness of the greens.

As far as competition for tee times, we played on a Sunday when only 20 golfers were expected all day long. Fridays and Saturdays see perhaps 80 more players. Eventually, the course will be one of two Norman courses that anchor a luxury resort with several hotels and low-density residences.

That brings us to our third and most valuable tip: make this Cancun golf course part of your Mexico golf vacation while it's still relatively easy to do so.

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