| Photo by Robb Gordon |
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The Four Seasons course is a must play
on a Costa Rica golf vacation.
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The 2004 opening of the Four Seasons Costa Rica Golf Club lent great support to the idea that Costa Rica can be more than the low-budget playground for rough-and-ready trekkers, backpackers, surfers, and eco-adventurers.
And, not only is the Four Seasons Costa Rica Golf Club the best course to play on a Costa Rica golf vacation, it is arguably the best course in all of Central America.
Architects from Arnold Palmer Design carved the course into a tropical dry forest and incorporated the area’s rollicking headlands and canyons, so there are precipitous elevation changes and continual visual movement, as well as spectacular ocean views on 14 holes (the ocean never comes into play, however).
The front nine showcases some of the prettiest coastal scenery in Costa Rica. Teeing off from a high point on the Papagayo Peninsula
The back nine lacks the splendor of the front, but it offers a superior challenge. In fact, the toughest stretch on the course may be holes 10 through 13, where two long par fours bookend a stern, uphill, par three and a 600-yard par five.
Lots of golf courses claim to be “fun for all abilities,” but with five sets of tees, a wide-open layout, and no carries exceeding 150 yards, this Costa Rica golf course backs it up. To be sure, wild shots will find the jungle and likely be unplayable, but even semi-accurate players should be able to avoid serious trouble off the tee.
Not sold on Costa Rica as a golf destination? Just wait. Plans for the posh Papagayo Peninsula call for as many as seven boutique hotels and up to 36 more holes of golf.
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