Cancun golf courses often contain cenotes, like this one on El Camaleon's first hole.
Today, when the PGA Tour follows up it first-ever south-of-the-border visit to Mexico and its Cancun/Riviera Maya region, players will have to contend with additional hazards that they don’t normally find on courses here in the States: giant sinkholes.
Rare in other parts of the world, but common on some Cancun golf courses, these sinkholes, or cenotes (se-NO-tays), are limestone, cave-like structures similar to underground lava tubes. The exotic, Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course that the Tour is playing is crisscrossed by them, and players will get a glimpse of one on the very first hole, where the Devil’s Mouth, sits smack dab in the middle of the fairway.
El Camaleon is one of the Cancun golf courses that you can play, too, and you shouldn’t let the cenotes deter you. The truth is, there aren’t too many of them and they’re fairly easy to avoid. If you do hit your ball into one, you could find anything from dirt, sand, standing water, or gnarled bushes and trees inside. Our advice? Drop and play on.
What the cenotes do is remind you that you’re playing golf in a unique place, and that’s always a good thing. As for the rest of the course, the fairways are reasonably wide and there’s no rough to speak of. However, if you’re wild with your driver or approach shots, it can become a raging monster as there is thick jungle vegetation, swampy mangroves and a series of water-filled canals from which there is no recovery. The other threats to scoring come from Norman’s bold bunkering and fiendishly contoured greens.
If you’d like to get our take on other Cancun golf courses, you might want to click here and read our free, special report on taking a Cancun golf vacation.
Did you know? Golf Vacation Insider and Golf Odyssey are the world’s only golf publications that do not accept any advertising from golf courses, resorts, or restaurants and regularly travel anonymously in order to provide you with expert, unbiased, and trusted advice.
Not already a subscriber to Golf Vacation Insider? Use this link to stay in the loop with our free tips and expert advice on which golf courses, golf resorts, discount golf vacations, and golf vacation packages are truly worth your time and money. As a bonus, we will send you a free copy of Planning the Ultimate Golf Vacation, a 40-page book filled with some of the best golf travel secrets from the editors of Golf Odyssey.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
My husband and I golfed two rounds at the Mayan Palace Golf Course in April, 2008. The service we received from everyone we came in contact with was wonderful. The course was not busy and there was no rush. The course itself was in excellent condition. And the restaurant on the first hole had every friendly people working there with an open air feeling. The golf pro who’s name is Calvin, took great care of us and could not have been more helpful. The resort in general was beautiful and the grounds were perfectly cared for. My visit to the mayan Riviera will not be my last. And golfing will be a must…..it’s heavan on earth
where I stayed at the Fairmont Mayakoba, 45 minutes south of Cancun. Beautiful resort, fantastic food and perfect weather if you are looking for a terrific vacation in Mexico. Played El Camaleon, a Greg Norman signature design course. While not usually a big fan of Norman designed tracks this was a good resort course. The conditions were excellent. The fairways were perfect and the greens were pristine. Traps were consistent throughout. The course reads 7024 from the tips with a 71.1/131 slope rating, 6562 from the whites. Like other Norman courses, this one had, for the most part, wide fairways and huge greens. You could find yourself with 80 foot putts on a number of occasions. Course meanders through thick vegetation and is bordered on a number of holes with hotel suites. Two holes, both par 3’s are right on the ocean providing beautiful views. There are 6 par 4’s over 425. This is good because with the wind you are hitting long approach shots to greens. The 4 par 5’s averaged just over 540 yards. If you are staying at any Mayakoba resort the 18 hole rate is $181 per round with carts. There is a twilight rate of $77 that works. The staff, outside of the pro shop, were terrific and helpful. Pro shop staff needs to get their act together and do a better job of coordinating with the hotel front desks. The often have conflicting information regarding rates, especially for junior players under 17.