COSTA RICA - A LAND DISCOVERED
WAITING TO BE REVEALED

By Robert Kaufman
January, 2004 issue of Houston Golf magazine.

I normally pride myself on my sense of geography, especially in the United States having been at least once to 49 of 50 states, only missing that great big one north of our Canadian neighbor. I know where Mexico is and I'm great with the global location of such major areas like Europe, Africa, Japan and the North or South Pole.

One region that has always tested my internal GPS is Central America. Now, I know you don't need to be Christopher Columbus to realize it's between North and South America but it's all those little countries that rattle my radar screen - Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, San Salvador, Panama. There's one other little country (about the size of West Virginia) that I wasn't 100% certain was part of this line-up. I checked my atlas and, sure enough, there it sits, just north of the Panama Canal with the west fronting the Pacific Ocean and the east on the Caribbean Sea - COSTA RICA!

When the call came from the bullpen inviting me on a golf adventure to Costa Rica, even a greater surprise than confirming where the country is situated, was golf in Costa Rica! Thereupon discovering on the map that Nicaragua lies across its northern border, my next vision was confronting leftover Sandinista guerillas now working in some United States-sponsored caddy program in the jungles of Costa Rica. Maybe I should be packing a Super-size Greatest Biggest Bertha for extra protection.

I'm not totally convinced how invulnerable one is playing on any golf course but as a destination, Costa Rica is regarded as one of the safest places to travel. Although they disbanded their military over fifty years ago, it's a peaceful nation having essentially avoided the conflict and disorder that disrupted most of its neighboring Central American countries. In effect, all my fears of confronting any civil unrest were silenced in the days proceeding departure and whatever thoughts I had of schlepping any defensive gadgets in my bag were quickly laid to rest.

In another misconception, any notion I had about Costa Rica being at the far corners of the earth was eroded with the rapid ease in which I - and my golf clubs - arrived in San José, the capital city in the heart of the country. My first impressions of the Ticos, as the Costa Ricans call themselves, would prove everlasting as I came to realize they are an extremely pleasant, peaceful people proud of their culture and traditions and welcome visitors with open arms everywhere.

The slogan of choice in Costa Rica is "pura vida." With a literal translation of "pure life," it's a fitting catchphrase. Home to an astonishing five per cent of the world's total number of species on just a miniscule .01 per cent of the earth's surface, surely, there must be something amazing about this land. From an adventure standpoint, Costa Rica has long been regarded as a world-class haven for such activities as surfing and sport fishing or such unique adrenaline-rush experiences as canopy tours through the rainforests or getting up close and personal with one of the ten accessible volcanoes.

In a country better known for its natural attractions, it would seem inevitable that the golfing world would also unearth this region. Well, they have and right now the sport is becoming as hot as the year-around weather already is - although somewhat cooler than Texas during the summer. Right now, there are ten golf courses in Costa Rica (some are only nine-holes) with new ones on the drawing board and an Arnold Palmer course on the Pacific Ocean nearly complete to go with a new Four Seasons Resort.

The logical choice to begin a golfing expedition in Costa Rica is San José, where you can validate your mastery of the dimpled corrupter at two very diverse golf battlefields. Adjacent to the Melia Cariari Resort is the nation's oldest course, Cariari Country Club. Opened in 1974, this George Fazio design features unnerving narrow fairways guarded by towering pine trees. Taking along one of the home-grown trained caddies would be well advised, if not to help limit your putts, but to track down misdirected balls. As a bonus, if your swing isn't prone to distractions, you may get an upbeat sendoff from the jazzercise room overlooking the first tee. However, if Cariari is good enough for Tour players (Ray Floyd holds the course record at 66) who would stop by after it was first built and regard it as the best course in South America, than it's certainly worth a crack at shooting your handicap. If anything, after playing here, you'll be hard pressed to be intimidated by any course.

For a taste of what I like to refer to as "hardhat golf," just outside of San José is an old/new course called Valle Del Sol. Built as a nine-hole course fifteen years ago, it is now a rapidly developing golf course community with a new nine added four years ago and plenty of homes surrounding it with new being built. At an increase of $50 to $200 per square meter for home lots in just three years, they've filled up fast.

Depending on when you play Valle Del Sol, it can be a Jekyl and Hyde experience. For a tame challenge, tee off early or risk the arrival of swirling afternoon winds coming down from the surrounding Santa Ana Mountains. Otherwise, it's a pretty gentle, wide-open course where you can bump it around a bit and not hurt the scorecard much.

After playing two days, I also learned first-hand a key factor when timing your trip to Costa Rica. If you go during the rainy season (usually May to November), plan on finishing the 18th hole prior to 2:00pm. Like clockwork, in the early afternoon the dark clouds start building and then BOOM! Out of nowhere the sky opens and a torrential deluge immerses the landscape. If that's not enough, with the turbulent thunder and lightening side-show, I thought it was the onset of another revolution.

The real beauty of Costa Rica lies up in the mountains where the rainforests exist and on the coast - east or west. If you choose not to fly, the ground ride can be a little unsettling, especially when you're relying on one of the native drivers. You can practically hear the passenger's hearts thumping as our van whirled through the twisty mountain roads during this sometimes near death-defying, four-hour ride to the Pacific Ocean. Compounded by the fact we were driving though another afternoon downpour, I felt as if we were white-water rafting down Thunder Mountain in Disneyland. It was Noah's Ark on wheels!

Our destination, the Los Sueños Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort overlooking Herradura Bay, turned out to be a worthy respite following the invigorating E-ticket thrill-ride. This project, that started eleven years ago, now boasts a world-class resort hotel, million dollar-plus condos and, when complete, the Los Sueños Marina Village will encompass over 100,000 square feet of retail and commercial buildings.

Already available at the resort is one of the country's newer courses. Designed by Ted Robinson, Jr., the 6,707-yard La Iguana Golf Course offers some challenging opening holes that includes two par 5's in the first four. On the signature par 5, fourth hole, you'll need to stay away from the tee-to-green water hazard and big guayabo tree in the middle of the fairway. Unfortunately, the strong beginning is offset by some relatively weak finishing holes.

One thing you can count on is that the round will be an extraordinary encounter with nature playing through parts of a 1,100-acre tropical rainforest. If you're a bird over, this habitat, with over 300 known species of the winged creatures, may be the largest natural aviary in which you'll ever tee up a golf ball. Of course, be watchful of the wandering iguanas.

Motoring up Costa Rica's North Pacific Coast on the Guanacaste Peninsula, you'll run smack right into a 4,500-acre mega-development called Hacienda Pinilla. This rolling landscape with three miles of beachfront, has served as a cattle ranch for over 40 years but is now being delicately embellished with low-profile, upscale single-family and condo residences, luxurious hotel accommodations, beach club, equestrian club and yes, a golf course. After some encouragement by the owner, Steve Parlee visited from Atlanta, took one look at the property and decided within seven days to take up permanent residence and remain as the head professional.

Not even three years old yet, the links-style course that has already been certified by The Audubon Society, is a course where you not only have to co-exist with your playing partners but also the countless creatures calling this environment home. In addition to the multitude of colorful birds pitching their nests throughout the 196 native species of hardwood and fruit trees, it isn't uncommon to be cheered along by a gallery of native, tree-dwelling howler monkeys who, on occasion, have been known to swing down and be very ball-friendly.

With wide-open fairways and ocean breezes, the layout lends itself to a bump and run style game. Just be cautious of the many well-placed pot bunkers fronting a number of greens. With the course sitting next to the ocean, the closest you'll play next to the water is on only two holes. As the longest hole on the course, the 601-yard, par-5 fourteenth plays straight away towards the Pacific. Once you reach the green, the view is spectacular. The same can be enjoyed along the 163-yard, par-3 fifteenth.

About an hour's drive up the road, Robert Trent Jones, Jr. put his stamp on the Costa Rican landscape with the 7,080-yard Garra de Léon Golf Course at Playa Conchal. This ocean resorts design offers only a slight glimpse of the Big Blue but you'll see plenty of agua on the course to go with Jones' patented large undulating greens and spacious fairways.

As with all the courses - and the ones to come - in Costa Rica, there is tremendous sensitivity surrounding the environment when they are built. Required not to get the course any closer than 150 yards to the beach, Jones was also forbidden from cutting any Banyan trees. That was a blessing since, not only do many serve as a windbreak, but they also house those tree-limb swinging howler monkeys. How they love hanging around taunting golfers all day!

The championship course was certainly designed with the resort player in mind due to the fact it sits in the middle of the Melia Playa Conchal and Beach Resort, the first all-deluxe, all-inclusive beach and golf resort in Central America. Just like entering an amusement park, you'll be tagged with a colored wristband to verify you're a guest. This is truly a one-stop family vacation spot.

With the popularity of golf emerging in Costa Rica, there are bound to be a growing number so-called "experts." Costa Rica is a small country but one in which you can easily be misguided unless dealing with someone who knows the people, the best way to plan your experience and their way around the roads. Forget the Yahoo maps!

The track record in this department goes to Costa Rica Golf Vacations. "Not only do you get our eight years of experience but you actually save money using our services," says owner Landy Blank. "Most of all, one shouldn't discount that we're a local phone call away for any assistance."

Right now, it seems Costa Rica is caught in a catch-22 situation. It's long been viewed as a pristine, biodiverse, best-kept-secret country and would probably like to be kept that way. On the other hand, they're itching to show it off and the visionary developers are catching wind of that. It'll be a challenging balancing act.

As the motto goes at Playa Conchal, "Everyone is in search of paradise. Why not achieve it while still alive?