PGA Riviera Maya Championship course By Baha Principe Golf

Just 15 minutes outside of Tulum, this Robert Trent Jones II designed golf course offers some fantastic views and challenging shots.  Playing from the tips gives the best handicap golfer some blind tee shots, and pro like distance on par 3’s with a couple 200+ yard holes.  The course is long, with having to place the ball in the right locations, or you will be blind on many approach shots.  Trust the golf carts GPS, as they will not only give you tee shot distances, but the touch screen allows you to locate safe shots and distance from each shot to hole, water, sand, etc.  Speaking of the sand, the sand at the PGA Riviera Maya plays very different than in the states, more beach like feel, and be careful with long wedges out of the fairway bunkers.  Plenty of water holes that really make you think if you should lay up and a cenotes around the hidden green on hole #6, but with the right shot, it can be very rewarding for your mid iron to the green.  Like traditional Mexico resorts, the service at PGA Riviera Maya was outstanding.  Plenty of water in the cooler attached to the cart, with refills on the turn.  We saw the cart for drinks 5 times during the round.

Favorite Hole – It is hard to pick a single hole, but the beauty of hole 10 is pretty awesome.  This par4 hole has trees to the left, bunkers to the right.  Measuring 410 yards from the tips, a fairway drive of 260 leaves you with a 150 yard approach to the green over a lake in front, surrounding the right side and back of the green, with a bunker to the left back, you need to be careful with the slope.  When I played, the pin was in the back right on a downslope to the water.  It might have been my favorite because I was able to hit a 18ft put for the par. 

Most challenging hole – Hole 12 for me was a difficult par 4.  I must have missed the resort beach, because I hit 3 bunker shots on this hole. Driver in the right fairway bunker, 5 iron in to the left bunker, and a wedge to the right green bunker.  Posted a solid 7 on this hole, and really was done with the beach, or so I thought.

Booking – Website - https://pgarivieramaya.com/en/home/ has all open tee times on line,  and there is a savings by booking on line vs showing up to the course.  If you call between 7am and 5:30pm, you can book over the phone and I found that they offer resort discounts for neighboring resorts.  We were staying at the Hilton Tulum, which saved me $20 off greens fees.

Pricing – While Pricing varies throughout the year, they offer 4 different rates depending on the time of the day.  The early bird is the least expensive rate.  As a reference, in mid March of 2023, the early bird on line rate was $188USD, walk in was $250USD, and the resort discount was $160.  There is a 72 hour cancelation policy.

Rental Clubs – As usual with nice courses, the rental clubs were pretty nice.  Taylor Made Stealth, available in stiff or flex shafts, and the newest Taylor Made putters.  Price for rentals was $60USD.

Bring your own golf balls – Balls, as well as other accessories were really expensive.  A dozen Taylor Made Distance were $60USD, and a fitted Live Lucky hat with course logo was $96USD!!  So, if you plan on golfing, it is well worth packing your glove, balls, and hat,  I did score a PGA towel for $23, which I thought was a pretty good deal.

The round of golf comes with a bucket of balls, and unlimited tees at no charge.  The carts are loaded with GPS, and Bluetooth connections with built in speakers for you to enjoy your favorite tunes while playing golf.  The round of 18 with cart took 4:15 to complete.

 In summary, the PGA Riviera Maya did not dissapoint.  Worth the money, lots of fun, I would recommend this course to any group that wants to golf while enjoying your Wish to Wander Travel vacation or wedding trip.