Fairways in the jungle

Imagine a golf course in the middle of the jungle, on which you can’t but help admiring the scenery between every drive.  This is El Tamarindo.

This amazing championship-standard 18-hole golf course is located within a 825-hectare nature reserve, which makes it one of the most spectacular sights in the world, accompanied by the song of hundreds of birds.

The fairways are lined with various species of palm trees, which besides decorating the course with their soft too-ing and fro-ing, indicate the direction of the wind before each drive. If that weren't enough, the views from the holes, sculptured in the rocks, are framed by the coastline that borders the crystal blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. The designers took full advantage of the location, thus giving eight holes sea views.

The course is par 72, with a total of 6,750 yards, which allows golfers to enjoy the beauty of the area between drives. El Tamarindo has been planned to be played comfortably by golfers of all levels by offering various drive off tees, while the same time offering various challenges for more experienced golfers, who must take into account the constant wind changes.

For information, the longest hole is the 11th, which is a par 5 of 547 yards in length, whereas the shortest is the 4th, of par 3 of 127 yards in length, which offers highs possibilities of scoring a birdie.

The El Tamarindo course, located in Costalegre, was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.; however, due to the conservation laws that took force while the course was still being planned, Jones turned to the experienced David Fleming in order to complete the course and respect to the surrounding environment to the full.

 

 

Indiana Jones Type

For Fleming, the challenge was even greater, when he designed and built his first course, he remembered walking over the land for various weeks, accompanied by people with machetes, who cleared the ground, while he was imagining the course. “I felt like Indiana Jones.  I worked amongst jaguars, wild boars, snakes, including boa constrictors, rattlesnakes and coral snakes, as well as raccoons, deer, parrots and large insects”. Keeping this memory of the designer in mind, any ball that goes out-of-bounds is exactly that, out-of-bounds, don't even think about trying to get it back. The safest thing to do is to take another ball out of your bag and note a penalty.

Finally, Jones and Fleming created a course that left the natural landscape of the area virtually untouched in order to create a lasting impression of the serene beauty of the place. The ecological balance was in no way altered and the environmental impact was kept to a minimum, since the course was planned without moving any of the palms or trees, an achievement of which the creators are rightly proud of.

The scene, which is always ready to be played, has a driving range and a valet service so the only things golfers have to worry about are the birdies, as well as a well-stocked Pro-shop.

The temperature is ideal throughout almost the whole year, varying from the high 20s to the mid-30s with a slightly high level of humidity from July through September. Delays in the arrival of the rains are almost unheard of in the area, with the exception of 10 to 15 days a year, when there are downpours.

And to talk about what has happened on the course while enjoying a drink, the spectacular snack bar by the 9th hole, located on the seafront cliff, offers a culinary alternative.    

 

 

 

Text: Laura Velázquez ± Photo: El Tamarindo.