Looking to golf in Panama?
Whether you are traveling to Panama on business or pleasure, Panama City is a good place for a round of golf. In fact, it’s on its way to becoming a world-class golf destination. In just a couple years, Panama has been transformed from a city with one private course to a region full of quality clubs and resorts. At the current pace of construction, it will surely qualify as a golfer’s paradise in only a year or two.
The original course in Panama City is Club de Golf, which is and has always been reserved for Panama’s elite. This private facility hosts second tier PGA tour events each year and was the only quality course in Panama for decades. It has hosted the Web.com Tour (previously the Nationwide Tour), the Claro championship, with a purse of US$600,000, and the Tour de las Américas.
At 7,102 yards, par 70 Club de Golf is a relatively short championship course (most older championship courses in the United States are around 7,600 yards and par 72), but this city course does have its share of challenges. With memberships costing US$80,000 to US$125,000 and requiring seven references in good standing in the community, it’s not a course for visitors.
The best course in the city — actually, the only other course in Panama City — is the Jack Nicklaus- designed and Troon managed Santa Maria Golf & Country Club in Costa del Este, near the airport and about 15 minutes on the toll road from the city center. Sadly, it’s another resident’s only club and condos start at US$850,000.
This is a true US championship-quality course – challenging holes with four tee boxes, splendid water features, open fairways, and a nice breeze coming off of the coast. Total yardage is about 7,200 and the club is on a generous 700-acre site. Players will appreciate the open feel of this course once they have survived other more land-locked courses in Panama.
Those in search of a real physical challenge should head for the Summit Golf Resort, a unique jungle course about 25 minutes outside of the city where players are as likely to have their balls stolen by a monkey as they are to hit a great shot. Thick trees and foliage surround most holes on the Summit Golf course so players who fight a slice may want to leave their expensive balls at home. Summit also has a hotel on the property, a new Radisson with a restaurant and pool area, with rates starting at US$99 a night that won’t break the bank.
Summit was built in 1999 and is a 6,880-yard, par 72 course designed by renowned American Jeffrey Myers. It’s set on rolling hills overlooking the famous Gaillard Cut of the Panama Canal and the “Camino de Cruces” National Park. A number of holes have good vertical drops and very unique challenges. The fairways are near perfect, but the greens are always rough and slow – probably more to do with the weather conditions than the efforts of the club. There are white clad groundskeepers on the course all day long cutting back the ever advancing jungle and working the course.
While Summit can be a challenge for all but the most accurate ball striking triathlete, Vista Mar Golf & Beach Resort has a flat, open, easy layout. Vista Mar provides great views of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. In fact, they claim to be the only course in the world with ocean views on every hole. At just over 7,200 yards from the back tees and a manageable 5,400 yards from the forward tees, Vista Mar is challenging on distance and forgiving for those who haven’t seen a straight tee shot in years.
After Club de Golf, the second tier traditional Panamanian course is the Coronado Golf and Beach Resort. The city of Coronado is an hour’s drive from Panama City and primarily a weekend getaway and second home spot for wealthy Panamanians. The golf course, which is available to residents and guests of the resort, is a Fazio design with 18 holes, par 72 at 7,092 yards.
About 30 minutes past Coronado is another of the best courses in Panama, The Buenaventura Golf Club in Farallon. This world- class course, designed by Nicklaus and managed by Troon, measures 7,324 yards from the back tees at par 72. A unique aspect of this course is the choice of Paspalum Platinum grass, a warm season turfgrass known for salt and shade tolerance, quick recovery, and a brilliant dark green color. This alone makes Buenaventura superior to all other clubs because of the sometimes-harsh weather and poor course conditions elsewhere in Panama.
