Cozumel Country Club (011-51-987-892-9570)
Caribbean Golf Course Review - December, 2006
Located on the beautiful Riveria Maya area of Cozumel, Mexico, the Cozumel Country Club was designed by Jack Nicklaus and is operated by ClubCorp.
Built in 1999, Cozumel Country Club is the first golf course constructed on Riviera Maya on Mexico's Caribbean
coast. This beautiful tract is situated on a fairly level landscape but meanders through some of Cozumel's most
luscious native areas. Crocodiles can be found in any of the course's 14 water hazards and a wide variety of
avian life makes this natural habitat home. Cozumel Country Club is also home to the rare red iguana. The
dense jungle surrounding this par 71/72, 18-hole championship course is a protected area and there are no
residential or commercial properties abutting any area of the golf course. In other words, golfers experience a
wonderful, natural environment and are able to view many of Cozumel's unique wildlife and flora during their round.
On property is an excellent practice facility with a large grass range, practice green and a short game practice
area with bunkers and chipping green. Lessons are available from a PGA professional. A well-stocked pro
shop offers a nice variety of clothing and accessories, shoes and balls. Visitors can rent clubs and shoes for a
small fee. A nicely landscaped outdoor restaurant/bar is open for breakfast at 6:30 a.m. daily and features
golfers fare and libations throughout the day. A beverage cart makes frequent rounds, but we would encourage
golfers to have bottled water on hand (as well as bug repellent) as heat and humidity can be a factor in this tropical environment.
Four sets of tees at Cozumel Country Club offer a comfortable selection for any level of golfer. The tips play 6
,734 yards with a slope of 133. The back middle tees have a yardage of 6,247 yards with a slope of 126; the
front middle tees play 5,624 yards with a slope of 131 for ladies and a very friendly 114 for men; and the forward
tees play 4,801 yards with a slope of 119. The course is very well marked with yardage markers every 50 yards
on the cart paths, all sprinkler heads measured to the center of the green and all tee boxes marked. Front,
center and back hole locations are designed by color coded flags (red, yellow and blue respectively) on the pins.
While the front at Cozumel C.C. is the shorter of the two nines, both the front and the back offer significant
challenge from the back and middle tee boxes. Carries (sometimes significant) in the form of water or natural
areas can be distracting and intimidating on the tee, and bunkers and waste areas often skirt fairways. The
Bermuda fairways provide ample landing areas on most holes. All greens are 419 Bermuda and are ample and sloping with some mild undulations.
The number one handicap on the course is the par 4 seventh hole, a 379 yard (middle back tees) dogleg with a
long carry off the tee to a narrow landing area guarded by a bunker at the turn. To score well on this course, its
important that you do well on the front nine and the first 6 holes of the back because the finishing holes all offer
some degree of difficulty or intimidation. The par 5 16th hole will challenge even the most seasoned golfer with
a carry off the tee to a split fairway with another carry to the approach. The seventeenth is a beautiful 144 yard
par 3 that plays to an elevated and sloping green surrounded by thick natural vegetation . The finishing hole is a
deceptively short par 4 dogleg right with a water carry off the tee to a fairway divided by natural habitat.
The Cozumel Country Club is located only 15 minutes north of Cozumel and is easily accessible by cab or car.
We arrived for our review via Royal Caribbean's Voyageur of the Seas and the cost of transport to the course
was $12 US. Rounds can be arranged directly with Royal Caribbean as an excursion with transportation
included (rounds available are very limited so its best to book your excursion as early as you can) or you can contact the course directly to make your tee time.
For more information on the Cozumel Country Club and a direct link to its website. visit our detailed information page by clicking here.
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