Costa Rica: Small country, long distances

Over a quarter of the small country is a nature reserve. Costa Rica sets on sustainable tourism. Less well known are the partially spectacular golf courses.

We’ll save the best for last: In the very north of Costa Rica lies the Papagayo peninsula. The Four Seasons luxury hotel chain gave Arnold Palmer free rein. He placed the 18 holes of the Ocean Course spectacularly in the jungle; in view of the humid heat, you are glad of the breeze in the cart from time to time. Partly because of the sometimes very long distances between the holes, the trolley is included in the green fee price of the equivalent of 220 euros.

Practically empty

For a long time, only guests of the Four Seasons were allowed on the square, but this is now much more relaxed. During our visit, however, we only met one couple from Switzerland. Otherwise, only a few howler monkeys and small, so-called coatis were to be seen on the world-class course. This left enough time for some spectacular pictures: The women’s tee shot on hole 3 with the deep blue sea and the small islands in the background was particularly impressive. On hole 6 – called El Bajo – you then play steeply down towards the water, and on the very next hole you look down onto the beach.
The backnines are no longer quite as impressive, but here you play across exciting gorges, mostly in the middle of the wilderness. Then there are the challenging undulating and extremely sporty, fast greens.

Curious iguanas

The same applies to Reserva Conchal. The resort, which is also huge, is only 28 kilometers south as the crow flies, but without a direct road connection it is almost 75 kilometers. In 1996, Robert Trent Jones Junior was able to draw from the full range of possibilities. The Pacific Ocean is rarely visible, but he built many water hazards and a total of 63 stylish bunkers into the highly challenging course. The tees are often elevated, as are the greens as a rule. Narrow and open holes alternate here and, as everywhere in Costa Rica, you will be watched by curious iguanas while playing golf.

Ecology is written in capital letters

We enthusiastically photograph the first specimens, but later only when they entwine themselves around the wooden marker posts of the Hacienda Pinilla square. Here too, it takes a few minutes to drive from the entrance to the resort to the first tee, but the course starts almost next to the clubhouse. From the rearmost tee boxes, the course is almost 7300 yards long and quite challenging despite the wide fairways. In contrast to Reserva Conchal, however, the terrain is very flat and therefore much less varied. The clear highlight here is hole 15, the par 3, which is played directly towards the sea. As everywhere in the country, ecology is a top priority, and the award from the American Audubon Foundation for the Protection of Wild Birds stands prominently in front of the clubhouse.

Cloud forests and volcano

With the three top courses relatively close to each other, the north of Costa Rica is the center for golf tourists. However, “just” golfing would be wrong: over a quarter of the small country is a nature reserve. The most famous highlights include the cloud forests in Monteverde and the area around the Arenal volcano. Visitors need more time than expected, especially for the journey to the mountains. Not all the roads are tarred, and there are often potholes to slow you down. Nevertheless, the detour to the “green mountain” is particularly worthwhile. On the two-hour night walk through the protected cloud forest, Eduardo shows us a small, poisonous snake, a tarantula, a grass-green transparent mini frog and a whole group of sleeping monkeys. For the
The expert photographs the exotic animals through his large telescope, and you can sense his enthusiasm for nature. “Originally, a highway was supposed to run between the Atlantic and the Pacific, but thanks to the private initiative of environmentalists, the special cloud forest has been preserved,” says the researcher and tourist guide.

Traffic chaos in the capital

There is therefore no actual highway in Costa Rica. The fastest way forward is on the Panamericana, but here, too, there is a lot of work going on to expand the highway, which means that traffic is constantly being held up. Traffic chaos is part of everyday life in the capital San José. All the honking and swearing from drivers doesn’t help here. “Always allow twice as much time as Google Maps suggests,” says our city guide. However, the sights in the capital are manageable, and Costa Ricans are particularly proud of the National Theater. A visit to the large market and the gold museum is also worthwhile. To start or end the round trip through the country, the
capital also has two very attractive golf courses. We played in the Valle del Sol a few kilometers outside the city. For less than 70 euros, you can enjoy a well-maintained course with lots of water, turtles and iguanas.

Between jungle and tin huts

The Cariari Country Club is also close to the airport, but much louder. The former coffee plantation is partly on the road, but after a few lanes you feel like you’re in the middle of the jungle here too. Built by George Fazio in 1979, the course is varied, quite hilly and peppered with various water hazards. Some of the fairways are very narrow and precise play is required, otherwise the balls end up in the
trees. The par 3 is bordered on the left by a deep valley, with tin huts on the other side of the river. They remind us that there is also a lot of poverty in the “Switzerland of Central America”. The picture around the “La Iguana” square on the Pacific coast is completely different. Most of the course leads spectacularly through the rainforest. Of course, you often come across the eponymous iguanas here, and it’s just a short walk to the harbor with its deep-sea fishing boats. The sophisticated space comes at a price: for hotel guests at the Marriott Resort, it costs 179 dollars or just under 165 euros, while those coming from out of town pay another 20 dollars more.