On the Road in México:
Paradise Village's El Tigre Lends Bite to Golf Choices
By David R. Holland, Senior Writer
PUERTO VALLARTA, México - In sleepier days, one could have bumped
into John Wayne in the bar at the Hotel Oceana or gotten a glimpse
of Elizabeth Taylor with Richard Burton when "Night of the Iguana"
was filmed here back in the 1960's.
Puerto Vallarta was a tiny pueblo back then, a town with cobblestone
streets and white-washed buildings with red-tiled roofs. The city
was splashed with bougainvillea and hibiscus flowers and surrounded
by mountains, ocean and deep jungle, where "The Predator" was filmed.
Today, it stills holds on to its Mexican charm. The old-fashioned
taco stands are abundant and the Malecon, a pedestrian promenade
that parallels the Pacific Ocean beach, is lined with shops, restaurants
and hotels. This is where locals and tourists come to watch the
sunset.
But it was only a matter of time before Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Internet
Cafes, Planet Hollywood, Outback Steakhouse and Hooters reached
the Mexican Rivera, the Western Pacific coast of México.
Since Puerto Vallarta shares the same latitude as Hawaii, with
temperature averaging 78 from December through April, it was also
only a matter of time before golf became a focus of tourism. Puerto
Vallarta would love to someday challenge Los Cabos-Cabo San Lucas
as the premier golf destination in the country.
Graziano Sovernigo, founder and director of Paradise Village Beach
Resort and Spa, just minutes away in Nuevo Vallarta, has done his
part bringing golf here. "I'm happy to say Puerto Vallarta is finally
arriving as a golf destination. It took too long, but now we have
seven courses."
The seventh course, El Tigre Golf Club at Paradise Village, opened
in March with grand festivities. It was Robert von Hagge's 11th
design in México, making him the most prolific golf course designer
south of the border.
 Today's
Puerto Vallarta golfer has six other choices for golf -- Vista Vallarta
Golf Club Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf Courses, Marina Vallarta
Golf Course, Los Flamingos Golf Club, Mayan Palace Golf Club and
40 minutes away is Punta Mita Golf Club.
"Puerto Vallarta has come a long way," said von Hagge, who teams
with Richard Baril and Mike Smelek in Spring, TX. "You have Vista
Vallarta up on the hill with the Nicklaus and Weiskopf designs on
great terrain and now you have El Tigre, which was not the most
romantic piece of property I've ever worked with. But I think this
golf course is going to kick some butt."
Framed in all directions by the Sierra Madre Mountains, El Tigre
is 7,239 yards, par 72, of manufactured golf course. It was built
on a flat piece of land and the von Hagge layout called for a lot
of dirt movement and nine separate bodies of water, just a minute
away from the Pacific Ocean and Paradise Village Beach Resort and
Spa.
And the talk from those first golfers to test El Tigre was about
the 18th hole, a par-5, 621-yard Tiger, with water all down the
left side. The hole took a bite out of just about everyone. In the
afternoon it plays into the teeth of a gritty breeze. And, like
it wasn't with enough sting, the green is surrounded by sand.
Von Hagge heard, "No. 18 is a great par-six hole", countless times
over the grand opening weekend.
"I still think our members and guests will thoroughly enjoy El
Tigre because it's challenging, yet not punitive," said von Hagge.
"While the scratch golfer will certainly be tested from the championship
tees, higher handicappers will find a variety of tee placements
suitable to their games."
The dirt movement created undulating, wide fairways, contoured
sand bunkers, grass mounds and bunkers, and the layout teases you
several times with greens perched above a rock wall, jutting out
like peninsulas against water.
No. 6, a 185-yard par-3 plays to a Sawgrass-like island green
and the trio of final holes might balloon your score. No. 17 is
250 yards from the back, a par 3 with sand and water left. No. 16
is 421 yards of sand and water, a dogleg right at the end, with
one of those tantalizing peninsula approaches.
Mexican architect Ernesto del Castillo designed the beautiful
Spanish-styled 45,000-square foot clubhouse, which includes a restaurant,
lounge, locker rooms, golf shop and European Spa.
Troon Golf of Scottsdale, AZ, manages El Tigre, making its portfolio
114 courses under management or development. Troon is known as the
best throughout the industry.
 Paradise
Village Beach Resort and Spa
Paradise Village Golf and Country Club
Paseo de los Cocoteros #001
Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, México C.P. 63731
Telephone: Toll Free: 800-995-5714.
Email: paradise@paradisevillage.com
Internet: www.paradisevillage.com
Green Fees: $80 to $155, plus golf cart.
Other Area Golf Options
ClubCorp's Vista Vallarta offers Nicklaus or Weiskopf
designs set in the foothills 10 minutes from the PV marina. The
Nicklaus course measures 7,057 yards and features long par-5 holes.
Weiskopf's layout has more native jungle growth, is tighter, and
has a signature par 3 that appears to be carved out of the jungle
hillside.
The most spectacular area course is the Nicklaus' design at
Punta Mita complete with a Four Seasons Resort. Here you will
experience Pebble Beach scenery with turquoise-colored Pacific Ocean
golf holes and perfect winter temperatures.
Punta Mita is uncrowded and has one of the most spectacular holes
in the world, a par 3 of 190 yards, that plays to a natural black,
lava-rock island. Your only entry to the green comes at low tide,
tip-toeing across a sandbar, unless you have an amphibious vehicle
or boat. You will need a low, boring shot nailed into a tough head
wind or cross wind to par this one. Eight holes border the ocean
with a photo op at every turn.
Nicklaus' senior designer, Jim Lipe, authored the 6,700-yard
Mayan Palace Golf Club, just next door to El Tigre. Mayan Palace
is a fun, less-challenging course with a hefty 580-yard, dogleg-left
par-5 No. 13. Another scenic hole is a 180-yard par 3 that plays
over an lake to an oceanfront green with a view of the Pacific.
Just three minutes from Paradise Village is Los Flamingos
Country Club. This 18-hole course is located in the countryside
with lakes, jungle and countless birds. It was designed by architect
Percy J. Clifford and offers tennis, too.
The Marina Vallarta Golf Club, designed by Joe Finger,
has birds, iguanas and crocodiles on the site. The course winds
through palms, natural lagoons and has oceanfront fairways along
with Banderas Bay views.
The Hotel at Paradise Village
Mayan architecture awaits you at Paradise Village, a 12-acre peninsula,
just on the northern fringe of Puerto Vallarta, in Nuevo Vallarta.
Here you can enjoy the sweeping views of Banderas Bay, the world's
largest crescent-shaped bay, and a pristine stretch of Pacific Ocean
beach.
It even has its own zoo complete with tigers and cubs, a lion,
monkeys, tropical birds and more. No other resort hotel in the area
offers so many amenities -- a great place to relax or run yourself
ragged with all the recreational opportunities.
Where to Dine at Paradise Village
The Tulum Restaurant overlooks the Pacific and the Nuevo Vallarta
Marina and offers a variety of regional, international and gourmet
Spa cuisine and a great view. The Mayapan Restaurant features authentic
Mexican dishes and beverage services such as beer by the bucket
and a tequila tasting bar. Also try the Kabah Sports Bar and Xcaret
Night Club. Enjoy drinks or watch the games on international sports
satellite TV.
Recreation at Paradise Village
How about kayaking, aqua cycling, boogie boarding, snorkeling,
scuba diving and paddle boats? You can also parasail, ride a Jet
Ski, wind surf or sail. You can also go deep sea fishing for marlin
and sailfish. Deep sea fishing boats may be chartered through the
recreation office and depart from the marina dock. Paradise Village
has four lighted tennis courts.
Paradise Village Real Estate
Check out www.paradisemexico.com for real estate opportunities
including home site on the golf course and at the marina. Call 800-995-5714.
How to Get Here
Fly AeroMéxico, that's how. The airline serves 43 cities in México,
more than any other airlines, 80 destinations in the USA and Canada
-- including the gateway cities of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort
Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Ontario,
Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and San Diego. For vacation possibilities
log on to www.aeromexico.com or call 800-245-8585.
The México File
Want to discover the out-of-the-way sights of the Puerto Vallarta
area? Then log on to www.mexicofile.com or call 800-563-9345.
Dave Simmonds, publisher of the widely read The Mexico File newsletter,
first drove a van to PV in 1970 while in college, and even with
the growth, it's still his favorite city in the country.
"Puerto Vallarta first came to public attention in 1963 when John
Huston brought his cast there for the filming of Night of the Iguana,
including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Sue Lyons
and Deborah Kerr," Simmonds said.
"Taylor and Burton soon bought houses in the area along the Rio
Cuale know as Gringo Gulch. The houses were across the small street
from each other so Burton had a bridge built over the road to connect
the two. The property is now called Casa Kimberley, a Bed and Breakfast
with rooms for $85-$100."
"John Wayne was also an occasional PV visitor, although he preferred
Mazatlan and La Paz due to the superior fishing in those waters.
The hangout in those days was the Hotel Oceana, now housing Tequila's
Bar and Restaurant and some T-shirt shops. The bar at the old Oceana
was one of the world's best with always a cast of interesting characters
in attendance," Simmonds said.
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