Club de Golf Chapultepec
Willie Smith, the 1899 U.S. Open champion, designed Chapultepec on the wooded western edge of Mexico City, and his brother Alex Smith completed it in 1921. A century later this private parkland club, sitting near 7,800 feet above sea level, hosted the WGC Mexico Championship from 2017 to 2020 and now stages LIV Golf Mexico City. There is no public tee sheet; access is by invitation only.
Photo: Vicencio Diaz Alejandro via Google.
The verdict
Chapultepec is the grand old club of Mexican golf. Willie Smith, who won the U.S. Open in 1899 and crossed into Mexico in 1904 to take up a professional post, drew the plans but died before the work was done; his brother Alex Smith, himself a two time U.S. Open champion, finished the course, which opened in 1921. Percy Clifford renovated the layout in 1972, but the bones remain classical, narrow corridors of cypress and eucalyptus, small greens, and a routing that climbs and falls across the foothills of Naucalpan.
What makes it unlike anywhere else on the championship map is the air. At nearly 7,800 feet above sea level the ball carries roughly 10 percent farther than at sea level, which is why the world saw Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed hit towering mid irons over 220 yards here during the four WGC Mexico Championships from 2017 to 2020. The card says par 71 and about 7,345 yards; the altitude says otherwise. With LIV Golf Mexico City now in residence, Chapultepec remains the most important inland course in the country, and the hardest one to get on.
Chapultepec at a glance
- Opened
- 1921
- Designer
- Willie Smith, finished by Alex Smith
- Type
- Parkland at altitude
- Par
- 71 (championship)
- Yardage
- About 7,345 yds
- Access
- By invitation
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from club history and leading course databases. Willie Smith designed the course and Alex Smith completed it for a 1921 opening; Percy Clifford renovated it in 1972. The championship setup played as a par 71 of about 7,345 yards for the WGC Mexico Championship and has been stretched past 7,400 yards for LIV Golf. Chapultepec is a private members club: there is no public green fee and no published visitor rate, so access must always be confirmed through a member or the club directly.
The holes worth the trip
The 7th is the first hole that tells you where you are: a par 3 listed at about 235 yards that the pros attacked with mid irons, the ball hanging in the thin air down a chute of mature trees to a small, well defended green. At sea level it would be a hybrid; here it is a test of trajectory and trust in the number.
The 13th is the hole the members call the signature, a downhill par 3 played from an elevated tee to a green ringed by sand with water waiting on the miss. It is the prettiest single shot on the property and one of the few where the altitude helps the eye rather than confusing it, the ball seeming to float forever before it lands.
The 15th opens the famous uphill finish, a par 5 measured at about 622 yards that the WGC field still reached in two because of the elevation. From there the course climbs through 16 and 17, three holes back up the hillside that decided more than one Sunday, before the 18th, a par 4 of about 525 yards, sweeps back down toward the grand clubhouse. Mickelson won his 2018 playoff here, and Johnson closed out both of his titles on this green.
Photo: Vicencio Diaz Alejandro via Google.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Strictly private members club; there is no public tee sheet and no online booking of any kind |
| Member invitation | The realistic route is a member host; guests play alongside their member, who arranges the time and settles the guest arrangements |
| Reciprocals | Some private clubs abroad hold reciprocal or courtesy arrangements; ask your home club secretary to write to Chapultepec well in advance, with no guarantee |
| Green fee | None published; access is by invitation, and any guest arrangement is handled privately through the host member or the club office |
| The altitude | Near 7,800 feet above sea level the ball carries roughly 10 percent farther; club down one to two clubs and expect the yardage book to lie to you all day |
| On the day | Traditional dress code and etiquette apply; caddies are part of the culture, and walking the hilly back nine at altitude is a workout in itself |
| Getting there | Naucalpan, on the western edge of Mexico City, about 20 to 40 minutes from Polanco depending on traffic |
| Best months | November to May, the dry season; summer brings reliable afternoon rain to the Valley of Mexico |
Access arrangements verified June 2026. Chapultepec is private and we will never quote a fee that does not exist; if a tee time matters to your trip, talk to your home club, your host, or our planning desk early. For bookable rounds elsewhere in Mexico, compare tee times via our partner: [TEE_TIME_AFFILIATE_LINK].
Where to stay nearby
Base yourself in Polanco. Mexico City's most polished neighborhood sits just east of Naucalpan, 20 to 40 minutes from the club depending on traffic, and carries the city's best run of luxury hotels, the restaurants along Avenida Presidente Masaryk, and easy access to Chapultepec Park and the Museo Nacional de Antropología for the non golf days.
Roma and Condesa make a livelier, more bohemian alternative a little farther from the course, while the hotels along Paseo de la Reforma split the difference. Whichever base you choose, build the tee time around the traffic: morning golf, afternoon city. Mexico City rewards the golfer who treats the round as one part of a bigger trip.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels in Polanco and Mexico City near Club de Golf Chapultepec.
Build a Mexico golf trip
Chapultepec takes patience and the right introduction, and we are honest about the odds. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge maps the realistic route, pairs Mexico City with the bookable best of Los Cabos or the Riviera Maya, and costs it to the head, with no obligation. Prefer to start broader? Visit Plan my trip.
Chapultepec questions
Who designed Club de Golf Chapultepec and when did it open?
Club de Golf Chapultepec was designed by Willie Smith, the 1899 U.S. Open champion, who died before the work was finished. His brother Alex Smith, a two time U.S. Open champion, completed the course, which opened in 1921. Percy Clifford renovated the layout in 1972.
What is the par and length of Club de Golf Chapultepec?
For the WGC Mexico Championship the course played as a par 71 of about 7,345 yards, and LIV Golf has stretched it past 7,400 yards. At nearly 7,800 feet above sea level the ball flies roughly 10 percent farther, so it plays much shorter than the card suggests.
Which tournaments has Club de Golf Chapultepec hosted?
Chapultepec hosted the WGC Mexico Championship four times from 2017 to 2020, won by Dustin Johnson in 2017 and 2019, Phil Mickelson in 2018 and Patrick Reed in 2020. It is now the venue for LIV Golf Mexico City.
Can visitors play Club de Golf Chapultepec?
Club de Golf Chapultepec is a private members club with no public tee sheet and no published green fee. Access is by member invitation, with guests playing alongside their host, or occasionally through reciprocal arrangements between private clubs. There is no way to simply book a round.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par, yardage and tournament history verified June 2026; access arrangements verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.