Punta Mita Pacifico

The verdict

Pacifico is the round people come to the Riviera Nayarit to play, and the reason is one hole. Jack Nicklaus routed his first Punta Mita course out onto a rocky point above Banderas Bay, and at the third he gave golf its only natural island green in the ocean, the Tail of the Whale, set on a slab of black rock that the tide swallows and returns. You walk or ride an amphibious cart out to it when the sea allows. It is a gimmick only until you stand on the tee, into the wind, with the Pacific between you and a green the size of a living room.

Around that signature, Pacifico is a genuinely good resort course, opened in 1999 as a par 72 of about 7,014 yards with several holes that run along the water and Bahia de Banderas filling the horizon. It is the golf of the Four Seasons and St. Regis at Punta Mita, so play is built around staying inside the resort, and the conditioning and service match that billing. For a couples trip or a small buddies group who want one unforgettable round, this is the booking.

The holes worth the trip

The Tail of the Whale is hole 3B, an optional tee that swaps the routine par 3 for the island green out in the Pacific. When the tide is low, a strip of rock connects you to it and the amphibious cart ferries you across; when it is high, you play the safer land green instead. Either way it is the round's defining moment, and the wind off the ocean makes the 199 yard carry feel a lot longer than the number.

Beyond the headline, Pacifico keeps the drama coming where the holes meet the shore. Several run right along the water with the surf in your eyeline and the breeze swirling, and Nicklaus uses the natural fall of the land toward the sea so that misses gather the wrong way. The greens are quick and the bunkering is clean and deep, classic Nicklaus, rewarding the player who flights the ball and thinks about the wind first.

Play it in the morning if you can. The Pacific tends to wake up in the afternoon, and a calm Pacifico is reachable and joyful while a windy one is a test. For a Riviera Nayarit trip we will set the order of play so the marquee round lands on the right tide and the right breeze.

Where to stay nearby

The clean way to play Pacifico is to stay inside Punta Mita, where the Four Seasons and the St. Regis sit on the peninsula with the golf as their amenity. Both are full service resorts with beaches, spas and dining, which makes Punta Mita an easy sell for couples and for a group that wants the golf and the downtime in one gated place.

We can build the stay around the access you want and pair Pacifico with its sister course, the Bahia layout, plus the Vallarta corridor's resort golf across the bay. Tell us your dates and your group and we will match the hotel to the golf.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Punta Mita Pacifico Course.