How to Play the Best Golf in the Riviera Nayarit
Mexico's Pacific coast north of Puerto Vallarta holds 36 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature golf behind the Punta Mita gate, the PGA Tour's Mexico Open venue at Vidanta, and public rounds at Litibu from about 1,600 pesos. A green sits on a natural island in the ocean. Here is how to get on all of it.
Photo: Tail of the Whale, Punta Mita, via Google.
Why the Riviera Nayarit is different
Los Cabos gets the magazine covers, the Riviera Nayarit gets the variety. Within an hour of Puerto Vallarta's international airport you can play a gated Nicklaus duo by the Four Seasons, a Greg Norman tournament course that hosts the PGA Tour, a von Hagge water park of a layout in Nuevo Vallarta and an affordable public Norman design where the closing holes run along the Pacific. Nothing else on Mexico's west coast packs that spread into one bay, and it undercuts Los Cabos on price at almost every tier.
The trade is access. The two most celebrated courses here sit behind the Punta Mita gate and are reserved for residents, members and guests of the Four Seasons and St. Regis, so the trip has to be built around where you sleep, not just where you play. That is the central planning fact of this destination. For the wider national picture, start with our guide to golf in Mexico.
The courses that matter
| Course | Why it matters | Indicative fee (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Punta Mita Pacifico | Jack Nicklaus Signature design and home of the Tail of the Whale, the optional par 3 played to a natural rock island in the ocean | About USD 300 advertised, nearer 380 with service fees and taxes; guests only |
| Punta Mita Bahia | The second Nicklaus Signature course inside the gate, a wider, breezier complement to Pacifico with its own ocean holes | As Pacifico; multi day golf packages offered; guests only |
| Vidanta Vallarta | Greg Norman Signature course along the Ameca River, opened 2016, host of the PGA Tour's Mexico Open, reached by the world's longest golf cart suspension bridge | Resort rates plus caddie; arrange at booking |
| El Tigre, Nuevo Vallarta | Robert von Hagge, Mike Smelek and Rick Baril, 2002. A 7,239 yard public course where nine water features touch 12 holes | Public; dynamic rates, confirm with the club |
| Litibu | Greg Norman public design of 7,022 yards: seven linksy holes, eight in the jungle and a finish along the Pacific, currently mid renovation | About 1,600 pesos prime, 1,200 twilight |
Fees verified June 2026 from course, resort and operator listings and are indicative for the 2026 season. Punta Mita and Vidanta price by season and plan; always confirm directly before booking.
How to book it, step by step
- Decide whether Punta Mita is the point. If the Tail of the Whale is on your list, you must sleep inside the gate: the Four Seasons, the St. Regis or a villa in the community. Book the room first and the tee times through the resort concierge. The club offers 3, 5 and 7 day golf packages for stays built around the courses, and our profiles of Pacifico and Bahia cover both layouts in detail.
- Time it for the dry season. November to April is warm, dry and the high season; summer is hot, humid and wet in the afternoons, with lower rates for early starters. Whale watching season, roughly December to March, is a real bonus from the oceanside holes.
- Build the public rota around your base. From Nuevo Vallarta, El Tigre is on the doorstep and Vidanta across the river; Litibu sits up the coast near Punta Mita for the budget Norman fix. All three take direct bookings, and a tee time platform or hotel desk handles it in English.
- Book the tournament course like a tournament. Vidanta Vallarta is the Mexico Open venue and access runs through the Vidanta resort, with caddies part of the arrangement. Confirm the rate, the caddie fee and the transfer when you book rather than on arrival.
- Keep the logistics simple. Fly into Puerto Vallarta, which sits minutes from Nuevo Vallarta and about 45 minutes from Punta Mita. A rental car is useful for Litibu but the resorts run transfers for everything else.
Dress codes are resort standard, carts and caddies are the culture rather than walking, and the post round options run from clubhouse ceviche to the Four Seasons' beachfront bars. It is not a buddies destination only; couples and family groups are arguably better served here than anywhere else in Mexican golf.
Build a Riviera Nayarit golf trip
We arrange the stay that unlocks Punta Mita, the tee times at Vidanta and the public rounds around them, then book the lodging and transfers to match. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Riviera Nayarit golf questions
Can anyone play golf at Punta Mita?
No. The Punta Mita Golf Club's two Jack Nicklaus Signature courses, Pacifico and Bahia, are reserved for club members and their guests, guests of the Four Seasons and St. Regis resorts, and villa guests inside the gated community. Booking a stay inside the gate is the route in for visitors.
What is the famous island hole at Punta Mita?
The Tail of the Whale, hole 3B on the Pacifico course, an optional par 3 played to a green on a natural rock island in the Pacific. An amphibious cart runs players out at low tide. It is one of the most photographed holes in golf.
How much does golf cost on the Riviera Nayarit?
The spread is wide. Litibu's regular rate has run about 1,600 pesos prime time and 1,200 pesos twilight, while Punta Mita has advertised around 300 US dollars per round, closer to 380 with service fees and taxes. Resort and caddie fees move the totals, so always confirm directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf on the Riviera Nayarit?
November to April is the dry, warm high season and the best golf weather. Summer brings heat, humidity and afternoon rain, with lower rates for golfers who tee off early. The PGA Tour's Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta usually falls in the first half of the year.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.