Hard Rock - Riviera Maya

Located less than an hour’s drive to the south of Cancun, in the centre of the Riviera Maya, the eighteen holes at the Hard Rock Golf Club (formerly Playacar Golf Club) were hewn from dense Mayan jungle by the late Robert von Hagge.

Playing corridors are generally narrow and they lead to smallish greens so golfers can expect their golf game to be fully tested on a layout that’s a lot more challenging than a regular, run of the mill resort course.

And because the owners of the Playacar Palace resort operate an all-inclusive policy, players certainly get their money’s worth from their green fee as it includes transportation to and from their hotel, full locker facilities and all food and drinks consumed in the clubhouse and on the course – now if that won’t temp a golfer away from the pool whilst on vacation then nothing will!

Tom Doak made a point of playing Hard Rock in 2017 and awarded the course a rating of four out of ten. He commented as follows in his Christmas 2017 Confidential Guide update:

“This course was built as the centerpiece of the Playacar resort development and has only recently been taken over by the operator for the Hard Rock brand in Mexico, but the course fits the name: it’s very narrow between trees, with a lot of sharp doglegs. There are homes bordering most of the holes, but the jungle is so thick you’d hardly notice.”