Maracaibo

Laid out on the banks of Lake Maracaibo, the city of the same name is situated to the northwest of Venezuela with a metropolitan population of around two million people.

Although baseball and football are the most popular sports in the region, golf has also been played in the city since 1951, when architect James Baird Wilson laid out an 18-hole course for the members of Maracaibo Country Club.

Hundreds of young saplings that were planted during construction have since turned into mature trees, and these now give ample definition to the fairways of this lovely parkland layout.

The four par threes at 3, 7, 12 and 17 are all very strong short holes, particularly the 178-yard 17th, which plays to a testing, two-tiered green.

The 445-yard par four 11th is regarded as the signature hole at Maracaibo and it’s also the most difficult with a stroke index rating of 1. There’s plenty of sand and water to negotiate between tee and green at this hole so marking a “4” on the card feels like signing for a birdie.