Peninsula Papagayo

Situated within the Nasacolo Forest on Costa Rica’s remote northwest Pacific coast, the Peninsula Papagayo resort is home to one of the most spectacular courses in Central America.

The layout was carved through a heavily contoured, densely wooded site at the tip of a promontory where the fairways – many of them dog legged – were expertly routed around a rugged landscape by Arnold Palmer’s design team, making the most of the dramatic elevation changes.

Water hazards feature at several holes – most notably at the 5th, 13th and 18th where small pools come into play – and creeks cross the fairways in front of the greens at the par five 9th and short par four 14th.

“El Bajo,” the 438-yard 6th, is the signature hole at Peninsual Papagayo, with an elevated tee position that offers stunning views across the shimmering waters of Bahía de Culebra.

The tree-lined fairway at this par four curves to the left, plunging more than two hundred feet on its way to a small, shallow pulpit green – there may no bunkers on this hole but sand traps are somewhat surplus to requirement when the terrain’s this tortuous.

Thad Layton from the Arnold Palmer Design Company was recently engaged to upgrade the course and the back nine re-opened for play at the end of 2022 (with the front nine due to undergo the same treatment the following year). The project involves the removal of restrictive tropical vegetation, the remodelling of bunkers and the expansion of putting surfaces to increase the number of pinnable positions.