Vista Vallarta (Weiskopf)

The resort of Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific coast first came to international prominence as a tourist destination in 1963 when director John Huston filmed “The Night of the Iquana” in Mismaloya, just south of the city, and news of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor’s off-screen affair was flashed around the world.

Nowadays, golfers deciding to play in the Puerto Vallarta area are spoiled for choice with no fewer than eight fine courses to choose from. The best of these is the Pacifico at Four Seasons Punta Mita but not too far behind that fabulous track are the two highly ranked championship courses at Vista Vallarta.

Operated by the Texan ClubCorp company, both 18-hole layouts are set within a property of almost 500 acres that first made its mark on the Mexican golfing scene in 2001, with the Nicklaus layout ready for play in April of that year, followed by the Weiskopf, seven months later.

The 1973 Open Champion doesn’t put his name to many courses, but those that he does design are invariably top-notch tracks and this one overlooking Banderas Bay is no exception. Lush fairways are routed at times through dense vegetation, traversing a number of arroyos along the way, and they compose a wonderfully contrasting 18 holes to those on the Nicklaus course.