The Hard Rock Riviera Maya in Playa Del Carmen (Photo: Hard Rock Hotels)
Sometimes your humble golf narrator gets lucky.
Not in golf mind you but in life. Four of my friends booked a trip to a resort in Mexico with their lovely partners back in November. Three of the couples are married, and of course the one that wasn’t ended up breaking up with his special lady.
Rather than go alone with three other couples he opted to gift me the trip. Well, he actually gifted it to me and my lady friend (not my special girl IYKYN).
Sounds great, except that a month prior to the trip my lady friend dumped me! She couldn’t wait until after the trip? I must have really stunk as a boyfriend, but that is a column for another time. Anyway, unlike my buddy, who gifted me the trip, I was all in for a free week in Mexico, with or without a partner. Turned out I had an awesome time and even had a chance to get some golf in.
There’s no difference between golfing in Mexico and anywhere else except it is exceptionally expensive, you have to play in a secured militarized resort area and the temperatures can get utterly oppressive. Other than that, the same as home.
We played The Hard Rock Riviera Maya Golf Course in Playa Del Carmen. The last time I was in that part of Mexico was 1991. Back then nothing was there. No hotels, no resorts, and definitely no golf courses. I literally stayed in a tent on the beach way back then. Now it is a built up playground for Americans, many of whom live there for the winter or year-round.
My threesome consisted of my friend George, a regular golfer who has some skills. Kermit (not his name but that’s what we call him) who never plays and was just there because it was ‘a thing to do,' and myself. Our fourth friend, Jake, is not a golfer and was wise enough to save his money for a massage and a pedicure at the resort. Smart move.
This course was no joke. Incredibly tight, so if you strayed even a little off the fairway you were in trouble. It also has Bermuda grass which if you’re not used to it can be a difficult surface on which to play.
It wasn’t cheap either, even with our resort “discount” it was a pricey affair, along with the club rental and a new case of golf balls. In the scheme of the cosmic universe, the cost was only a scratch after having been given the trip in the first place, so no complaints.
As expected, Kermit was barely paying attention to the golf and basically wandering around the course looking for lizards and making work calls on his cell phone. I think it was the best round of golf he’s ever had.
George and I struggled happily along. Being early November it was relatively empty which allowed us to play at our own pace without any pressure from other golfers. As with most rounds of golf, there were moments of greatness followed by utter failure.
Despite the narrow fairways and small greens, I somehow managed to only lose six balls! I have no clue what I scored but only losing six balls was a complete success. Especially when you consider how much I paid for those balls. Basically, a small fortune that could feed a family of four in Playa Del Carmen for a month.
Was golf the highlight of my Mexico vacation? Probably not. I did get a pedicure (no joke) and the food and drinks were pretty darn good. But it was worth the experience and the ability to say that I’ve golfed in another country. I didn’t say I golfed well in another country, but I did golf in another country.
Ed Levine writes regularly about golf for the Fideri News Network, including OnPattison.com, primarily at the local level, but also muses about the national events and the pro tours.
