DESTINATIONS Dave Silbar ura Vida. If you know what this means, then you’ve been to the magical place called Costa Rica. Pura Vida is more than just a phrase, it’s the culture and way of life for all Costa Ricans (aka ‘Ticos’). Natives use this term to say hello, goodbye, and to let people know everything’s good. Costa Ricans don’t just let the term bring them a good life, it’s the way they use it in their everyday attitude to make them happy. “Pura Vida”—explains our local guide— means that people need to be grateful for the things they do have in life, instead of dwelling on the negative things that they don’t. And when it comes to golfing in Costa Rica—Pura Vida! Costa Rica is certainly not revered as a golfer’s paradise, but just two holes into my first round there back in late May and I felt as if I had uncovered one of the world’s best kept secret golf destinations. Costa Rica is a rugged, beautiful, and predominately tourist-safe rain forested Central American country with coastlines on both the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans. Sandwiched between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, Costa Rica is known for its beaches, volcanoes, coffee, and biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of its area (and seemingly 100% of its golf courses) is made up of protected jungle, teeming with wildlife, including varies species of monkeys, birds and much more. The weather is purely tropical. Highs average 80 to 85 degrees most days with near 90% humidity. Because Costa Rica is located just 700 miles north of the equator, sunrise occurs daily around 5 a.m. with sunset at 6 p.m. I played two courses during my week stay, but there are a handful of others that offer equally as incredible experiences. Getting around Costa Rica can be a bit tricky, and includes either renting a car at the airport or working with an outside transportation company (we did the latter). Our group made quick friends with Pablo Vargas (pablo@costaricaexcellent. com), owner of Costa Rica Excellent, a provider of transportation and excursion services. Pablo’s team of experts were not only friendly but incredibly attentive
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Costa Rica Proves to be Unforgettable and Unassuming to our needs, and extremely professional when it came to ensuring that we had the most incredible experience in this faraway country. Rather than aggressively selling their services. instead they ensured that we were comfortable with all our excursion decisions and knew the pricing up front. Our base was at the Wyndham resort in Tamarindo, a lovely beachside town located along the Pacific Ocean about 90 minutes south of the Liberia Airport. Daily and weekly golf cart rentals are available and totally worth it. Tamarindo is teaming with restaurants, shops, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. and the people are friendly. While the Wyndham is not located on the ocean, every room has a spectacular ocean view overlooking the city. The resort also had exclusive access to a private beach club, which provided a per-
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fect spot for a ‘nothing to do and all day to do it’ type of experience. Hacienda Pinilla Golf Club Situated on an extraordinary part of Costa Rica 30 minutes south of Tamarindo lies Hacienda Pinilla Golf Club, offering picturesque scenery, immaculate conditions, and frequent glimpses of exotic wildlife. Opened for play in February 2001, Hacienda Pinilla was designed by Mike Young to conform to all natural surroundings, capturing the feel of a Guanacaste ranch on the ocean. Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern region of the country. With wide open fairways off the tee, the greens and their surroundings provide quite a challenge. Accurate iron play is the key to getting
