VistaMar golf resort is on the (Pacific) coast of Panama, its about a 90 minute drive from downtown Panama City and right now its a real gem of a venue for a relaxed game whilst on vacation.
I drove with my playing partner for the day (thanks for tagging along Alwin!) from the city and its a nice ride out on big roads with lots to see. On arrival parking was easy and we had time to look at the small but expertly stocked pro-shop. VistaMar has 2 professionals, both expert golfers and nice guys, so you could even use your trip to improve your game by taking a lesson on the excellent practice facility.
For clarity, when we played only 9 holes were open. The back 9 are under repair. The course was so much fun, I am looking forward to being invited to the grand re-openning of all 18 (hint-hint)!
We played 18 holes on the day of our visit, the fist time around we played of the members tees and were constantly impressed by the quality of the course’ design and how much fun we had. Wether we were trying to hit driver-off-the-deck into a par 5 or nipping wedges in to some of the shorter par 4 holes, we never felt like the course was too easy or impossibly difficult. Sure, there is some water and some waste land to avoid – but only enough to keep your head in the game. For the second time around we played of the pro tees and really noticed the step up. First time around we were pretending to be huge hitters, making par 5s in 2 shot and not hitting much more than a mid iron into the par 4s. Second time around strategy had to come into play, as did my long irons / hybrid game. If your a single figure golfer I reccomend playing this track from the tips for a real challenge!
All golfers will have a great time here because one of the course’ strong points are the green which were some of the best I’ve played in Panama for a while!
A picture says 1000 words, and nobody wants another 1000 words on a blog. So to finish please enjoy some photos of a tropical golf course on the beautiful pacific coast of Panama!