Golf in Ajijic, Chapala, and Guadalajara

Right in Ajijic there is a beautiful executive 9-hole course called Chula Vista Country Club. This is a very challenging course, well kept, with several holes having exceptional views of Lake Chapala. Tournaments are often held here and there is a very nice lunch facility and also a facility for private parties. This is a very pretty course and caddies are available but no carts.

There is the Chapala Country Club in San Nicolas on the other side of Chapala. This is a full size course with a very nice clubhouse for lunch or dinner. Carts and caddies are available.

Atlas is a golf club between Ajijic and the airport on the way to Guadalajara. This course is the second longest in Mexico and has full, dining and spa facilities with tennis courts.
Carts and caddies are available. The fairways are very wide but if you do hit into the pine straw good luck in hitting out in 1.

In Guadalajara there are many excellent golf clubs to choose from and you can get a full listing of all the golf courses available at www.virtualmex.com/golf.htm This web site will also supply course lengths, green fees etc.

Another golf club that is a favorite of ours is Isla de Navidad in Barre de Navidad on Costa Alegra between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta. This course was built to attract world class golfers and has some magnificent ocean view holes. It is a difficult but fair course. I usually stay away from the inland water portion of the course.

We stay at the Grand Bay Hotel when we go to play Isla de Navidad. It is an excellent hotel across the bay from the golf course. This hotel is a wonderful experience complete with fine dining, all possible activities, a full massage and beauty centre and a very pretty setting with several well kept swimming pools.

Whatever your handicap there is a golf course for you in the area. Men’s and women’s groups can be accessed at most clubs if you do not have a foursome of your own.

Even in the rainy season seldom a day of golf has to be missed as it usually only rains at night.

Lorena Ochoa, the number 1 female golfer in the world, is from Guadalajara and her original home course was the Guadalajara Country Club.

So get out and have fun – all year long.

British Open Golf

There are 2 interesting stories this year. First is Tom Watson, who is 59 years old, is at the top of the leaderboard. Tom has won this event 5 times in the past and is very much an adopted son in the old sod.

Secondly, and perhaps even more surprising is that Tiger Woods missed the cut on Friday by one shot finishing 5 over par. Tiger who has also won the British Open in the past has only missed one other major cut in his career and that was the 2006 U.S. Open.

Phil Michelson did not attend this year’s Open Championship as both his wife and mother are battling breast cancer.

Retief Goosen is the only other usual suspect in the mix.

The first day the conditions were marvelous with very good weather but today the conditions are cold and windy not at all unusual for Scotland. The course at Turnberry is very beautiful and the newly refurbished club house is magnificent.

This tournament is very important to all golfers for a few reasons. It is one of the four major tournaments of the year. It is the oldest golf tournament and it is under the rules of the R& A (Royal and Ancient Golf Association). A win at the Open Championship is, therefore, highly coveted and extremely prestigious.

The complexion of a golf tournament always changes dramatically when Tiger Woods is not in the mix. All the life seems to be sucked out of the event except, of course for the other players who are thrilled at his exit giving them a better chance at the win. There is nothing as exciting as Tiger either being in the lead or making a charge on Sunday. The magic of his game is a wonder to behold and watching him come up with creative and wonderfully executed impossible golf shots never fails to thrill audiences around the world.

The sponsors are always crestfallen when Tiger is not at their event or has rarely missed the cut as they know this means immediate loss of revenue.

There are many “young guns’ coming up like Anthony Kim, Camilo, Villegas, Rory McIlroy and we always watch the energetic Sergia Garcia with great interest and our very own Mike Weir who did win the Masters in 2003..

Watching golf on TV has always been a tradition in our home and I remember the excitement of Sundays dating back to watching Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Gary Player with my parents in Toronto.

Many people here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala are avid golfers and enjoy the year round option to play. We also have many golf courses for all level of handicaps in Ajijic, Chapala and Guadalajara.

So enjoy tomorrow’s final round. We will be even without Tiger Woods.

Tennis and Golf in the Ajijic, Lake Chapala Area

Years ago when we arrived my son and I were looking for a group to play tennis with. At a cocktail party a lovely woman mentioned to me about the round robins that were in place at the Racquet Club in San Juan Cosala Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Off we went rackets in hand to look for this group. We were very pleasantly surprised at the wonderful facilities which boasted 10 newly refurbished courts, a swimming pool, hot tub and fresh juices and other tasty snacks on hand served to you courtside.

We joined up with the group and found all ages and levels of players to play with. It was largely doubles and everyone was interested in having a fun time and getting exercise.

The views of the lake and the mountains were spectacular and we happily played there for several years enjoying the company of many who became great friends. I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed playing with my son as he was young and a very good player and I think he brought a breath of springtime to the group.

At that time there was a father and daughter team of coaches who gave private lessons and organized tournaments for the group. It was a wonderful experience for both my son and I and we would probably still be playing there happily if my son had not gone off to university and my knee had not been stricken with arthritis making the quick stopping and starting of tennis very painful. Strangely enough this affliction does not bother my golf game in the least and walking the cartless Chula Vista is a breeze.

Although we have not been there for several years I am sure there is still a group ready to welcome newcomers and we were welcomed.

Also there are courts in Cristiana Park in Chapala were games are available and the good players come out on week-ends from Guadalajara to challenge the A players. Hotel Real Chapala also has two courts which can be booked at the front desk. I believe they still have a coach available for private lessons.

Many homes here have private tennis courts so there is no shortage of courts to play on with a variety of surfaces and wonderful people to play with and to teach you how to play or just improve your game.

The weather, of course, is perfect year round for tennis and it is a sport one can play well into ones dotage as it were.

So if tennis is your passion or you would like it to become your passion Ajijic, Lake Chapala is the place to be.

Lorena Ochoa and Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

This past week-end she hosted the Lorena Ochoa Invitational tournament, and she was one of the few LPGA players ever to be honored with a tournament named after her, at the Guadalajara Country Club in Guadalajara.

Perhaps the pressure of the spotlight and the tournament being played on the golf course she grew up on she was only able to tie for 14th with a -4 score. Annika Sorenstam, who Lorena overtook as #1 last year, tied for second with a -12 and the winner was Angela Stanford with -13 for the 4 day event.

Record crowds attended the event and it certainly put Guadalajara on the international golfing map with a winning purse of 1 million.

At the moment, as the global economic crisis affects the US many Mexicans are returning to Mexico from the US as money and jobs are extremely scarce.

Maybe this is a good thing as all eyes are on Lorena and home might be a wonderful place to be as national pride and opportunity is at an all time high.

Golfing in the Lake Chapala, Ajijic, Mexico

Here in Ajijic we have a beautiful 9 hole executive golf course, Chula Vista Country Club. This a well-kept course with mangficient views of Lake Chapala.

Just outside Chapala is Vista del Lago Country Club in San Nicholas. This is a full length course with carts available. There is also a social element to this club with a full dining room.

You might wish to log onto www.virtualmex.com/golf.htm or a full listing of all the golf clubs in the Ajijic/ Lake Chapala/Guadalajara area complete with course details and pricing.

Whatever your handicap we have courses to challenge the most sophisticated golfer and courses for the week-end player. It is easy to find men and women’s groups to play with.

For a special treat you could play the wonderful Isla de Navidad in Barre de Navidad which is a fabulous golf and country club across the bay from The Grand Bay Hotel which is a world class resort. The ocean holes are magnificent and it is also is a world class facility.

Our residents from the north are delighted with year round play and the subsequent improvement to their handicap.