Best option for winter golf?

chern92 · July 21

Live up in Canada so our season comes to an end in October.

Planning on spending 3 months away this winter and I am looking for a warm spot in Central America, South America or the Caribbean with accessible golf.

My definition of accessible would be...

- Public without need of travel agency/booking agent for play

- Not a hotel/resort course

- 18 holes for $70 USD (or less)

- Open to play multiple times per week as a guest (ideally 3 rounds per week + practice other days)

I finish up around 1pm each day, so my ideal scenario would be heading to a course 5-6 days a week afterward and making the most of the winter without blowing up the bank.

I have looked through Mexico and not had much luck. Lots of courses are for hotel guests and or quite expensive. Wife is a Colombian citizen, but golf in and around Medellin is sparse and requires some hoops to jump through, Barranquilla is pretty pricey. I have ties to the DR, but the prices for courses there have become completely out of control compared to years past.

Does anyone have any experience with what I am looking for?

jvincent · July 21

Your $70/round is going to pretty much rule out everything.

Most of the golf in the Caribbean is geared around tourists/resorts, especially at that time of the year.

We went to the Portugal (Algarve area) this past spring and you might be able to find something in that range there or in Spain. Mostly because there are a lot more courses so there is some competition.

chern92 · July 21

20 minutes ago, jvincent said:

Your $70/round is going to pretty much rule out everything.

Most of the golf in the Caribbean is geared around tourists/resorts, especially at that time of the year.

We went to the Portugal (Algarve area) this past spring and you might be able to find something in that range there or in Spain. Mostly because there are a lot more courses so there is some competition.

Figured as much for tourist/resort towns.

Kind of curious about Argentina, Uruguay, Chile or lesser visited parts of Mexico.

smashdn · July 21

Puerto Rico? Or Bermuda maybe.

vallygolf · July 21

Check out Port Royal and Ocean View CC in Bermuda. If you can talk them into the resident rate it is $80/round. My guess is with as much as you want to play you could find a way to get the cost down. They have a multitude of memberships. Oceanview is a 9 hole course but it is $30 to play 18. The island also has other courses you could tackle once and awhile. Port Royal hosts a PGA event every year and IMO is a really fun course ( I dont think it is technically Carribean, but ticks the boxes).

Edited July 21 by vallygolf

CCTxGolf · July 22

Everywhere in the Caribbean totally sucks for golf.

Argentina would be awesome but I have no clue what the reception would be like for someone parking for 3 months to play their course 6 days a week at most courses. There’s some really golden era amazing golf down there. Watch the No Laying Up video on Argentina from a few months ago. They cover all of the hits. I don’t recall which of the good courses are public/daily fee but there are some.

You should probably keep in mind that most less developed countries see golf as a luxury that is attached to resorts and tourism which is most of thems lifeline. Therefore not cheap.

I haven’t been in over ten years but puerto Vallarta at one time had some daily fee courses that were ok. Quality was not great but there were a few options.

You might need to tamp down your list of expectations. It’s seems like some of what you want may be in the cards at some places. All of what you want is probably available at zero places.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Dancin · July 22

I'd say New Zealand if you had US dollars due to the exchange rate as that would get you around $70 us or less, but against the Canadian dollar that isn't true. Still can't believe I was able to rent a two bedroom house in a beach town for $60 us a night in March.

Edited July 22 by Dancin

onion · July 22

Check out Panama. It is fairly affordable and the weather was beautiful when I was there.

smashdn · July 22

I know you said you have looked at Mexico, what did you find out in the Cabo San Lucas area? Too expensive or resort courses?

edd13 · July 23

On 7/22/2025 at 4:24 PM, smashdn said:

I know you said you have looked at Mexico, what did you find out in the Cabo San Lucas area? Too expensive or resort courses?

Anything around Cabo is probably going to run you $100+