Estrella del Mar Golf Course
Radio Host Gil Whiteley takes his high altitude game to paradise
On four straight sunlit days I played golf in paradise this past February. The course at Estrella del Mar in Mazatlan, Mexico is magnificent from the very first tee shot with a generous fairway, which allows you to ease into a round that will challenge every club in your bag.
The front nine is changing but never unfair. The back nine is a little tougher, and rubbing shoulders with the coastline and the ocean’s horizon.
After the first round, I figured out which sides of the fairways to play in order to set up for an improved chance on my next shot. Familiarity is imperative on a course that doesn’t give away too much with your view from the tees.
I play most of my golf at altitude, so it took me a complete round to figure out I needed 2 ½ to three clubs more on approach shots at sea level and at seaside. The sound of surf never leaves you as you wind through the emerald green fairways and lush sand traps. I even hit a shot back to a green from a nearby beach. And no I didn’t see any white stakes.
Robert Trent Jones Jr. is one of my favorite golf course designers, and to put another notch on my belt with another course of his was a complete privilege. Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed one of my favorite courses in Colorado at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort. The Air Force Academy has two Robert Trent Jones Jr. courses the Blue and the Gray, both are championship caliber.
My favorite hole at Estrella del Mar is the 427-yard (Blue Tees) par four. It’s a dogleg left, running entirely along the ocean which is on your left. And although it’s never in play, it is impressive simply to have the ocean so close, particularly coming from a land-locked homestate. There are two chances at water on your right with fairway traps on both sides, and you must own a monster drive to have a shot at the green at sea level. Don’t go long on your approach because there is more water behind the sloping green, which is protected by two sand traps. I finally pared it on the fourth day, and it felt like a great birdie.
Four days of golf at 78 degrees and no humidity is heaven for a duffer from Colorado.
Visit www.estrelladelmar.com for details on the luxury condos, hotel and golf course.
