I’d be remiss if I didn’t start this review without mentioning the entrance gate to the Atunyote Golf Club. It’s a masterpiece of metal work. I’ve never seen anything like it; truly an impressive piece of art. Really a fantastic way to get amped up for a round of golf. After all, if they can be this lavish with the gate, what’s the course going to be like?
I played Atunyote on a Sunday morning with a good friend of mine. We were a twosome, and we had the earliest tee time of the day; 8 a.m. They offer tee times earlier, but there were no takers. The kicker; the next tee time was a foursome at 10:30! We had the whole course to ourselves.
Since it was such a joyous occasion, we decided to take a forecaddy. The difference between a forecaddie and a regular caddy (as I understand it) is that a forecaddie watches where your ball goes and helps you find it, and a regular caddy carries the clubs, looks for balls, etc. We took a cart, so didn’t need anyone carrying our bags.
One of the neat things about Atunyote is that each tee sign shows not only the picture of the hole and distances, but also has a panel explaining some of the local wildlife.
The course starts our easy enough, with a pretty straight par 4. I actually hit the green in regulation, but my partner ended up in the bunker on the right. He’s a card-carrying PGA pro, so of course, he got up and down, and I actually two-putted for a par. Great start!
The third hole is, what looks like, a pretty easy par 3. I totally flubbed it off the tee, and honestly couldn’t find it in the rough, it was so high. The forecaddie helped us look for way too long (since nobody was behind us, we took a bit longer than usual.) Nothing as embarrassing as searching for your ball with a caddy and a PGA Pro, when the ball’s about 30 yards from the tee. Owie.
The 6th hole is another great par 3, with water on the right. I actually hit a good one here. The best part? Listening to the caddy tell the story of when John Daly played this hole. According to said caddy, he sprayed it long and right, having to hit the ball left-handed out of the junk, and made the most impressive up-and-down the caddy had ever seen! Another great reason to take a caddy!
On the ninth tee, you have the ability to order food from the clubhouse, and they’ll have it waiting for you. Nothing impressive here… Except the type of phone! Wow, was this cool to see.
Making the turn, the tenth had water on the right. Upon reaching the top of the hill, I immediately noticed how they manage keeping all the geese off the greens. I wonder why more courses don’t use this wonderful method.
The cart girl was just starting, so we decided to stop her and get a drink. As expected, this wasn’t your ordinary cart. I wonder how much Coca-Cola paid (if anything) for the rights to provide this cart?
The twelfth hole is a great par 5, with water on the right and some strategically placed bunkers. Believe it or not, I managed to avoid them, but still walked away with a bogey. The greens here are tour worthy (and in fact, the PGA Tour does play here, at the Turning Stone Championship in the fall.) This shot is from the green looking back towards the clubhouse.
The fourteenth hole has something you don’t see everyday on a golf course; a waterfall. I have to admit; it sounds kind of odd and out of place, but when you’re playing the hole, and you hear the water actually “falling”, and the babble of the brook, it’s actually pretty nice.
The 16th was probably my personal favorite hole on the course. It’s a short par three, with tons of trouble all around. I actually birdied it with a well-placed 8-iron, and a snaky putt. What a great feeling!
The finishing hole is awesome, and absolutely full of trouble. Just look at the bunkering around the green. I actually made my par on this hole, and my partner bogied.
I ended up shooting a 40 on the back (which is just about a career back 9 for this caliber of a course), coupled with a scary but acceptable 49 on the front, for an 89. I’ll take an 89 on a PGA course all day long.
The real value of this course is that it doesn’t need to make money to exist. It’s owned and operated by a casino, so if the course itself loses money, it’s not a make or break situation. Because of that, the greens are impeccable, the pace is very laid-back, and there’s always a tee time. It’s as close as I’ve been to a private course without it actually being private. Although not inexpensive (around $200+), I strongly suggest you play it once. I was impressed from the beginning of the experience (when our car was met by staff take our bags) all the way to the end (when the locker room attendant gave us our engraved bag tags, included in the price), and everywhere in between.
