Angel Cabrera, the two-time major champion from Argentina will surely tell you that there is no shortage of beautiful and unique golf courses in his home country. No other South American country compares to it in terms of access to great golf.
I’m not going to spend this article carefully analysing each hole of the country’s best golf courses. You’ll find plenty of information about the top fifty golf courses in any country. While I could quite easily write two thousand words reaffirming how excellent Argentina’s best golf courses are, this would not be adding anything new to the conversation.
Instead, I want to talk about what it’s like to play golf like a porteño (someone from Buenos Aires). Having lived in the city, I have some recommendations off the beaten track. I’ll also highlight some hidden gems, some of the quirkier establishments and what to expect on a golf trip to the country.
How I Am Qualified To Write About Golf In Argentina?
I’m a lifelong golfer from England and have been playing since I was three. I have lived in Argentina (twice) and I’ve never visited the country without bringing my golf clubs along for the ride.
Central Golf Courses In Buenos Aires, Argentina
So, let’s jump right in with the most critical consideration—golf courses.
One positive aspect of living in Buenos Aires is that there are some golf courses very close to the centre, which is ideal if your primary reason for visiting is to see the city. The inner-city clubs are unlikely to be featured in any golf guide to Argentina, but they’re worth checking out. These golf clubs are especially handy if you don’t have a car or transportation to get to the better-known courses just outside of the capital.
My favourite courses central to the city are Golf Palermo and Golf Club San Martin. Officially San Martin is just outside the city limits, but it’s close enough to the border to be considered inside.
Golf Palermo
You’ll struggle to find a more centrally located golf course in any major city than Golf Palermo. The golf course is situated between the affluent neighbourhoods of Palermo and Belgrano. You can see the city skyline while teeing off but it’s still peaceful enough on the course that you would never realise that you’re in the heart of a capital city.
Palermo is a public golf course so prepare yourself for it to be a little rough around the edges. It has long rough and slow greens, but it is the cheapest green fee you’ll ever pay in your life (about £6 / $7 for 18 holes). They pair up all smaller groups, which gives visitors the opportunity to play with locals whether they be porteños or ex-pats such as me. The downside of this is you’re in for a slow round (the course is full of, let’s just say, beginners). None the less, I’ve met some great friends playing a Palermo and considering how conveniently located the course is you’d be foolish not to check it out.
The good – the unique experience of playing golf among the high-rise apartment blocks while chatting with the locals. The bad – the rough can put the US Open to shame, so be prepared to lose half your balls that miss the fairway. Similarly, the greens are not great, and you’ll be lucky to find any rakes in the bunkers. The ugly – the concept of playing a faster group through is non-existent, it’ll be slow.
Golf Club San Martin
Golf Club San Martin is a private club with a long history. It was founded in 1912 and the original honours’ boards still hang on the wall in the bar. Visitors are welcome, and the green fee is similar to Palermo. The course is in better condition than Palermo (not perfect but not terrible either). The staff are friendly, and if you visit on a weekday, you will get around 18-holes pretty quickly. There are a few holes where you’ll be teeing off next to a road, but there are also some quieter parts. It’s a good challenge, many holes make strategic use of hazards to maximise the distance available and force players to layup. The speed of play and better condition of the greens means that I nominate this as my home course in Buenos Aires.
The good – there are some interesting holes, and it’s ideal if you fancy a quick round without travelling too far. The bad – while there are tall trees guarding the perimeter of the course, there are still holes where a misplaced shot could see your balls going into a neighbouring street, and at times you need to get used to the sound of traffic while you’re teeing off. The ugly – I wouldn’t say the golf course is not in a ‘bad area’, but you still don’t have to travel far to reach one, don’t be alarmed to see security guards on the golf course.
Practising Golf In The City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
There are a couple of driving ranges in the city of Buenos Aire close to the Rio de la Plata. There is Driving Norte and Costa Salguero. Both are decent ranges with good short game facilities and fully stocked pro shops. Driving Norte is a surreal experience since it is directly under the flight path for the airport Aeroparque Jorge Newbury. By that I mean, it is the first thing after the runway. I have often found myself wondering if someone could hit a plane with a ball.
If you want a quirky place to practice, look no further than St. Andrews Driving Range in the neighbourhood Flores. Best described as a giant golf net covering the entire of what was once somebody’s garden, you’ll find the prices for a bucket of balls written in Korean since many golfers in Buenos Aires (especially in this neighbourhood) are Korean ex-pats. You’ll only see your ball fly 100 yards before it hits the giant net, but you’ll have the chance to work on your swing.
Playing Golf Outside The City Of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Outside the city but still, within the province of Buenos Aires, you’ll find hundreds of golf courses, including the world-famous ones. Some of these courses have hosted significant competitions with likes of Tiger Woods in attendance. Familiar names include Olivos Golf Club, San Andrés Golf Club (oldest course in the country), Jockey Golf Club, Buenos Aires Golf Club, and Pilar Golf Club.
There’s plenty of information about this range of elite courses available on the internet or with any good golf travel agency. But we already know that whenever you play an elite golf course, you’re guaranteed to play a well-designed track in pristine condition. Of course, you’re also going to have to pay for it. Some golf courses have two fees, a fee for local golfers with an Argentine handicap (usually around $10) and a fee for foreigners (often well over 150 dollars plus additional expenses due to the requirement to hire a local caddy). In contrast, others are expensive for everybody unless you’re lucky enough to know a member.
If you want to play one of these famous courses, be prepared to pay more and consider making a booking through a golf travel agency who might have deals with the golf clubs. Fending for yourself at each golf club could get expensive.
Two Hidden Gems Outside The City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Two beautiful golf courses outside the city which I rarely see listed on the top 100 of the country are Golf La Orquidea and La Reserva Cardales. Both are just over an hour outside of Buenos Aires and situated in the suburban area of Escobar.
La Reserva Cardales is an excellent course in pristine condition and reasonably priced. You’ll have to keep the ball in the fairway as there is plenty of water in play. Overlooking the golf course are beautiful luxury homes, and the first hole runs adjacent to the Sofitel hotel. Similarly, La Orquidea is a thoroughly enjoyable course kept in excellent condition (again with plenty of water).
The good – both courses are well-designed, in excellent condition, situated in the beautiful countryside, and at affordable prices. The bad and ugly – even without traffic, the area of Escobar is over an hour outside of Buenos Aires. With the busy weekend traffic, the journey getting back to the city can take considerably more time. It’s not unusual to face a three-hour return journey after playing late on a Sunday in the summer.
Just like any other country, the best courses are rarely inside the borders of the capital city due to obvious land constraints. If you want to play great golf courses, you’re going to need to travel a bit. But with so many stellar golf courses within an hour of the city, it’s worth making the trip. Similarly, many of the golf clubs outside Buenos Aires have their own luxury hotels, the only downside of this is that you’ll have less time to explore the city.
Further Afield – Golf In Mar Del Plata
Mar Del Plata is the third largest city in the province of Buenos Aires (after the city of Buenos Aires and the city of La Plata). I would best describe it as a ‘resort town’ where Argentines head to for the hot summer months.
There are some great courses in Mar Del Plata. On the outskirts, there is Sierra De Los Padres Golf Club whose first professional was Roberto De Vicenzo, the former British Open Champion who famously blew his chance of winning the 1968 Masters by mistakenly signing an incorrect scorecard to miss entering the playoff. It’s a beautiful green golf course with plenty of trees. Check out their website; there is a great video where a drone flies over each hole.
Closer to the city centre you have Mar Del Plata Golf Club also known as “The Cathedral”. A traditional links course which the city has developed around. The Tudor style clubhouse seeps of history. Just beware, the entire course slopes on the side towards the seas as the course is on the side of a hill. Like all excellent links courses, the wind can make it extremely difficult to score well.
The good – from almost every hole, you will be treated to breath-taking views of the Atlantic Ocean. The bad and ugly – since the golf club is so central, the city has caught up it. Major roads run adjacent to several holes, and the club has taken measures to prevent damage to speeding cars. Noticeably, on some holes, they have constructed barriers directly in front of the tees which force the golfers to actually aim the tee shot into the trees and slice the ball back towards the fairway!
Golf In Other Provinces
Argentina is an incredibly vast country with a tremendous variety of terrain. Several provinces have world-class golf courses. However, since Argentina is so huge, it’s not easy to jump from region to another (especially with golf clubs in tow). For this reason, I have no experience of playing golf outside of Buenos Aires province. However, I can tell you all the tips I have heard through the grapevine on the fairways in Buenos Aires.
Córdoba is the home province of one of Argentina’s most famous golfers, US Open and US Masters champion, Angel Cabrera. Similar to Buenos Aires there is no shortage of golf courses in this region of Argentina. Having visited the province of Cordoba, albeit not to play golf, I can fully understand why they would choose to build so many great courses in this beautiful part of the world. I have heard good things about the Valle del Golf (designed by Jack Nicklaus and Angel Cabrera) as well as Córdoba Golf Club. However, I’ll leave my recommendations there as I haven’t played these courses.
Another group of provinces you’ll want to check out is anywhere in Patagonia. After all, it’s not very often you get to play golf surrounded by lakes, glaciers and mountains. I’ve heard from several people that the Jack Nicklaus designed Chapelco Golf & Resort in San Martin De Los Andes is an unforgettable experience.
The Best Time Of The Year To Play
The best time of the year to play golf in Argentina depends on the region you plan to visit. If you want to play golf in Patagonia, you’re best off coming in the height of summer (December – February). As for Buenos Aires, the summer months are incredibly hot and humid. Therefore, spring or autumn are far better seasons to visit in. Of course, if like me, you somehow enjoy playing in the sweltering heat, January is perfect!
In Summary – What’s It Like To Play In Argentina
When it comes to golf, Argentina is by far the number one golfing nation in South America. There is no shortage of golf courses. Similar to the USA or UK, some tracks are perfectly manicured, and others are rough around the edges.
Depending on where you play, you might encounter some bizarre, dare I say ‘mickey mouse’, holes. For example, there are the holes I mentioned at the Mar Del Plate Golf Club where barriers block the tee shots or there is the par 3 at Golf Palermo where a large group of trees block all sight of the green. Of course, this is not the case at every club, and even these strange holes have their charm. If you stick to the traditionally renowned golf courses, you’ll rarely encounter these crazy holes. Personally, they don’t bother me, I actually enjoy the novelty. However, my number one peeve with golf in Argentina is how the local golfers will rarely play a faster group through. Otherwise, I have no complaints. The biggest strength of the countries golf scene is the variety of styles and landscapes to play in.
If we forget about golf for a second, there are plenty of reasons to visit the country. You have the steak, football and tango of Buenos Aires, the waterfalls of Iguazu, the train to the clouds in Salta, and the stunning nature of Patagonia. In my opinion, the fact that you also have so many world-class golf courses means that a golf trip to Argentina is a no-brainer. As for me, I’ll continue working my way through Argentina’s golf courses for the rest of my life.
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