Back
Vista Vallarta Golf Club - The Nicklaus Course
Rating Snapshot
About
The Nicklaus Course at Vista Vallarta Golf Club is one of two championship courses at the club, the other was designed by Tom Weiskopf. The Nicklaus Course is perched atop the property's highest elevation, offering spectacular views of Puerto Vallarta and the Bay of Banderas. The course tumbles across grassy hillsides covered with dense forests of palms and giant ficus trees. True to Nicklaus' style, the wildly undulating greens are balanced by generous driving areas. He also chose to route the holes along the natural contours of the land, giving each hole a unique character. One of the most talked-about holes on the golf course is the par-5 third, which is ranked as the toughest. This 550-yard monster demands three strong shots in order to make it onto the elevated green in regulation, but the tricky part is that the elevation rises a bit more with each shot.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 72 | 7074 yards | 73.8 | 144 |
| Blue | 72 | 6595 yards | 71.7 | 137 |
| White | 72 | 6031 yards | 69.5 | 124 |
| Yellow | 72 | 5287 yards | 66.4 | 117 |
| Red | 72 | 5251 yards | 71.1 | 119 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold M: 74.7/138 | 401 | 429 | 550 | 381 | 213 | 452 | 427 | 534 | 182 | 3569 | 536 | 394 | 580 | 340 | 440 | 177 | 423 | 170 | 445 | 3505 | 7074 |
| Blue M: 72.7/130 W: 78.6/142 | 338 | 408 | 519 | 366 | 192 | 435 | 395 | 499 | 178 | 3330 | 513 | 370 | 558 | 314 | 422 | 149 | 383 | 157 | 399 | 3265 | 6595 |
| White M: 69.7/126 W: 73.5/125 | 294 | 360 | 484 | 338 | 168 | 416 | 372 | 453 | 152 | 3037 | 466 | 356 | 538 | 262 | 402 | 125 | 347 | 131 | 367 | 2994 | 6031 |
| Yellow M: 66.8/118 W: 72.0/121 | 260 | 336 | 443 | 268 | 145 | 331 | 284 | 422 | 131 | 2620 | 433 | 334 | 521 | 236 | 311 | 113 | 307 | 114 | 298 | 2667 | 5287 |
| Red W: 70.0/121 | 258 | 334 | 441 | 266 | 143 | 329 | 282 | 420 | 129 | 2602 | 431 | 332 | 519 | 234 | 309 | 111 | 305 | 112 | 296 | 2649 | 5251 |
| Handicap | 11 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 8 | |||
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 36 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 13 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 12 |
Hot Deals at Vista Vallarta Golf Club - Nicklaus Course
1-4
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Bar, Grill, Restaurant, Beverage CartsAvailable Facilities
Clubhouse, Lounge
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
-
Photo submitted by Bea1213 on 02/02/2026
-
Photo submitted by tcallaway25 on 06/12/2023
-
Photo submitted by tcallaway25 on 06/12/2023
-
Photo submitted by tcallaway25 on 06/12/2023
-
Photo submitted by u314160452191 on 02/04/2023
-
Photo submitted by u314160452191 on 02/04/2023
-
Photo submitted by u314160452191 on 02/04/2023
-
Photo submitted by u9883322 on 06/12/2022
-
Photo submitted by u9883322 on 06/12/2022
-
Photo submitted by u397521615 on 02/08/2022
-
Photo submitted by browndoodle on 02/02/2022
-
Hole 15 Photo submitted by u290742857 on 12/02/2021
-
Photo submitted by RTomaselli1 on 11/22/2021
-
Photo submitted by RTomaselli1 on 11/22/2021
-
Photo submitted by RTomaselli1 on 11/22/2021
-
Photo submitted by u778001500 on 11/16/2021
-
Photo submitted by u778001500 on 11/16/2021
-
Photo submitted by u778001500 on 11/16/2021
-
Photo submitted by u000006172924 on 12/15/2020
-
No. 16 on the Nicklaus course Photo submitted by greg0000023 on 05/26/2019
-
A bunker and the bougainvilleas on the Nicklaus course. Photo submitted by JasonDeeganGA on 04/09/2018
-
Pro Ivan Cueva on the Nicklaus course. Photo submitted by JasonDeeganGA on 04/09/2018
-
A wall of fame celebrates the players from the 2002 World Golf Championships-World Cup at Vista Vallarta. Photo submitted by JasonDeeganGA on 04/09/2018
-
Photo submitted by TroyJames on 01/24/2018
-
View of one of the holes Photo submitted by kl3443 on 09/20/2012
Great course
The course was phenomenal. Its well lay out. The fairways are in great shape. The greens are fast but in great shape. The staff are friendly and smiling. I had a great experience. I plan to play another round before I leave Nuevo Vallarta.
Vista - always a good choice
Had friends in town and got a 2pm slot at a very reasonable rate. Greens had been punched 2-3 weeks prior, so they weren’t running super fast, but nice nonetheless. The Nicklaus layout is always fun. The only gripe I have is they switched beer distributors and no longer carry Corona. What is a tourist to do? Drink Tecate and have fun!
Challenging layout
Definitely enjoyed this course. It was a lot of fun to play. It has a challenging layout. This time of year the fairways are on the dry side but not too dry. Greens are moderately fast. I would play this again but only for the hot deal price at this time of year.
good layout
worth playing. so far best we played in this area. due to aeriation we won't play two of the other courses listed with named designers, the other Nicklaus course and the Weiskopf course..
Good course, well worth playing, played in the afternoon. Nice design, bunkers need some sand, if you play aggressively. I bought the course card for 40 pesos, which helped me with distances and course management.
Go with a Caddie
Enjoyed my round and reserved a caddie he was great and experienced ...
Great day.
Wonderful staff and course layout. A must for any golfer visiting PV. We used Golf Now to reserve our Hot Deal if $90 PP. Nor sure how these MX golf courses survive with regular rates of $209 each. Seems there’s rarely 20-30 golfers on each course every day. Seems lowering the cost in half would generate more business on the course, pro shop and great restaurant on site. Oh well, thank you Golf Now.
Rick from Colo Springs
I'm drinking the 'Jack' at Vista Vallarta
I can't exactly pinpoint why I like the Nicklaus course better than the Weiskopf course at Vista Vallarta. Maybe it's the tournament history, dating to the 2002 World Golf Championships-World Cup, won by the Japanese team of Toshimitsu Izawa and Shigeki Maruyama over the American team of Phil Mickelson and David Toms.
It's just got a great flow with constant views of the surrounding Sierra Madre Mountains and nice elevation changes. Bright pink bougainvilleas flowers were popping against the jungle foilage. It was beautiful.
Although the Nicklaus course is longer and hosted the tournament, the Weiskopf seems to be harder. You can lose more balls in the water/jungle and there's a tricky hole or two. Both had greens running viciously fast. If you only have time to play one, don't fret. They're both equally enjoyable. I just happen to favor the Nicklaus by a nose.
-
A bunker and the bougainvilleas on the Nicklaus course. Photo submitted by JasonDeeganGA on 04/09/2018
-
Pro Ivan Cueva on the Nicklaus course. Photo submitted by JasonDeeganGA on 04/09/2018
-
A wall of fame celebrates the players from the 2002 World Golf Championships-World Cup at Vista Vallarta. Photo submitted by JasonDeeganGA on 04/09/2018
Always a treat to play would recommend it to anyone
Good Course in PV
Was looking to an alternative course than the Marina Course which Vista Vallarta (Nicklaus) fit the bill. The fairways could have been better condition but the greens were the best I have ever played. Great pace of play as this got done in less than 3 hours.
Fun Course to Play for All Levels
Played this and the Weiskopf course two days apart. Both great courses and if you can get the Hotdeal rate it is well worth it. Tee off from the tees which are best suited to your handicap. Also spend the $3 on the hole guide from the proshop. Some really nice holes. Pictures don't do it justice. Mountain type course with Ravines, carry's etc. but not that difficult if you play within your means.
Great course in the jungle
Love the settings, and everything about it. One issue was our car ran out of battery to climb the hill after the 18th hole and we walked back to the club house. Otherwise we enjoyed our round. We played tha Marina Vallarta course after this and we wished we were back here playing this course instead.
Great Round!
Had a great day on the Nicklaus Course. Beverage carts were out, course was in great shape. They only drawback would be the rental clubs condition; they were very well used.
Great course
We really enjoyed playing this course yesterday. The course is wonderfully maintained. The fairways were great to hit from. The greens were very fast. Too fast for some of us. We were alone on the course and played in four hours and ten minutes. The views are spectacular. We had a great experience. I would highly recommend this course to others.
Nice Lay-Out Weiskopf Course Better
Greens Lightning Fast..... Very Nice Lay-out although There are Some Tricked-Up Holes I didn’t Love But Nicklaus Does that with Bunkering and other Gimmicks. The Course Plays Easier From The Blues Than The White. The White-Tees Takes Driver Out Of Your Hand To often, Even on The Par 5’s. The Course Biggest defense are the Greens. Caddies are Optonal Unlike Vidanta, But For $20.00 Bucks U.S. You Might Consider it Just To Help with Reading The Greens. “ Did I Mention The Greens Killed Me “. At Vista Vallarta The Nicklaus Course Is The Feature Course and also More Expensive, But The Weiskopf Course Has it Beat and Cost Less. ( On Golf Now Of Course ) And its Much More Scenic Than The Nicklaus Course. I’m Not Beating Nicklaus Up Weiskopf Is Just Better.
