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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 |
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Reviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by Bea1213 on 02/02/2026
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Photo submitted by tcallaway25 on 06/12/2023
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Photo submitted by tcallaway25 on 06/12/2023
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Photo submitted by tcallaway25 on 06/12/2023
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Photo submitted by u314160452191 on 02/04/2023
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Photo submitted by u314160452191 on 02/04/2023
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Photo submitted by u314160452191 on 02/04/2023
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Photo submitted by u9883322 on 06/12/2022
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Photo submitted by u9883322 on 06/12/2022
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Photo submitted by u397521615 on 02/08/2022
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Photo submitted by browndoodle on 02/02/2022
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Hole 15 Photo submitted by u290742857 on 12/02/2021
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Photo submitted by RTomaselli1 on 11/22/2021
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Photo submitted by RTomaselli1 on 11/22/2021
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Photo submitted by RTomaselli1 on 11/22/2021
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Photo submitted by u778001500 on 11/16/2021
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Photo submitted by u778001500 on 11/16/2021
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Photo submitted by u778001500 on 11/16/2021
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Photo submitted by u000006172924 on 12/15/2020
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No. 16 on the Nicklaus course Photo submitted by greg0000023 on 05/26/2019
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A bunker and the bougainvilleas on the Nicklaus course. Photo submitted by JasonDeeganGA on 04/09/2018
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Pro Ivan Cueva on the Nicklaus course. Photo submitted by JasonDeeganGA on 04/09/2018
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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
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Photo submitted by TroyJames on 01/24/2018
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View of one of the holes Photo submitted by kl3443 on 09/20/2012
Don’t Miss It
From the time you arrive until the time you leave, you won’t be disappointed. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. (Special shoutout to Raul) The course conditions, layout, pace of play, etc are very good. Not to mention the mountain views, which the architecture highlights. In all, great course and staff.
Excellent Track
Outstanding course with challenging and unique layout. Definitely would recommend! Was somewhat skeptical of the course upon traveling to it as it's set outside of town in what seems like the middle of nowhere (double check your GPS directions!). But course is in great condition, very beautiful and the jungle setting, the blooming flowers and lack of surrounding infrastructure all make for a gorgeous golf course. I feel like many of the courses in the area are rated in a sense of 'it's good for Puerto Vallarta' but this track is just straight up great regardless of any qualifiers. Feels like about a $200 course (it's all relative to what you're used to) so wouldn't jump at the chance to play it for much more than that, but at that price definitely worth the play and very challenging and enjoyable.
From the otherside
I played both the Nicklaus and the Weiskopf course this week.
It was an amazing experience to have played such a beautiful course with my two sons.
They both go to college in the US, so we traveled from Perth Australia, to spend Christmas with them. (First time in 3 years).
We all enjoy golf and these two courses were by far the best we have ever played.
Only downside is what I think is the outrageous cost. Even with GolfNow deal close to $500 AU for three players. Not something I can do everyday day, but the memory will last a long time.
Must visit course
Challenging course in many aspects but still very enjoyable. Sand traps were a bit thin on sand which would be my only complaint. ProShop attendants very friendly. Great selection of beverages on course and at the clubhouse. Going back to play the other course tomorrow.
Good course in good conditions
The course is in good shape as usual. Wide forgiving fairways but undulating greens make it difficult for good scores unless you hit your approach shots on the correct side and level.
Great course
Beautiful setting staff was great if you're high handicap play the senior tees
Afternoon round with course to myself
This is a challenging layout in the mountains, but in the afternoon I got a great rate and the course was nearly empty. The practice facilities are very good. I spent an hour practicing and 3 hours for my round. I wish all golf was similarly timed!!
Fantastic conditions and a good test of golf
Incredible facility with great warm up area. Got lucky and played during a large pro-am tournament. Conditions were awesome. Played once before and was even better. A good test of golf with some picturesque holes. Mooi Buen!
Our experience was excellent - two days ago we were charged for water both at Snack Shack as we began our round and also by the cart girl on the course. Today we were not - much appreciated!!! In this hot environment - plenty of cold water is a must for the players.
Course is always in great condition (for a Mexican course) and pace of play great. Marshall came around to check on us now and then.
Will play again.
Awesome course!
Course was great, staff ,food and ease of getting a taxis was also great. Only complaint was the greens were a bit slow and bumpy, looks like they are dealing with a fungus problem. Pretty awesome to chip up on the green with a 4 foot iguana walking across! Worth the play
Beautiful and Fun
This course and the Weiskopf Course are beautiful. Not terribly difficult. The rough was highly grown and the greens were recently shaved which added some difficulty. Great layout. Great value and so much fun. The pro shop ladies were not friendly but the bartenders were extremely friendly. We'll be back.
If you are to play any course in PVR, play Jack. The views are tremendous. The course's layout is inviting. A wonderful experience all around.
