Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta Awarded 2022 Renovation of the Year

Aerial view of holes 16-18 at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta.

Located just north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the 18-hole championship layout winds along the Ameca River creating an enjoyable golf experience while providing stunning views of the Sierra Madres from every hole. The first impression when arriving to the golf course is a spectacular vista of the course while crossing the river on one of the longest suspension bridges for golf carts in the world.

The 7,287-yard design has wall-to-wall grass with Paspalum playing surfaces offering a diverse and fun balance of par integrating different features within the game strategy to provide the player with a unique golf experience, surrounded by bunkers, lakes, and wetlands immersed in a natural environment that marries perfectly with the layout of the course, paying true homage to GNGCD’s least disturbance design philosophy.

Owned and developed by Grupo Vidanta, the course was opened in 2015, only to be significantly damaged by Hurricane Patricia the following year.  With a multi-year plan established by the developer, restoration was conducted in stages to significantly improve the conditions of the course while incorporating critical hydrologic enhancements to protect the property from extensive flooding as well as positively impact the natural ecosystem.

“These floods frequently caused extensive damage to the inhabitants of the region,” Norman said. “Since our restoration, these floods have been prevented and communities have been positively impacted.”

“This renovation turned a natural disaster into an opportunity for the golf course to achieve its full potential and shows how problem-solving leads to effective design. The commitment to plan, design and undertake such a comprehensive project with so many aspects is commendable.” — Jason Sloan, Review Panel Judge, and Golf Course Builders Association of America board member.

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