For a golf vacation in Mexico, go to Los Cabos for the best courses and the Riviera Maya for the easiest trip. In the Caribbean, Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic has the region’s best course, Teeth of the Dog. All of them are two to four hours from major US hubs, and the season runs from November to April.
Mexico and the Caribbean solve the problem every winter golfer has: getting somewhere warm, with good golf, without an overnight flight. From Houston, Dallas or Los Angeles you can be on the first tee in Cabo by early afternoon. From Miami, Montego Bay is barely longer than a commute. And the golf has improved enormously in the last 20 years. Cabo now has courses on the world’s top-100 lists, the Riviera Maya’s El Camaleón has hosted 16 PGA Tour events, and Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog has been the Caribbean’s standard-setter for half a century.
The catch is that the region’s golf is sold in a confusing mix of ways: stay-and-play packages, all-inclusive resorts with golf “included” (and a mandatory cart fee), guest-only courses, and green fees quoted before an 18% tax. This guide sorts it out destination by destination, with the flight times, seasons, published 2026 prices and access rules for each. It’s also the hub for our Mexico and Caribbean golf guides.
A note on sources. Where a resort publishes its golf rates, we quote them with the date. Several Caribbean resort and tourism sites block automated checks, and green fees in Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico weren’t verifiable when we checked, so for those we name the courses and tell you what to confirm.
At a glance
- Best golf in Mexico: Los Cabos, with Quivira, Palmilla, Cabo del Sol and Diamante, and three new courses opening in 2026–27.
- Easiest trip: Cancún and the Riviera Maya, with nonstop flights from dozens of US cities. El Camaleón charges resort guests $375 in prime time.
- Best course in the Caribbean: Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo, $400 for hotel guests plus 18% tax, guests only.
- No passport needed: Puerto Rico, for US citizens.
- Best months: November to April. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
- Watch the fine print: Moon Palace’s “unlimited golf” carries a $90 cart fee every round.
Mexico and the Caribbean at a glance
Here’s the region in one table. Flight times are typical nonstop times from the hubs shown; prices are published 2026 figures where they exist.
| Destination | Headline golf | Typical flight | Best months | Published 2026 marker | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Cabos, Mexico | Quivira, Palmilla, Cabo del Sol, Diamante | About 2.5–3 hours from Los Angeles, Dallas or Houston | Nov–Apr | Varies by course; Pueblo Bonito doesn’t include green fees | Several courses tied to resorts or residences |
| Riviera Maya and Cancún, Mexico | El Camaleón, Moon Palace, Playa Mujeres | About 2–2.5 hours from Houston, Dallas or Miami | Dec–Apr | El Camaleón $375 prime / $280 twilight for resort guests | Mixed |
| Punta Mita and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | Pacifico, Bahia | About 3–4 hours from many US hubs | Dec–Apr | Check resort | Resort and residence golf |
| Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | Punta Espada, Corales, La Cana, Las Iguanas | About 2 hours from Miami; 3.5–4 hours from New York | Dec–Apr | Check course | Mixed |
| La Romana, Dominican Republic | Casa de Campo: Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore, The Links | About 3.5–4 hours from New York | Dec–Apr | Teeth of the Dog $400 for hotel guests plus 18% tax | Resort guests only |
| Jamaica | White Witch, Cinnamon Hill, Half Moon, Upton Estate | About 1.5 hours from Miami | Dec–Apr | Sandals guests: green fees included at six resorts | Mixed |
| The Bahamas | Royal Blue at Baha Mar, Ocean Club | Under an hour from Miami | Dec–Apr | Check course | Mixed |
| Puerto Rico | Dorado Beach, Bahia Beach, Royal Isabela, Palmas del Mar | About 2.5 hours from Miami; about 4 hours from New York | Dec–Apr | Check course | No passport needed for US citizens |
| Barbados | Sandy Lane’s Green Monkey, Apes Hill, Royal Westmoreland | About 4.5–5 hours from New York | Dec–Apr | Check course | Green Monkey: guests and members only |
| Saint Lucia | Cabot Saint Lucia (Point Hardy), Cap Estate | About 4.5 hours from New York | Dec–Apr | Sandals guests: green fees included | Cabot is resort-focused |
| Costa Rica (Guanacaste) | Reserva Conchal, Peninsula Papagayo | About 5 hours from many US hubs | Dec–Apr | Westin package: 2 rounds per stay | Resort golf |
Casa de Campo from its official golf information page; El Camaleón from Mayakoba’s golf page; Sandals and Westin details per dated third-party summaries (June 2026 and December 2025). Flight times are approximate.
Two things to take from the table. First, the best golf and the easiest trip aren’t the same place. Cabo has the better courses; Cancún has more flights and more all-inclusive options. Second, access varies more than in the US. Casa de Campo’s courses are for resort guests only, and several of the best courses in Cabo and Barbados are tied to specific resorts or residences, so choose the hotel with the golf in mind.
Where is the best golf in Mexico?
Los Cabos has the best golf in Mexico: Jack Nicklaus’s Quivira is on Golf Digest’s list of the World’s 100 Greatest, and Palmilla, Cabo del Sol and Diamante are close behind. Three new courses open in 2026 and 2027. The Riviera Maya is the easier trip, with El Camaleón, host of 16 PGA Tour events, as its headliner.
Mexico has around 200 golf courses by operators’ counts, but the golf visitors travel for is concentrated in three coastal areas: Los Cabos at the tip of the Baja peninsula, the Riviera Maya south of Cancún, and Punta Mita on the Pacific coast north of Puerto Vallarta. Each is quite different, and each is covered below.
Los Cabos: Mexico’s best golf
Los Cabos, the corridor between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, is desert meeting the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez, and it has the most dramatic golf in Mexico. The area has 18 courses, rising to 21 with the new openings.
The headliners:
- Quivira, Jack Nicklaus’s clifftop course, is on Golf Digest’s World’s 100 Greatest list. It’s played by guests of the Pueblo Bonito resorts, where green fees aren’t included in the all-inclusive rate.
- Palmilla was Nicklaus’s first design in Latin America, with holes climbing into the hills above the Sea of Cortez.
- Cabo del Sol’s Desert course, by Tom Weiskopf (2001), is a regular on lists of the best courses outside the US.
- Diamante has the Dunes course, laid out through huge sand dunes on the Pacific, and El Cardonal, Tiger Woods’s first design.
New golf is coming fast. Ernie Els’s Oleada Golf Links had a soft opening in July 2026, with a grand opening planned for November. Campo Alto at Querencia, a Tom Fazio design, is due in late 2026. Tiger Woods’s Legacy Club at Diamante, a private club capped at 250 members, is due in late 2026 or early 2027, and it’s expected to host the PGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Championship from 2027, according to Mexico News Daily and GolfPass. Two other projects, a David McLay Kidd course at Baja Bay Club and a second Quivira course, have been suspended.
- Best months: November to April. Summer is very hot and humid.
- Getting there: Los Cabos International (SJD), about 2.5–3 hours from Los Angeles, Dallas or Houston.
- Our verdict: the best golf trip in Mexico, and better as a stay-and-play trip than an all-inclusive one. Our guides to Cabo golf courses, a Cabo golf trip and new golf courses in Los Cabos go course by course.
The Riviera Maya and Cancún
The Riviera Maya, the coast from Cancún south through Playa del Carmen to Tulum, is the easiest golf trip in the region to organize, with more nonstop flights from the US than anywhere else in Mexico and resorts of every size and style.
The headline course is El Camaleón at Mayakoba, a Greg Norman par 72 that winds through jungle, mangroves and canals to the Caribbean. According to Mayakoba, it has hosted 16 PGA Tour events, two LIV Golf dates and an LPGA Tour event in 2025. Its most famous feature is a cenote, a natural limestone sinkhole, along the opening fairway, and two holes run along the ocean. Mayakoba lists resort-guest rates of $375 in prime time and $280 at twilight, with PXG rental clubs available.
Elsewhere on the coast, Moon Palace near Cancún has 27 holes in three nines (Dunes, Jungle and Lake), with unlimited rounds for guests on its Stay & Play offer but a mandatory $90 cart fee on every round. Playa Mujeres, north of Cancún, has a Greg Norman course surrounded by all-inclusive resorts, and a newer PGA-branded course near Tulum has added to the southern end of the coast.
- Best months: December to April.
- Getting there: Cancún (CUN), about 2–2.5 hours from Houston, Dallas or Miami.
- Our verdict: the best choice for couples and families combining a beach vacation with a few rounds. Our Riviera Maya golf guide covers every course.
Punta Mita and Puerto Vallarta
North of Puerto Vallarta, on the Pacific coast of Riviera Nayarit, Punta Mita is luxury resort territory rather than all-inclusive, and it has one of the most famous holes in resort golf. The Pacifico course, a Jack Nicklaus design that opened in September 1999, has an optional island green on a natural rock outcrop, the “Tail of the Whale,” reached by amphibious vehicle when the surf allows. Nicklaus’s Bahia course followed in 2009.
The timing is part of the appeal. Humpback whales pass offshore from December to April, the same months as the best golf weather, and it’s not unusual to watch them breaching from the fairways. Golf here is tied mainly to the resorts and residences at Punta Mita, so book the hotel with the golf.
- Our verdict: a luxury couples’ trip with one unforgettable hole. See our Punta Mita golf guide.
What is the best golf course in the Caribbean?
Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is widely ranked the best course in the Caribbean. Pete Dye’s 1971 design has seven holes along the sea. It’s for resort guests only, at $400 for hotel guests or $550 for villa guests in 2026, plus 18% tax, with caddies mandatory.
Casa de Campo is a destination golf resort with three courses, and its official golf page sets out the rules plainly. Its courses “are for Resort Guests Only,” with no outside play. The 2026 green fees for hotel guests are $400 for Teeth of the Dog, $325 for Dye Fore and $250 for The Links; guests staying in villas pay $550, $400 and $325. All are subject to 18% tax. Caddies are mandatory on Teeth of the Dog and Dye Fore and are paid in cash: $50 for one or two players, $100 for three or four, or $100 per bag for a walking caddie.
One common confusion is worth clearing up. Casa de Campo is in La Romana, not Punta Cana. It’s about an hour and a quarter by road from Punta Cana, and many visitors fly into La Romana’s own airport or into Punta Cana and transfer.
- Our verdict: the best golf trip in the Caribbean, if you’re happy to pay for it. Our Teeth of the Dog guide covers booking, caddies and the other two courses.
Punta Cana
Punta Cana, on the Dominican Republic’s eastern tip, is the Caribbean’s biggest all-inclusive destination, and its golf has grown to match. The best-known courses are Punta Espada at Cap Cana, a Jack Nicklaus design with holes along the sea; Corales at Puntacana Resort, a Tom Fazio design that has hosted the PGA Tour; and La Cana, also at Puntacana Resort. Las Iguanas, a new Jack Nicklaus course at Cap Cana, joined them in 2026.
The all-inclusive resorts have their own courses and offers. Paradisus Palma Real is reported to include unlimited green fees at the Cocotal Golf & Country Club; Iberostar Grand Bávaro sells an unlimited-golf add-on; and Moon Palace Punta Cana runs the same Stay & Play offer as Cancún, with its $90 cart fee. Our all-inclusive golf resorts guide has the full inclusion table.
Where you stay in Punta Cana decides which golf is easy. Cap Cana, south of the airport, is a gated resort community built around Punta Espada and the new Las Iguanas. Puntacana Resort, next to the airport, has Corales and La Cana on its doorstep. The big all-inclusive strip runs north along Bávaro beach, where most resorts are 20–40 minutes from the best courses, so a group that wants to play several of them should base itself in Cap Cana or at Puntacana Resort, or budget for transfers. Casa de Campo in La Romana is about an hour and a quarter away by road, close enough for a day trip if you’re staying there, but not if you aren’t: its courses are for resort guests only.
- Best months: December to April.
- Getting there: Punta Cana International (PUJ), about 2 hours from Miami and 3.5–4 hours from New York.
- Our Punta Cana golf courses guide covers each course and how to book it.
Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico
These three are the closest Caribbean golf destinations to the US mainland, and each has a different appeal. Green fees for most courses here weren’t verifiable when we checked, so confirm them directly.
Jamaica. Montego Bay has the island’s best golf: the White Witch and Cinnamon Hill courses at Rose Hall, and Half Moon, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course at the resort of the same name, which offers unlimited rounds in a premium package. In Ocho Rios, guests at Sandals Ochi, Royal Plantation and Dunn’s River play Upton Estate with green fees included (carts about $50–$55 per 18 holes). Montego Bay is about 90 minutes from Miami. See our Jamaica golf courses guide.
The Bahamas. Under an hour from Miami, the Bahamas’ headline golf is Royal Blue at Baha Mar, a Jack Nicklaus design, and the Ocean Club course on Paradise Island. Beyond Nassau, the Out Islands have a handful of resort courses in quieter settings. See our Bahamas golf courses guide.
Puerto Rico. For US citizens, Puerto Rico needs no passport, which makes it the simplest Caribbean golf trip of all. The island’s best-known courses include those at Dorado Beach, Bahia Beach, Royal Isabela on the northwest cliffs, and Palmas del Mar in Humacao on the east coast. San Juan is about 2.5 hours from Miami and about 4 hours from New York. See our Puerto Rico golf courses guide.
Here’s how the three compare for a short golf trip from the US:
| Jamaica | The Bahamas | Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | About 90 minutes from Miami to Montego Bay | Under an hour from Miami to Nassau | About 2.5 hours from Miami; about 4 hours from New York to San Juan |
| Passport for US citizens | Yes | Yes | No |
| Best-known golf | White Witch, Cinnamon Hill, Half Moon, Upton Estate | Royal Blue at Baha Mar, Ocean Club | Dorado Beach, Bahia Beach, Royal Isabela, Palmas del Mar |
| Golf included anywhere? | Green fees at six Sandals resorts (carts extra) | Check with resort | Check with resort |
| What to confirm | Transport to the course from your resort | Tee-time access for non-guests | Green fees and cart rules at each course |
For a long weekend, Nassau and San Juan are the easiest. For a week that mixes golf with an all-inclusive beach resort, Jamaica is the natural choice.
Barbados, Saint Lucia and Costa Rica
Further south and west, three destinations are worth knowing for golfers who want something less mainstream.
Barbados. Sandy Lane’s Green Monkey course, carved out of a former quarry, is one of the most exclusive courses in the Caribbean: play is for resort guests and members only. Apes Hill tops at least one 2026 ranking of Caribbean courses, and Royal Westmoreland is the island’s other well-known resort course.
Saint Lucia. The island’s golf changed in 2023, when Cabot Saint Lucia opened its Point Hardy course, a Coore & Crenshaw design on a 375-acre peninsula, measuring 6,561 yards at par 71 and ranked No. 76 in the world by GOLF Magazine. It’s the best reason for a serious golfer to go to the eastern Caribbean. Guests at three Sandals resorts play Cap Estate Golf & Country Club with green fees included.
Costa Rica. In Guanacaste on the Pacific coast, the Westin Reserva Conchal, with its Robert Trent Jones Jr. course, sells a Golf Experience package with two rounds per stay, and the Peninsula Papagayo has an Arnold Palmer course at the Four Seasons. It’s a good trip for couples and families where golf shares the week with the beach and the rainforest.
Our guide to the best Caribbean golf resorts ranks the region’s resorts on golf, lodging and access.
When is the best time for a golf vacation in Mexico or the Caribbean?
December to April, the dry season across Mexico and the Caribbean, when the weather is sunny and less humid. It’s also peak season, so May and November are often the best value. From June to October it’s hot and humid, with afternoon storms, and hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
| Period | Weather | Prices and crowds | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| December to April | Dry, sunny, lower humidity | Peak, especially Christmas, New Year and spring break | The best golf weather; whales off Punta Mita and Cabo |
| May and November | Warm; humidity rising in May, showers ending in November | Shoulder season, often the best value | Good compromise months |
| June to October | Hot, humid, afternoon storms | Lowest prices | Hurricane season peaks from mid-August through October |
Cabo is desert, so it’s dry most of the year, but its summer is very hot and humid. The Riviera Maya and the Caribbean islands follow the classic dry-season pattern. If you travel in hurricane season, buy travel insurance when you pay the first deposit, and read the resort’s weather cancellation policy. Our winter golf destinations guide compares the region with Florida and Arizona month by month, and winter golf destinations outside the US adds Europe and beyond.
How much does a golf vacation in Mexico cost?
It depends on how the golf is sold. Published 2026 figures include $375 for a prime-time round at El Camaleón for Mayakoba guests, $400 plus 18% tax for Teeth of the Dog, and a $90 cart fee per round on Moon Palace’s unlimited golf. Budget $1,800–$3,500 or more per golfer for a premium resort week, before flights.
That last range is JEL Golf Travel’s 2026 figure for premium resort trips, and it’s a fair guide for Cabo and Casa de Campo. All-inclusive trips can come in lower on paper, because food and drink are bundled, but the golf extras add up. Here are the published and reported golf costs across the region:
| Resort or course | 2026 golf cost | What’s extra | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Camaleón, Mayakoba | $375 prime / $280 twilight (resort guests) | mayakoba.com | |
| Casa de Campo, Teeth of the Dog | $400 hotel guest; $550 villa guest | 18% tax; mandatory caddie | casadecampo.com.do |
| Casa de Campo, Dye Fore / The Links | $325 / $250 hotel guest | 18% tax | casadecampo.com.do |
| Moon Palace (Stay & Play) | Unlimited rounds | $90 cart fee per person per round; balls | Moon Palace offer page |
| Sandals (six resorts) | Green fees included | Cart about $50–$55; clubs $75; caddie $25 plus tip | Caribbean Resort Guide, June 2026 |
| Pueblo Bonito Pacifica (Quivira) | Not included in the room rate | Green fees | honeymoons.com, December 2025 |
| Westin Reserva Conchal | Two rounds per stay on the Golf Experience package | honeymoons.com, December 2025 |
To make that concrete: four rounds at Casa de Campo (Teeth of the Dog twice, Dye Fore and The Links) come to about $1,620 per golfer with tax, before caddies. Four rounds at Moon Palace add $360 in cart fees. Four at a Sandals resort with green fees included add about $100–$220 in cart fees, depending on whether you share. Our golf trip cost guide builds complete budgets.
One more line item catches people out: taxes and service charges on golf. Casa de Campo adds 18% to its posted green fees, and many resorts in the region quote golf prices before tax. When you compare a Caribbean resort with a Florida or Arizona one, compare the after-tax price of the round, with the cart and caddie added, not the headline number.
Passports, flights and your clubs
The practical side of a Mexico or Caribbean golf trip is simpler than Europe but a little more complicated than Florida.
- Passports. You need one everywhere except Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Check that it’s valid well beyond your travel dates.
- Flights. Nonstop flights are short: about 2–2.5 hours to Cancún from Houston, Dallas or Miami, 2.5–3 hours to Los Cabos from the West Coast and Texas, about 90 minutes to Montego Bay from Miami, and under an hour to Nassau.
- Your clubs. On most airlines a golf bag is a standard checked bag on these routes, but international fare rules vary, so check your airline’s policy. Rental clubs are widely available; El Camaleón rents PXG sets and Sandals charges $75.
- Ground transport. Many resorts include airport transfers, but transport to off-site courses often isn’t. Ask before you book.
- Money. US dollars are widely accepted in resort areas, and caddies are usually tipped in cash.
Our flying with golf clubs guide covers the airline rules for international trips.
All-inclusive or stay-and-play?
This is the decision that shapes the whole trip. All-inclusive resorts suit couples and families where golf is part of the vacation: the food, drink and beach are covered, and a few rounds cost little extra, although carts rarely do. Stay-and-play trips, where you book a resort or villa and pay for golf course by course, suit golfers who want the best courses. That’s why Cabo and Casa de Campo, the region’s two best golf destinations, work best as stay-and-play trips.
Our all-inclusive golf resorts guide has the resort-by-resort inclusion table, and golf getaways covers shorter trips where golf shares the week with everything else.
The best trip for your group
The region covers a lot of different trips, and the right destination depends mostly on who’s going.
- Serious golfers. Los Cabos, played as a stay-and-play trip across Quivira, Palmilla, Cabo del Sol and Diamante, is the best golf in the region. Casa de Campo is the best single resort, and Cabot Saint Lucia is the newest reason to go south. Book the courses first and the hotel around them.
- Buddies trips. Cabo again, for the golf and for Cabo San Lucas’s nightlife, or Casa de Campo, where a group can rent a villa, eat together and play Teeth of the Dog twice. Punta Cana works for groups on a tighter budget, with several courses close together. Our buddies golf trip playbook covers formats and money.
- Couples. Punta Mita for luxury and whales, the Riviera Maya for easy flights and good resorts, and Saint Lucia or Barbados for something quieter. Our golf honeymoon destinations and golf vacations for couples guides have more.
- Families. The Riviera Maya’s all-inclusive resorts, where food and drink for children are covered, and Puerto Rico, where nobody needs a passport. The Bahamas, under an hour from Miami, is the shortest flight in the region. See our family golf vacations guide.
- A first trip abroad. Cancún or Puerto Rico. Both are short, familiar and easy to navigate, with plenty of golf for a first taste of the region.
Two sample itineraries
These two trips show how different the region’s best golf weeks can be. Both assume a group of four flying from a major US hub.
Five days in Los Cabos
- Day 1: fly into Los Cabos (SJD), about 2.5–3 hours from Los Angeles, Dallas or Houston. Check in and walk the marina or the old town in San José del Cabo.
- Day 2: Palmilla, Jack Nicklaus’s first design in Latin America, in the morning. Afternoon at the pool.
- Day 3: Quivira, if you’re staying at a Pueblo Bonito resort, or Cabo del Sol’s Desert course. Book the earliest tee time you can; the afternoon wind picks up.
- Day 4: Diamante’s Dunes course, or one of the new courses if it’s open to visitors by the time you travel.
- Day 5: a morning round or a fishing trip, then an afternoon flight home.
Four days at Casa de Campo
- Day 1: fly into Punta Cana or La Romana and transfer to Casa de Campo. Play The Links in the afternoon as a warm-up.
- Day 2: Teeth of the Dog with a caddie. Dinner at Altos de Chavón, the resort’s replica 16th-century Mediterranean village above the Chavón River.
- Day 3: Dye Fore, Pete Dye’s clifftop course above the river.
- Day 4: Teeth of the Dog again, because once is never enough, then fly home.
At 2026 hotel-guest rates, those four rounds come to about $1,620 per golfer with the 18% tax, before caddies. Our guides to a Cabo golf trip and Teeth of the Dog have longer versions.
Golf practicalities in Mexico and the Caribbean
A few things work differently from home, and knowing them in advance saves time and money.
- Carts are often required. In the heat, many resort courses in Mexico and the Caribbean require carts, and the cart fee is usually separate from the green fee. At Moon Palace it’s a mandatory $90 per round.
- Caddies can be mandatory too. At Casa de Campo, caddies are required on Teeth of the Dog and Dye Fore, paid in cash: $50 for one or two players and $100 for three or four.
- Tip in cash, in US dollars. Caddies, forecaddies and bag staff expect cash. Carry small bills.
- Book morning tee times. The best times are in the cool of the morning, and afternoon winds are common in Cabo and on the Caribbean coast.
- Dress codes apply. Most resort courses expect collared shirts and golf shorts or trousers, as at home.
- Check what “included” means. Green fees, carts, balls, transport and taxes are all sold separately somewhere in the region. Get the terms in writing before you book.
- Hydrate and cover up. The tropical sun is strong even in January. Drink water on every hole and wear a hat.
Our guides to golf etiquette for visitors and how much to tip a caddie cover the rest.
Every guide in our Mexico and Caribbean golf series
This page is the hub for our Mexico and Caribbean golf guides. New guides go live every few days, and each title below becomes a link on the day it publishes.
Mexico
- Cabo golf courses, ranked with access notes
- Cabo golf trip: costs, timing and where to stay
- New golf courses in Los Cabos: Oleada, Legacy Club and Campo Alto
- Riviera Maya golf: El Camaleón and the Cancún coast
- Punta Mita golf: Pacifico, Bahia and the Tail of the Whale
The Dominican Republic
- Teeth of the Dog: Casa de Campo’s green fees, caddies and access
- Punta Cana golf courses
The Caribbean islands
- Jamaica golf courses
- Bahamas golf courses
- Puerto Rico golf courses, no passport needed
- The best Caribbean golf resorts
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place for a golf vacation in Mexico?
Los Cabos, for the quality of the golf: Quivira, Palmilla, Cabo del Sol and Diamante, with three new courses opening in 2026–27. The Riviera Maya is the easier trip, with more flights and El Camaleón, host of 16 PGA Tour events. Punta Mita is the luxury choice.
What is the best golf course in the Caribbean?
Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo in La Romana, Dominican Republic, Pete Dye’s course with seven holes along the sea. It’s for resort guests only, at $400 for hotel guests in 2026, plus 18% tax, with caddies mandatory.
Is Casa de Campo in Punta Cana?
No. Casa de Campo is in La Romana, about an hour and a quarter by road from Punta Cana. Many visitors fly into La Romana’s own airport or into Punta Cana and transfer.
Do you need a passport to golf in Puerto Rico?
Not if you’re a US citizen. Puerto Rico is a US territory, so you can travel with the same ID you’d use on a domestic flight, which makes it the simplest Caribbean golf trip from the mainland.
How much does it cost to play El Camaleón at Mayakoba?
Mayakoba lists resort-guest rates of $375 in prime time and $280 at twilight. The Greg Norman course has hosted 16 PGA Tour events, two LIV Golf dates and an LPGA event in 2025, and rents PXG clubs.
When is the best time to golf in Mexico?
November to April, and December to April on the Caribbean coast. Cabo’s desert climate is dry most of the year, but summers are very hot and humid. Hurricane season in the Caribbean and on Mexico’s coasts runs from June 1 to November 30.
What is the Tail of the Whale?
An optional island green on the Pacifico course at Punta Mita, Jack Nicklaus’s 1999 design north of Puerto Vallarta. It sits on a natural rock outcrop in the Pacific and is reached by amphibious vehicle when the surf allows.
Are golf vacations in Mexico all-inclusive?
Some are. Resorts such as Moon Palace in Cancún offer unlimited golf with a mandatory $90 cart fee per round, while Pueblo Bonito’s resorts in Cabo don’t include green fees. For the best golf, Cabo and Casa de Campo work better as stay-and-play trips.
Is Cabo or Cancún better for golf?
Cabo, for the golf itself: Quivira, Palmilla, Cabo del Sol and Diamante are better courses than anything around Cancún, and three more are opening. Cancún and the Riviera Maya are easier to reach, with more flights and more all-inclusive resorts, and El Camaleón at Mayakoba is a genuine PGA Tour venue.
What is the best golf in the Dominican Republic?
Casa de Campo in La Romana, with Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore and The Links, for resort guests only. In Punta Cana, Punta Espada at Cap Cana and Corales at Puntacana Resort are the standouts, and Jack Nicklaus’s Las Iguanas joined them in 2026.
Can you play Sandy Lane’s Green Monkey course in Barbados?
Only as a guest of Sandy Lane or a member. The Green Monkey, carved out of a former quarry, is one of the most exclusive courses in the Caribbean. Apes Hill and Royal Westmoreland are the island’s other well-known options.
What new golf courses are opening in Cabo?
Ernie Els’s Oleada Golf Links soft-opened in July 2026, with a grand opening planned for November. Tom Fazio’s Campo Alto at Querencia is due in late 2026, and Tiger Woods’s private Legacy Club at Diamante in late 2026 or early 2027.
How far is Cabo from the US?
Los Cabos International Airport is about 2.5 to 3 hours by nonstop flight from Los Angeles, Dallas or Houston, and there are nonstops from many other US cities in winter. It’s one of the shortest international golf trips for anyone on the West Coast or in Texas.
Is the Riviera Maya good for a family golf trip?
Yes. It has the most nonstop flights from the US, a wide choice of all-inclusive resorts that cover food and drink for children, and good golf at El Camaleón, Moon Palace and Playa Mujeres. Golfers can play a few rounds while the rest of the family has the beach and the pools.
Which Caribbean island is best for golf?
The Dominican Republic, for depth and quality: Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore, Punta Espada and Corales are among the best courses in the region. Saint Lucia is the rising star, thanks to Cabot Saint Lucia, and Puerto Rico is the easiest for US citizens, since no passport is needed.
A golf vacation in Mexico or the Caribbean is the shortest route from a Northern winter to a warm first tee. Choose Cabo or Casa de Campo for the golf, the Riviera Maya or Punta Cana for the easiest trip, and Puerto Rico if you’d rather leave the passport at home. Then check what’s included before you book.
If a passport is the sticking point, Hawaii is the other warm-water golf vacation for Americans. It’s about five to six hours from the West Coast, needs no passport, and has resort courses from Kapalua on Maui to Mauna Kea on the Big Island, with 2026 green fees of roughly $185 to $475. It costs more than Cabo or Punta Cana on the golf, and the flights from the East Coast are long. Our Hawaii golf vacation guide compares the islands.
Mexico and the Caribbean are the closest international golf to most of the US, but they aren’t the only winter options. In January and February it’s summer in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa’s Cape, and the cool, dry season in Thailand and Dubai. Barnbougle in Tasmania charged international visitors A$260 to A$285 (about $173 to $190) in 2026, after a flight of about 16 hours to Melbourne. Our best international golf destinations guide compares every option by flight time, cost and season.
Sources
Official pages checked September 11, 2026 unless noted.
- Mayakoba, El Camaleón golf: mayakoba.com
- Casa de Campo, golf information and fees: casadecampo.com.do
- Riviera Nayarit tourism board, Punta Mita Pacifico: rivieranayarit.com
- Moon Palace, Stay & Play golf package: moonpalacecancun.com
- Sandals, golf: sandals.com
- Also consulted: Mexico News Daily, Travel Research Online and GolfPass on new Los Cabos courses and the World Wide Technology Championship; Golfbreaks on the best courses in Cabo; Leading Courses on Cabot Saint Lucia; GolfPass Golfers’ Choice 2026 Caribbean rankings; Your Golf Travel on Sandy Lane; Caribbean Resort Guide on Sandals (June 2026); honeymoons.com on resort inclusions (December 2025); JEL Golf Travel 2026 trip-cost tiers.
Image credits
| Image | Credit and license |
|---|---|
| El Camaleón, Mayakoba (featured) | Photo by LubomirSub, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Club Náutico de Ponce golf course, Puerto Rico | Photo by Roca Ruiz, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Palmas Yacht Club, Humacao, Puerto Rico | Photo by cavenaghi9, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Teeth of the Dog, Casa de Campo | Photo by Baybay1901, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Palmilla Golf Club, Los Cabos | Photo by JAGarcia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Diamante Dunes, Cabo San Lucas | Photo by Cal Wolfe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. |