PGA Riviera Maya

Overview: PGA Riviera Maya is an 18-hole par-72 course near Akumal, integrated into the Tulum Country Club residential and resort complex. Robert Trent Jones II routed the championship course through native Mayan jungle, lakes, cenotes, mangrove and the contours of a former limestone quarry. The official course page lists 7,272 yards. Instead of clearing the land into a conventional resort grid, the design uses the exposed rock and vegetation to create a round with changing sightlines, natural hazards and a strong sense of place.

History: The championship course opened in 2010 as the first golf course developed by Piñero in the Riviera Maya project. The complex also includes a separate nine-hole par-three course, so the directory’s 18-hole identity is kept distinct from that shorter routing. In 2019, PGA Riviera Maya became the first complex in Latin America to partner with the PGA of America. That relationship now forms part of the course’s current operating identity alongside the original Robert Trent Jones II design.

Did You Know? The 18-hole course was cut into a limestone quarry, allowing the fairways and greens to emerge from the natural contours of jungle and mangrove rather than being imposed on a blank site. On the first hole, the official hole guide describes a par four with a large lake behind the green and a bunker protecting the approach. The detail shows how PGA Riviera Maya combines dramatic ecology with precise target golf.