Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya (formerly known as the Golf Club de Playacar) sits smack in the gated upscale resort and residential zone called Playacar, just minutes from the heart of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. This Robert von Hagge design from 1994 was the first championship golf course in Mexico s beautiful Mayan Riviera, a 62-mile stretch of glorious Caribbean coastline and beaches that begins just south of the Cancun Airport. Though the region has become a bonafide golf destination more recently, the course is still widely considered the toughest in the Mayan Riviera. Located near the midway point of the region, the Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya is an off-site amenity of the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya some 14 miles farther south. Anyone can make a tee time no resort stays are required. When you have a tee time to play here you ll enjoy an all-inclusive experience that includes not only your golf, but also food and drinks. A cart typically comes by every few holes throughout the round so you can replenish yourself. It s a great way to enjoy a pretty course that is quite different from stereotypical, easy-going resort-style layouts. Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya is a tough test that attracts its share of players who want to measure their skills on a very challenging layout. Working on a compact site, Von Hagge carved Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya out of dense Mayan jungle. Though resort hotels and well-to-do residences are all around, trees and lush foliage effectively obscure the buildings. The playing field features numerous doglegs. Straight hitters tend to fare well here, but everyone else will likely get into lots of trouble. Dense stands of tropical trees and thick vegetation line Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya s long, narrow fairways. Limestone pits and shelves occasionally lurk in the fairways. Von Hagge s large, artistic bunkers are yet another devilish feature of the playing field. One of the memorable holes at Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya features an island-like green surrounded by sand. Water enters the fray on six holes, most thrillingly on the 9th and 18th holes, where the water seems to be everywhere and wind further complicates club selection. To help improve the pace of play and add to players' enjoyment, Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya has cut back some of the jungle vegetation just beyond the fairways and reduced the height of the rough. Choosing a manageable distance from among the five sets of tee markers that range between 5,176 yards and 7,136 yards is another way to make the course more fun. Practice facilities include a driving range, chipping area with practice bunkers, and a large putting green.The clubhouse features a golf shop, locker rooms with showers, and a restaurant. Conveniently located in Playa del Carmen, the club now known as Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya first put the Mayan Riviera on the golf map, and it remains a popular tee time choice in the region.