Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Jim Plunkett

Tiger Woods would undoubtedly prefer playing the British Open in St. Andrews over our local golf courses, but then again, Peru holds a rather unique experience for those that  relish chasing a little white ball around an enclosed park at the foot of the Andes.

Peru boasts a lot of firsts, and golf is no exception. Machu Picchu is the No. 1 Wonder of the World in the western hemisphere. Peru is the original home of the potato, the tomato; is first in the export of fish, fresh and frozen asparagus; it hosts 84 of the known 104 ecosystems in the world; has the largest mine in the world (Antamina); and has more varieties of hummingbirds just in the Machu Picchu reserve than the entire United States.

The highest 18 hole golf course in the world is in Peru.  It is situated in La Oroya, 12,375 ft. a.s.l. (3,750m.) three hours east of Lima in the central Andes.  Originally built by the Cerro de Pasco Corporation to entertain its foreign mining engineers and visitors back in the 1940's, it continues as an active course and is open to the public. With the thin air at this altitude, even you would exceed Tiger Woods' best drives, for sure. They originally named it Club El Soroche, which means, “high altitude sickness”.

In January, a new 9 hole course was inaugurated in the heart of the Amazon outside of the port city of Iquitos. A snake pit had to be removed from the fairway on the fourth hole to make way for the new golfers.  It is open to the public, and boasts young, attractive female caddies.

Near the southern coast, the mega copper mine of Toquepala, originally a U.S. operation now run by a Mexican conglomerate, also brags about its unique 9 hole course. This one has no grass, since it lies in the barren hills near the copper ore deposits. They even play at night using luminous balls that bounce off the hills. A false step can mean more than “out of bounds”. They have an excellent hospital at the site.

Lima is rather sedate after all the aforementioned courses have been exhausted by the avid golfer looking for something he can’t get back in Palm Springs or Pebble Beach. There are four 18 hole courses in the area including Lima Golf Club, Los Inkas Golf, La Planicie Country Club, and Club Villa on the Pacific ocean.   Lima Golf is the oldest club and was founded in the 1920's. Its first president was manager of the central railway. Rather impatient with the tardiness of a contractor hired to build the first clubhouse, he ordered a copy of blueprints of one of his railway stations, and a faithful replica was soon erected, which served as Lima Golf's first clubhouse.

Los Inkas Golf Club is just outside the city in the foothills of the Andes and was built just after World War II. It features pre-Inca ruins on the course, and after rare squirrels broke out of the cages belonging to the defunct president of the World Wildlife Fund who resided at the foot of the course, the area is now populated with squirrels, many of them albinos. Membership fees are in the range of $30,000 dollars, and dues run about $120 a month. Considering the quality and services available, this is a pittance compared to U.S. private clubs. Caddies are common in all clubs and most are excellent players. Green fees for guests range between $60 and $100 dollars per round, according to the day. Caddies receive an average of $12 dollars for their services.

There are no public courses in Peru due to the reduced demand for the sport. Between Lima Golf, Los Inkas, and the other Lima clubs, there are not more than 600 active golfers. If you are just a visitor, you must get a member to invite you, which is always possible in a “small town”.  South of the city in an old beach resort called San Bartolo, there is a 9 hole course played practically on desert soil. The players are given a small patch of artificial turf which one is permitted to place their ball on at each new position in order to facilitate the next stroke. Talk about fanatics!

Up until ten or fifteen years ago, women usually played amongst themselves and were not allowed to play Saturday mornings, the most popular period for the men. Children were not to be seen nor heard. Nowadays, there is no sexual nor age distinction and training programs for children starting at a very early five years of age are producing some amazing talents that are competing internationally. In the Americas, Argentina takes the lead in golf development and participation, followed by Colombia, Chile, Venezuela, and down on down the line. 

Peru is a golfer's paradise. If you are fortunate enough to be a member or a guest, you very seldom have to request a tee time and can usually go off immediately. It never rains in Lima, and the weather is always perfect for golf with no wind. Classes are readily available with professional instructors that normally charge $15 the half hour.  As long as Tiger, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus don’t find out our secret, we should be able to enjoy our golfer's paradise for some time.

Add to del.icio.us | |

"A false step can mean more than “out of bounds”. They have an excellent hospital at the site."

That was hilarious to read!  I've heard rumors of a golf course in the hills of Arequipa somewhere, but I've never been able to confirm it.

This is a fun story. I am not a golfer but am tempted to play a few rounds from the description of the courses in this article. My high altitude thin air drives going farther than Tiger Woods best drives, ha, ja...and what a great idea to have young attractive female caddies at the Amazon Golf Club in Iquitos Peru. Why didn't I think of that?

This sounds like a beautiful course. I traveled to La Oroya twice last year, and it is a wonderful town. It's too bad that our American corporation, Doe Run, is polluting the air at an incredible rate. The University of St. Louis recently did a test and found that about 97% of children under the age of six had severe lead poisoning. I wish our governments would do more to require that Doe Run adhere to environmental standards to preserve this great city.

Another unusual course is near Cusco.

I do not know if it is open and operating already, but a golf course in Pisac, was in construction in June of 07.

The course is part of the Royal Inka resort in the sacred valley, about half an hour from Cusco.

Yes there is a course in Arequipa! I am a member at the Arequipa golf club. It is open to the public. It is a pretty good course-- not in perfect condition, but not too bad. A round costs $15, plus the caddy ($7). Most of the greens are not grass- but are a special oil-soaked sand-- so you need to caddie to rake a smooth path between your ball and the hole. It is long-- over 7,000 yards.

It is only 20 minute drive from the center of town to the course (towards Socabaya).

It's a great place!

Good day, golf fans.  Does anyone know of any hotels in La Oroya, the site of the highest golf course in Peru?  Any contact numbers to look into bookings there?  Has anyone ever played it?  I can be reached at the following email address: donovan@simplyperu.com

Thanks,
Donovan

Hello to all golfers. I have played the Lima courses and they are very nice courses. Many of the caddies in Lima could be pros but for the economical difficulties of Peru.

I am a member of the Arequipa Golf Club. The course is a long and challenging course. Rounds of golf are inexpensive and the caddies are very good golfers. It is possible to rent clubs, but it is better to bring your own clubs. Be prepared to walk the course, as there are no carts available. The fairways are changing because the grass is limited in some areas. The oiled sand greens can be a challenge for putting and approaches. The weather in Arequipa es perfect with cool mornings with lots of sunshine. There is seating to stop for a break at every tee box. You will need it do to the high altitude of the city. The are nice hotels in the city with easy transportation to and from the course. If you make reservations in advance, the course will send a car to provide transportation to and from the course. All the staff and members of the club will welcome you and you will have a great time. I must tell you that the club has an excelent chef and provides very delicious and inexpensive meals.

If you are looking for a nice place to visit and play golf, you will enjoy your visit to Arequipa and Arequipa Golf Club. If you would like more information, you can contact me at: sccashs@aol.com.

Good day fellow golfers,
As a Peruvian golfer I am both proud and amused about Jim's post. Although I haven't had the opportunity to play in La Oroya yet, believe me than now more than ever I'm committed to change that. Just one correction though, La Oroya is a nine hole golf course, not eighteen hole.
About decent accomodation nearby I would recommend the hotel Los Portales in Tarma since most of the hotels in the town of La Oroya are of very low standards and the traffic is horrible because the "Carretera Central" a main highway cuts the town in half. I have driven through this town about 20 or 30 times already on my way from Lima to Chanchamayo.
Other places to play golf around Lima are La Granja Azul and Los Andes golf club, they're both inexpensive and within a half an hour drive from Miraflores.

If you need more information do check the site of the Peruvian Golf Federation, www.fpg.org.pe

There is also another course located in what used to be "El Pueblo" I believe now owned by Thunderbird Resorts.  I played there several years ago and it was nice, they also have other great activities even if you are not staying at the resort you can get a day pass for the family to keep them occupied while you play.

Check it out it's worth the drive

Michael:
A complete oversight on my part. The club you refer to is La Granja Azul in Santa Clara, next door to the restaurant of the same name, and El Pueblo resort. It was designed by a Scot years ago when the Cerro de Pasco Corporation mining company had many gringos working in the sierra and intended to give them a break from the altitude during a week or so occasionally.

Granja Azul club has only about 150 members, mostly South Koreans and Japanese, a few Peruvians, and fewer Americans, and is has only 9 holes. It originally had 18, but during Alan García´s first government ( 1985-1990) part of the course was invaded by squatters and they lost 9 holes. Three years ago, a court case was settled against the squatters, and the club received a settlement of $800,000 dollars for their loss and used it to improve the course. The clubhouse remains rather primitive. The most interesting aspect is the first tee, since you have to drive over two walls to the fairway and a road that supports the transit of 3 wheeled moto-taxis. All in all, a fun course.

Jim Plunkett

Great story!

Caddies. That's the best thing about golf in Peru. They are so good. I've never had a bad caddie. I love to talk to them.

I've played Pebble Beach. No caddies around. I've played the Old Course at St. Andrews. No caddies in sight. The list goes on and on.

The only place where I had a caddie in Europe was Gleneagles, Scotland. After the round, one guy in our foursome discovered that someone had emptied his wallet! But he, or they, left his plastic.

La Planicie is by far my favorite in Lima. Los Inkas is too flat. I haven't played Lima Country Club since the early 1980s.

I keep on postponing my trip to the Amazon Club in Iquitos. I had my plane reservation ready in May, changed it to October when I flew back to Peru. Never made it. Going back to Peru in January and hopefully I'll play the course.

I'm bringing balls, some older clubs (still in good shape, though) and other golf gear to Iquitos because Mike Collis asked.

Hopefully, one day when I retire, I can sponsor some kids in Iquitos or Lima to take up this fantastic sport.

Over here in Sweden, any kid can play because golf is not a rich man's sport. We have nearly 700,000 active golfers -club members - and Sweden has only 9.1 million people. I don't think any other country can beat that. We have some 50 courses in the Stockholm area, population: 1.5 million.

Now it's too cold to play. Season over in October. In April, when the snow is gone, we can play again.

Cheers from Stockholm,
Big Swede, who played his first round in Falmouth, England, in 1968.

 

There's a new course at the beach south of Lima - Asia Golf Club. http://www.asiagolfclub.org/

I had the chance to play there a few times last summer. Although it's still under construction, I was very impressed with the course condition. It's very long with nice views. The terrain should be filled out by now, but I haven't seen it since February 2009.

The caddies have limited to no experience, but are open to feedback.

Good article very informative as well as your comments.

But Id like you to help me out a bit if you can.

Im Peruvian married to a Finnish golfpro. We are going to Peru for the first time this december and of course my husband would like to play in golfcourses in Lima.

But as I have heard, to play in Lima Golf club you must be a member to play or must be invited...is that true? Isnt just possible to pay your greenfee and play?

As a Peruvian I find myself very sad about how golf is only for "the so-called rich people" as Stephan said, here in Finland, golf is for everyone! A sport shouldnt be reserved for certain people. But whatever...

So my point is...How can I play golf in Lima GC or in La Planicie? How did you get to play there without being a member? were the greenfees crazy expensive? Is there any of you who is a member and can help us out to play there? Thank you!

Could anyone help my wife and I get a membership in Lima Golf Club or Los Inkas Golf Club? We are both single digit handicappers and members of Point Grey Golf Club in Vancouver, Canada. We would like to spend our winters in Lima if we could find a co-signer for one of the clubs. If you could help us, please let us know.

I read in National Geographic Traveler that if you stay at Country Club Lima Hotel you have golf priviledges.  Rooms start at $169. for a double. Am I correct?

Yes, I think that is correct, but we want a temporary monthly membership. This is available, but needs a member of the the club as a co-signer.