Havana: 9-hole course located near the airport and 20 minutes from downtown, has some hills, very bad greens, that's all that they water in the dry season even cracking the ground of the fairways.

To give you an idea of how is it, the flags of the holes are just a wood sticks with a red cloth, except the hole 9 (the one visible from the clubhouse).

The ones that are running the Varadero Golf Club have taken over this field. Now it looks better, but much remains to be done.

Price is 20 CUC 9 holes, 30 CUC 18. Rented clubs are very old and costs 10 CUC. Before there was a caddie service. Now they do not have caddies employed.

The day before, you can call Hector, exceptional caddy, hdc 5, which serves as the instructor. Very nice. As there is no more caddie service at this course, you no longer have to pay the 3 CUC cost. Hector price will depend on the service, the num-hole, how satisfied you got, your generosity, but a good tip is between 10 and 20 CUC.

Hisr phone number is 52925484.

Carretera de Vento, km. 8. Capdevila. Boyeros. Telf.: (537) 33-8820; 33-8918 al 19 Fax: (537) 33-8820.

How to get there:

From the city it's best to go by taxi. Make sure the driver knows how to get there. Talk with the taxi driver for the way back to the hotel, as is kind of complicatted to get a taxi (you can but not easy). Normal price is 10 CUC per way. Playing 18 holes can take arround 3 hours.

Golf Club Havana

Pelayo Gonzalez March 12, 2006

While Havana is a popular tourist destination, is not the ideal place for golfers.

In fact, most think that during his stay in Havana are forced to retreat golfing. Not so. First, because the Varadero Golf Club is about two hours, and secondly and more importantly, because hidden inside, near the airport, we can play at the Club de Golf La Habana.

This is a nine hole course, with tees that can be duplicated to play 18 holes with different distances and sometimes different designs, for example, the hole 9 is a dogleg which can be shortened by opening the ball over some trees, and 18 is a slight dogleg left that requires a long drive to draw to a good start. The course does not reach the European STANDARDS, but it is far better than what we mean by a rustic. The maintenance of the fairways is very good, but the greens leaves something to be desired and the ball rolls very bad. They are also quite hard and fast and not get anything right. They say they are planned to improve the greens and irrigation meter under the ground, so it is possible to improve in the future.

Access to the club is a bit complex, take the direction of the airport out of Havana. When the detour to access and the airport (with the control tower from the front) take this diversion, and then continue on the right instead to cross the road we are heading to the terminals. Continuing for approximately one kilometer detour signs to the club and has no loss.

Anyway I think it's best to take a taxi. For about 15 pesos (roughly maintained parity with the euro) will take you to the club. Yes let arranged around, leaving an hour or recording the phone (mobile phone) the taxi driver, for notifying the end can lead to a fairly long wait. If the option is the phone, moving near the restaurant in the hole 15 (hole 6) Give notice to call to your driver and give you time to finish.

Current prices are:

9-hole green fee: 20 pesos.

Green fee 18 holes: 30 pesos.

Golf clubs rental: 10 pesos.

Caddy service: 3 pesos.

In the master caddy shack they sell tees (very short) for 1.50 pesos and balls for the price of gold as a top-flite normal of 3 pesos charge the ball. After leaving the pit there are two men selling two very good balls (Titleist NXT and the like) for 0.50 pesos a ball. They don´t sell gloves, so you have to take it with you.

The course layout is quite nice. The estate on which it is located is very large so the outoff-limits are not necessary.

The fairways are quite wide and there is almost rough, but not be neglected because they are always surrounded by tall trees as a way to penalize deviant often you always with a recovery shot.

Interesting is the hole 2, a long par 5 in the first round (just over 450 meters) shorter in the second (about 430 meters), with a brook hidden from view and 100 meters from the green. Speaking of distances, the use of caddy is almost mandatory because there is no distance marks or sticks.

It is also interesting hole 3, which can pull the driver to move the water (over 200 meters) or short play no more than a 6-iron.

The par 3´s (holes 5 and 8) are downhill and short, is played between the PW and the 8-iron, depending on the wind and the position of the flag.

The on Hole 6, par four, you can get one in the first round, but in the second furthest from the tee and you have to play the elbow of the dogleg driver.

The nine, which we have already discussed above is also a great golf hole, you require two good shots to get a good result and to show off in front of the restaurant's terrace.

The atmosphere is familiar, most are people from the earliest in China embassies on the island and almost always find a good game.