Golf in Chile is
special. It is not on the PGA map, nor the tourist map, not even the
local’s map quite yet. But for one reason or another, it is on your
mental map.
Golf in Chile is
still extremely exclusive and hard to find, something like getting knighted
in the UK. The only difference is that while we can’t get you knighted
in Great Britain or in Chile for that matter, we can get you on some
nicecourses during your stay in Chile.
Here at
Chile Golf Tours, we have arrangements with a number of courses, in,
around, and outside of the nation’s capital Santiago.
Because you probably
are not traveling to Chile just to golf (although if you are, one day
you will be considered a genius by someone other than your mother, you
might even get paid by Golf Digest to write up a review) we offer a
number of different packages that can be tailored to your varying needs
and interests.
For this reason,
we mix:
golf with spas for
couples,
golf and wine for
the vino aficionado
and straight-up golf
for both the money conscious and the well-heeled.
If none of these
ideas fit your needs, please ask us and we can put together something
that will.
We thought about naming the company Tailor-Made golf,
but someone beat us to it. Look where it got them!
As an entity aimed to create & develop innovative projects in the
area of tourism; satisfaction & excellence continue to be our ultimate goal
day in & day out at Chile Golf Tours. Because we take this promise so
seriously, all tours are 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
Founded by Peter Murphy Lewis (USA), & Joel Martinez (Chile), both
of who are socially conscious entrepreneurs, self-proclaimed wannabe inspirations,
& true lovers of Chile’s landscape; Chile Golf Tours lives off its focus
and energetic team, which strives to make Chile more accessible than ever, for
both visitors & its residents, in every sense of the word.
As part of this goal, we have created a number of exciting experiences
to provide alternative angles on experiencing Santiago.
Chile Golf Tours: With one simple objective, we seek to make as many
golf courses accessible as possible to those who are journeying through Chile for all
of those seeking a personalized and professional golf tour experiences.
La Bicicleta
Verde: With one concept in mind, La Bicicleta Verde
(Green Bike Company in English) offers city tours on a daily basis around Santiago, Chile,
an ideal city for bicycle tourism and walking tours due to its location in a
valley with a splendid Mediterranean climate & less than 15 days of rain a
year. Santiago, a city full of cultural &
urban contrasts, lies in a green valley with modern skyscrapers that cannot
quite reach the overhanging Andes in the
backdrop.
Beyond great laughs & green bikes, our morning tour at 9:30 a.m.
& afternoon tour at 2:30 p.m. each offer a different angle on seeing the
city. Our relaxing sunset tour starts at 7:30 p.m. & travels down Santiago’s central river
Mapocho, all the way from the upper east side of modern Vitacura to the hip
bohemian Bella Vista neighborhood. Three daily tour experiences allow any of
our visitors to feel Santiago
from the inside out while pedaling through our city of rich contrasts of urban
& green hilltops. We like to brag about our city tours being recommended in the New York Times in 2009.
Furthermore, we will gladly assist you with the following services
beyond your interests in playing golf in Chile.
·Airport Transfers
·Personalized Guides
·Shopping
·Airline Tickets
·Hotel Reservations
·Dinners, Cocktails or Special Events
·Honeymoon Arrangements
Thank you for taking the time to read over our “tour experiences,” a
term we use to remind ourselves of our larger intentions. Our tours go beyond
the traditional, attempting to lead our customers step-by-step into a cultural
experience and professional-personalized attention.
Golfing
in Chile
is a challenge because of its exclusivity.
Most courses do not
have rental clubs, English is hard to come by, not to mention that non-members often cannot get access
without well-connected friends.
The
good thing about golf in Chile
is that it is not yet popular so tee times are somewhat
easy to obtain, and courses are in good shape and uncrowded.
Let us
know what you want, and we will see if we can get it for you.
Let us
take you out for 9 holes or a full round on Chile’s links. Preferably, we will
do golf then wine tasting because the last time we mixed up the order we had to
take a nap on hole number 3. Seriously we can arrange, early or late tee times,
lunch at the golf course or at the winery of your choice (although we do have
our favorites). Let us know if you need club rentals, balls or if you just need
us to make the arrangements. We would be happy to help.
Prices
depend on the course, the day of the week you play and the vineyard you wish to
visit, so just send us an email and let us know how many plan to hit the links
and we will get back to you with prices as soon as possible.
This
Golf and Spa program is a bit surreal. A 4/5 star resort - Santa Martina - up
in the nearby mountains allows those visiting Santiago to get out of the center
of downtown. The 4 jacuzzis, 2 swimming pools (1 indoor, 1 outdoor), Latin
America’s only wave pool for adults or kids alike, overwhelming mountain views
and full resort services make this Chile’s number one hideout just 30 minutes
from Santiago.
The
golf course was designed by well-known designer Michael Kelly in 2004. See his
webpage http://www.designshaper.com/Projects.html (a
few of us played his White Witch in Montego
Bay, Jamaica
before we even knew that Santa Martina existed). As a resort Santa Martina has made a name for
itself amongst the locals here in Chile, and its exclusive golf course has done
the same.
The
back nine will be finished in late 2011, but don’t let that stop you from
coming out. The front nine has a tough 7, 8, and 9. Tough-enough that we will buy your first beer
if you don’t lose a ball. Greens and fairways are in tip-top shape, and there
are two flag sticks for the second round. Carts are available for those who
find walking on vacation to be a bit disagreeable. The caddies, most of whom
have single digit handicaps, know their way around the course.
Did we
mention that Chile’s only WPGA player, Nicole Perrot, is the local pro at Santa
Martina? She speaks English, or Spanish if you desire, and can play a round
with you or give you classes almost any day of the week. The last time she took
a few customers out, she shot -3 from the back tees. Needless to say, neither I
nor our customers can say the same.
Prices
vary according to the day, the tee time and the number of people. Just send us
an email at director@chilegolftours.com. Let us know if you want a few massages, gourmet
lunch buffets, wine tastings or horseback riding. All costs include a fruit snack for morning
outings, basic lunch or dinner, beer or cold beverage, transportation, driver
and access to the full resort infrastructure. This includes a robe for lounging
around, towel for the showers, sauna, steam room and the pools. Of course, you
will have your private locker.
We
will pick you up at your hotel, the airport or from a business convention, and
sneak you out to Santiago’s hidden golf course in the mountains. Don’t worry,
we won’t tell your boss, but we will invite your wife to use the spa or your
kids to jump in the wave pool.
We
offer golf in a few local public courses for the financially conscious
visitors. Green fees
cost between $40 and $70 US dollars per person, depending on the
course, day of the week and tee time. Rental clubs range from $35 to
$60 US dollars per full set.
We
also have agreements at other private courses around Santiago and on
the coast. For the private courses we do have to accompany you at
least to the door to sign you up for green fees, caddy arrangements and
the like. We provide the necessary transportation to and from the
private courses which are beautiful, luxurious and very exclusive.
Green fees generally run from $80-125 US dollars on the weekend with
discounted work week prices and caddies from $50 to $100 dollars. A few
courses do require golfers to have a handicap of 30/40 or below.
Most
private clubs require golfers visiting these courses for the first time
to be accompanied by a caddy. In this case, our bilingual guide will be
happy to either replace the caddy or help translate for our customers.
We have agreements at the following private golf resorts:
