Santa Maria CC Named To GolfWeek's Ranking of Best Caribbean/Mexico Courses

(Scottsdale, Ariz.) – Santa Maria Golf & Country Club in Panama City, Panama was recently named to Golfweek’s 2017 ranking of the “Best 50 Courses of the Caribbean and Mexico.” The Nicklaus Design course placed No. 29 on the prestigious ranking.

Santa Maria Golf & Country Club, managed by Troon Privé, is part of the Santa Maria private residential golf community located alongside the prestigious Costa del Este neighborhood of Panama City. The championship golf course measures 7,196 yards from the back tees and plays to a par of 72. After opening 9 holes in 2012, the golf course has been fully open (all 18 holes) since 2014 and has been regarded as the top golf course in Panama ever since.

You do not have to live in the community of Santa Maria to enjoy its luxurious amenities. The Country Club of Panama, located adjacent to holes 5 and 6, will open soon and include an Olympic-size pool, recreational pool, tennis, softball court, paddle courts, squash and racquetball. The Country Club will also feature a restaurant, lounge bar, sports bar, a large hall for events, basketball courts, an indoor/outdoor running track, bowling hall, gym, studios for Zumba, yoga and Pilates, a disco, beauty salon, a barbershop and spa.

In addition, a new 180-room hotel will open at Santa Maria in the first quarter of 2018.  Plus, two residential towers called Santa Maria Court East and West Towers will open around the same time as the hotel and will offer hotel services. Other real estate options at Santa Maria include large estate lots and residences fronting the fairways and lakes as well as luxurious condominiums and townhomes located in the vibrant town center.

Among the criteria used by Golfweek’s panel of course raters include:
- Ease and intimacy of routing – The extent to which the sequence of holes follows natural contours and unfolds in an unforced manner.
- Variety and memorability of par 3s, 4s and 5s – Different clubs hit; extent to which the angles of play create interesting and varied playing options; and extent to which holes offer variety of options from the tee and on the second shot.
- Basic quality of conditioning – Variety of playing textures; extent of turf coverage; consistency and quality of bunker sand.
- “Walk in the park” test – Degree to which the course ultimately is worth spending a half-day on.

For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.