The owner of the hostel I stayed at in Iquitos was also an investor in the only golf course in the Peruvian Amazon jungle. In fact, I was told that it is one of only 16 golf courses in Peru and that it is the only course between Lima, Peru and Manaus, Brazil. Because of a legal dispute and a lack of appropriate permits from the provincial government, they are not allowed to charge money to play golf at the course. Bad news for the investors, good news for me. We were invited to head to the 9-hole course and play a round for free. We were even allowed to borrow some golf clubs and golf balls. The caretaker of the course, Maria came along as our caddy and her 3 children served as ball spotters for us. Three of us were golfing, Craig from England, Randy from Minnesota and myself.
We were warned before playing that one of the storage buildings is infested with snakes and to not search for any balls that go near it. We were also warned of a 3 meter cayman that likes to lounge in the water hazards on the course. I love golf in the jungle.
Because the course isn't officially open, the grass is a bit overgrown. Even perfect shots down the middle of the fairway are difficult to find (not that I was hitting many fairways). Although I didn't play my best it was still a great day. Maria's children would race each other to our balls after we hit them and try to be the first to find them. Like I said, it was a blast.
Supposedly the course will be opening up officially in January or February of 2008. There is even a clubhouse under construction that will have a proshop, bar and restaurant. Should be very interesting to see how golf is received in the jungle.
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