Inside Nauka Golf Club, a New Oceanfront Masterpiece in Mexico

The journey to Nauka Golf Club felt a little bit like heading into a scene from Jurassic Park.

Google Maps told us to turn. We were pointed down another road by some locals. And then... jungle vibes.

No T-Rex greetings, however. Instead, at the end of the road was a bespoke clubhouse and behind it? Emerald green mountain ridges and valleys, with the smell of the ocean not far thanks to some breezes.

Tucked along a tranquil, undeveloped stretch of Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit north of Puerto Vallarta lies Nauka, a new, stunning course designed by Tom Fazio that blends seamlessly into the earth over nearly 1,000 acres.

"We want the golf course to feel like it's part of nature," explains PGA of America Golf Professional Shawn Cox, the Director of Golf at Nauka. "You don't feel like you're on a clock here. You feel like you're on vacation and you feel... like you're in heaven, actually."

The highlight of the 18-hole routing is the dramatic three-hole ocean stretch encompassing No. 14, 15, and 16. Bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the right and a natural estuary on the left, this stretch sits on a strip of land only 60 to 70 yards wide, and sit just five feet above sea level, making the beach itself a playable extension of the fairways.

"What is unique about these three ocean holes is there can never be real estate on these holes," Cox emphasizes. "It feels like you've gone to a secret place on earth to a beach that nobody knows about. And unlike a Pebble Beach or Cypress Point, which are beautiful each in their own way, these three holes are beach-level. There's really nothing like them in the world.

The 14th is Cox's considers personal favorite on the course, saying it will be "regarded as one of the greatest par 3s definitely in Mexico, if not all over the world."

Teeing off across the estuary, the play is short and right. Right after crossing the estuary, players reach a carved boulder marking the expansive beach as the world's largest bunker.

"The thing that you have to factor in when you play 14, 15, and 16 is what is your natural ball flight?" Cox advises. "The predominant wind is off the ocean... so it's a one time that maybe being a little bit of a fade person, this might be a good stretch of golf for you."

A test of length and accuracy, Hole 15 features a fairway bunker on the left that Cox describes as a "catcher's glove" to stop errant balls from entering the hazard. "What makes that green on 15 unique is it's a very narrow green... about a 45-yard long green," says Cox. "If you're not a great chipper, you can putt it up onto the surface and still have a great chance for saving par."

Demanding clear strategy off the tee, the 16th favors a drive down the left side. "Playing it to the left, you've got a great angle into the green," Cox notes. "And what makes the hole so beautiful is the backdrop is the whole bay that we have out in front of Nauka."

Oh, and one more thing about the beach.

"You can hit off the natural beach," Cox says. "I've hit a ball from the beach all the way onto the green, and I've also played it back to the fairway... [The beach] is very much in play."

Drawing on 30 years of experience in California golf — and incorporating feedback from tour pros who call Nauka home — Cox helped shape the range into one of the finest practice hubs in the world.

"We wanted this to be a place where you can practice in any way you like," Cox says. "It's a two-sided range with the same grass as the course (Paspalum) which allows us to make real green targets like on the course. The range is also curved and elevated so players can practice from different lies and angles."

Next to the range is a wonderful short game and putting areas, and next to those to areas resides the golf sicko's playground called the Stretch Deck.

"A lot of times players just show up and starting hitting balls, but we wanted an area to warm up for your warmup," adds Cox. "There's a stationary bike, light weights, bands, medicine balls, even a 'body mechanic' who can help stretch you out if your back or neck is tight. There's also someone making breakfast burritos, smoothies and drinks right beside the Stretch Deck so you can grab something before you head out."

The story behind Nauka’s unique logo came about purely by chance during the property's early development.

"It's definitely worth throwing into Google and looking at images, because it's beyond belief that a bird could actually have blue feet," Cox laughs. "There was a boat tour that went off to an island less than a mile away, and on this island lives this bird, the Blue-Footed Booby. It only lives in a couple climates in the world, and that's actually the Galápagos Islands and here."

For Cox, the bird represents the sanctuary itself.

"It's this bird that has basically chosen this area to live. And it just ties into wanting to be here at Nauka... Of all these great golf destinations we have in the world, why would you choose to come to Nauka? There's something different about this place."

A really cool part about Nauka’s presence is how its making a lasting positive impact on the surrounding region in Nayarit.

Cox says the course is collaborating with Mexican professional golfer Carlos Ortiz to build a school for local children, modeled after Ortiz's successful educational foundation in Guadalajara that he built with Lorena Ochoa.

"We want to be good neighbors," says Cox. "A lot of locals are part of building what's special at Nauka. We don't want to take away the natural beauty they have here ... we want to be part of it. Mexico is, and rightly so, very protective of areas like estuaries and mountains. They know what makes this part of their country so beautiful.

"Nauka is a place that respects what surrounds it: the ocean, the mountains, the lush and vibrant colors, interesting animals, and feeling of being somewhere unlike anywhere else in the world."