Golf in Brazil during the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup (and in the run up to the 2016 Rio Olympics)
Brazil is the focus of a lot of attention at the moment with the 2013 Confederation’s Cup on the go and the 2014 FIFA World Cup happening around this time next year. One might ask why we would choose to write an article on golf in Brazil if all the focus will be on soccer/football for at least the next 13 months. The answer to that is quite simple; if you are going to travel all the way to Brazil to watch one or two or even three 90 minute football matches, why not take your golf clubs along and play a few rounds in between? Also, Rio is hosting the 2016 Olympic Games and golf has been added to the list of Olympic events, so golf will become the talk of the town once the soccer has come and gone.
What we aim to achieve with this article is to pick one top course next to or near each of the allotted stadiums for the FIFA World
Cup and give you a little bit more information about what the club has to offer. The write ups will be on information we can find online and are unfortunately not experience based reviews, so take what you need to out of the information below and if you are lucky enough to travel to South America for either the Confederations Cup, the FIFA World Cup or the 2016 Olympics, happy travels and good golfing.
City: Rio de Janeiro
Stadium: Maracanã
Golf Course: Itanhangá Golf Club
Although there are a few to choose from, we decided to go with the Itanhangá Golf Club. It was one of the favoured courses to land the prized Olympic golf competition, but in the end the IOC decided to build a whole new course. The course is covered in Mata Atlántica vegetation and the surrounding hills provide a beautiful backdrop for a round of golf amidst the 86 different species of trees found on the course. A round here costs between R1,180 and R1,650 (South African Rands).
City: Sao Paulo
Stadium: Arena Corinthians
Golf Course: Sao Paulo Golf Club
Home of the Web.com Tour’s Brasil Classic Presented by HSBC, the Sao Paulo golf club was the obvious choice. This was the first golf club founded in Brazil and is regarded as a great vestige of British culture and influence in this South American nation. The course is a private course, but if you can get a round here with a member, it is well worth the money you may have to pay.
City: Belo Horizonte
Stadium: Mineirão
Golf Course: Morro do Chapeu (Hat Hill Golf Club)
Although only a nine hole course, Hat Hill offer 18 different tee boxes so a full round can be completed here. The course is well established and is over 40 years old, built by a Japanese business man, using English machinery. Golf is not a popular sport in Brazil, and courses in Belo Horizonte are a rarity, but Hat Hill is a popular venue amongst locals and is recommended to all visitors.
City: Brasilia
Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Brasilia
Golf Course: Brasilia Golf Club
A Robert Trent Jones Senior designed golf course in the heart of Brasilia, this club offers everything a visitor would expect in a great golf course. It offers 18 holes, a championship layout and an all round excellent golfing experience. It is just under 7,000 yards and is regarded by many as one of the finest in the whole country, not just in Brazil’s capital city.
City: Fortaleza
Stadium: Arena Castelão
Golf Course: Ocean Golf Course – Dom Pedro Laguna
The Aquiraz Riviera is a unique leisure complex in Brazil, South America and it offers the first golf course in the Brazilian state of Ceará: the “Ocean Golf Club”. This course is an 18-hole course that is a par 72 layout stretching roughly 7,322 yards, on a total total area of 86.5 acres. The course is a links style course using Sea Shore Conquista Grass (Paspalium) and has a driving range with distances stretching 325 yards, a 1,300 square meter putting green and four beautiful lakes providing superb scenery.
City: Salvador
Stadium: Arena Fonte Nova
Golf Course: Costa do Sauipe Golf Links
A 60 minute drive north of Salvador may not seem like golf “near” the stadium, but when you consider the reported limited options, the Costa do Sauipe Golf Links is worth the trip. It is rated as one of the best the whole country has to offer and when it comes to golf in Brazil, Costa do Sauipe Golf Links is regarded as a must for all tourists. Salvador is a popular destination for people traveling to Brazil, so pay this club a visit if you are in the area.
City: Porto Alegre
Stadium: Estádio Beira-Rio
Golf Course: Belém Novo Golf Club
Golf Digest magazine considers Belém Novo Golf Club to be one of the best in Brazil and is a very popular choice for residents and visitor to the city of Porto Alegre. It is a very new course, having only opened in 1994, but it is by far one of the most complete golfing challenges you may face in Brazil. Many of the holes are protected by vast amounts of water and due to the design of the course, wind plays a large factor during your round and can often cost you a few balls. The pro shop and club house are as good as you will find in Brazil. The club is open to visitors which is a great thing as the Belém Novo Golf Club has hosted some really great tournaments.
City: Recife
Stadium: Itaipava Arena Pernambuco
Golf Course: The Caxanga Golf and Country Club
The Caxanga Golf and Country Club is in the nerve center of Recife. Not only is it a great outing for the avid golfer, it also has ample activities for the whole family, where non-golfing parents and the kids can be kept occupied while you head off to hit a few balls on some of their well manicured greens. Greg Norman will be opening a course in the area soon, proving the Recife is a golfing hub in Brazil. The course is flat and on a wide open patch of land with beautiful foliage. There are plenty of trees, water and other pretty hazards. Currently the course is nearing completion, but there is enough done to ensure you can still get a decent game in.
City: Manaus
Stadium: The Arena da Amazônia
Golf Course: Manaus Country Club
In the heart of the Amazon, surrounded by lush vegetation, the Manaus Country Club is a beautiful 9 hole course that has two different tees per hole. It is an 18 hole course on a 9 hole layout and is a par 70. Built in 1989, the course is not very old and at only 5,390m (5,895 yards) it is not very long either. But what it lacks in distance it makes up for in challenge. The course is private, but according to various websites it is open to business Tuesday through Sunday and has a favourable climate all year round.
City: Cuiabá
Stadium: The Arena Pantenal
Golf Course: Terra Selvagem Condomínio e Golf Club (Wilderness)
Only a nine hole course roughly 3,400 yards long, the Wilderness Golf Club in Cuiaba is a newish club and one of very few in the area. As golf is a new sport in Brazil (originated in the 19th century some say), golf in the less popular tourist areas is a real treat, but the design of this course is simply a nine hole course surrounding a beautiful estate. The course uses trees and natural landscape features to provide the challenges, and bunkers are not really that prominent and water is nonexistent, but the course is both beautiful to look and very unique.
City: Curitiba
Stadium: The Arena da Baixada
Golf Course: Graciosa Country Club
One of the oldest clubs in the capital city of the Paraná State, Graciosa Golf Course is a quaint and understated golf course. Although it not very long (6,203 yards) and only has nine holes with two tee choices, it is still a very technical course and requires a golfer who can think his way around the course. The club is private, but visitors are welcome on request and accompanied by a member. Special mention has been made of the 13th hole online, which is a par 3 of exquisite beauty and is set right in front of a waterfall.
City: Natal
Stadium: The Arena das Dunas
Golf Course: TBB
There are plans for several courses to be built in the area of Natal, which is famous for being one of the safest cities in Brazil, but come high and low, we could not find details for a single course as yet. David Beckham is building a soccer academy in Natal to coincide with the 2014 FIFA world Cup and the area is a popular investment zone for British Nationals as it is a booming property market.