Playa Mujeres Golf Club: Cancun, Mexico's Uptown Girl

CANCUN, Quintana Roo, Mexico -- Playa Mujeres Golf Club is the "Uptown Girl" of the golf scene in the Cancun and Riviera Maya.

The course is somewhat isolated on its own several miles north of the Cancun hotel zone. That makes it convenient to the Cancun International Airport and guests staying in those resorts, but somewhat of an outlier from the more golfer-friendly resorts along the Riviera Maya south of Cancun: the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort, Mayakoba and the Iberostar Playa Paraiso.

Greg Norman designed Playa Mujeres in 2006 through the jungle between the Caribbean Sea and the Chachmuchuc Lagoon. The thick natural vegetation tends to squeeze the narrow fairways.

Norman's creativity blossoms on his par 3s, evident at the outstanding 15th hole, home to a table-top green and deep bunker. The 16th tee reveals the views of the sea, a distraction on a tricky short par 4 that plays much tougher when the wind kicks up. The intimidating par-4 finishing hole skirts water before ending at the large colorful clubhouse. It's a golf course as easy on the eyes as Christie Brinkley.