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Greg Norman was the preeminent player of his generation, a Hall of Famer who won more than 60 titles around the globe. Ultimately though, the Shark's golfing legacy won't be the number of tournaments he won, it will be his golf course designs. With more than 50 courses on four continents, Greg Norman is fast becoming the dominant player in golf course architecture.
El Camaleón Golf Club at the Mayakoba resort, managed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is his latest masterwork. The 7,039-yard layout is unique - not just to México but to the entire golfing kingdom. The course bends through three distinct landscapes - tropical jungle, dense mangroves, and oceanfront stretches of sand with holes bisected by massive limestone canals. He's even incorporated a cenote, a massive, ancient cavern common to the area, into the heart of the opening fairway. And as in all Norman projects, he has balanced the course to make it enjoyable for golfers of all abilities. From the tips, El Camaleón is a major league test, a real Shark bite. However, each hole is sprinkled with a minimum of five tee blocks, so there is a distance for every player.
While the course is a standout, the surrounding golf amenities are equally as stunning. The handsome, Mayan influenced clubhouse rises above the 18th green and the adjoining practice facility and driving range are five star. Even more amazingly, with the resort's unique canal system, golfers will be able to step out of their rooms and into a boat, which will ferry them to the first tee.
In 2006, El Camaleón made history by becoming the first golf course to host an official PGA Tour event in México. Mayakoba Classic will be held February 19-25, 2007 and will offer a purse of $3.5 million. The GOLF CHANNEL, the TOUR's new exclusive cable broadcast partner, will show all four days action from this historic golf event on Rivera Maya.
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