18 Holes at Club de Golf Mapocho

There is no better way to end the craziest year in recent history than with a day at the golf course. Being outside and enjoying the company of a good friend while playing a mildly competitive game makes for the perfect day. We decided to head to Club de Golf Mapocho - one of the only public golf courses in all of Chile and home to the Chilean Open. From Las Condes, it was a roughly 20-minute taxi ride to the outskirts of town where the course is. Since this was my first trip out of Las Condes since arriving almost a month ago, it was amazing to see how quickly the urban environment drops off to a more rural setting. 

Arriving at Club de Golf Mapocho

We got to the course about an hour early for our 10 am tee-time and headed to the temporary pro-shop to check-in. Club de Golf Mapocho has an established clubhouse and pro-shop however, this being Covid times a temporary pro-shop was set up in the cafe downstairs. It had two women sitting behind a desk situated in front of a vending machine-esq set up of food and a bookcase of random golf accessories. We thought we might be able to buy golf towels and the like but it was nowhere to be found in the temporary pro-shop digs. The green fee was in line with most public courses at roughly $35 per person. We did need balls though and the only option was a sleeve of three Pinnacle golf balls for $15. (To give you a point of reference a box of 15 sales for $20 at Walmart). We reluctantly paid. There isn’t any water on the course so we also needed to pick up several bottles of water and two boiled chicken and cheese sandwiches for a snack - a total of roughly $15. The sandwiches weren’t anything to write home about but we were there for the golf. We brought our clubs so there was no need to rent although rentals were available. Since the temperature was expected to get to about 90 degrees that day we were hoping to snag a golf cart. Unfortunately, all the carts that the course had were in use. We took it in stride and grabbed a pushcart. We could go warm up.

Practice Greens

The practice greens are within steps of the pro-shop. Fortunately, they were not too busy and we were able to get a spot. The view was wonderful. For the first time, we got to see how arid the environment we were playing in was. The practice facilities included a driving range - that marks up to 300 meters (328 yards) - a putting green, and a chipping green. After several warm-up shots, we were ready to hit the links.

The Front Nine

Teeing off we still had the view of the mountain. After the initial excitement of playing wore off it was just hot. As I mentioned, there are no water stations on the course. There are not any rest stations (bathrooms or shade providers) anywhere either. We spent the majority of the front nine stopping under the few trees to drink the bottles of water that we bought. I can admit that we did not do enough homework either and the first two holes are some of the longest of the course. The first hole was 594 meters (650 yards) and the second was 615 meters (673 yards). What a welcome! We felt really rushed with people always being right in front or right behind us. The gap between tee times must be roughly 15 minutes which would normally not be a problem. When the first two holes are more than 600 yards you end up with constant traffic jams. After those two holes, the distances went to more ‘normal’ lengths. All in all, the front nine totals 3690 meters (4035 yards) and was a rough introduction to golf in Chile.

The Back Nine

We teed off again right by the temporary pro-shop so the view was great once again. As we made our way to the 10th hole, we met a whole different course. The back nine is breathtaking. The holes are lined with the tallest trees I have seen in Chile and beautiful flowers. At one point you even cross a bridge over a rushing river of water that flows from the Andes. The fairways were green and extremely well kept. It also helps that the back nine has only one hole that is more than 600 meters (hole 12 is 655 meters or 716 yards). While it was still hot - it was mid-afternoon by the time we hit this point - the shade was everywhere. There was also a strong wind that came down from the mountains across the course. While it affected our shots, we were thankful for it. Hole 18 has a little lake with apple trees growing around it and ducks swimming in it. It was the perfect ending to the game. 

The Takeaway

Club de Golf Mapocho is worth going to if you need to scratch that golf itch. Make sure to bring your own water, snacks, balls, and umbrella for shade. While the cost of playing only 9 holes is no different than a full 18, (roughly $35 per person) I recommend only playing the back 9 holes.

By the Numbers

Tees Par Yardage Meters Yardage Yards

Black 72 7503 8205

Blue 72 6953 7604

White 72 6260 6846

Red 72 5467 5979