Maybe the Marina course has a chance if Ochoa is out of there and the new people have some money to fix it up and a good plan. It's not a bad layout, but it is suffering from years of neglect.

Golf is one of my main activities in Zihua. If the current situation doesn't improve, I will be forced to find a different place to go for the winter.

1st post here, I've just been learning from this forum as I will be a new resident next year after traveling there a handful of times..
anyway,
the development company that is building the condo I'm moving too (Villa de Vigia, in Cere de vigia) next fall bought the ixtapa marina course, and is planning to fix it up, not scrape it. One of the owners of the company (Omega) is a golf enthusiast and excited about bringing it back. I spent a few days playing tennis and drinking on the beach with him and believe his intentions are to make it a great course, but have local rates as well.
Thx for your great site, learning more all the time...
Cheers!
WAde

¡Hola y bienvenido, Wade! Thanks for the HOT TIP! Much appreciated. The Marina course certainly needs some TLC. I hope your new acquaintance is correct and the course will be given a much-needed makeover.

Warm saludos!

A local (Zihuatanejo) driver license is not accepted. You must get a card similar to what Moses said...like a Voter Registration card. I went to hit a bucket of 50 practice balls ($100P) and was told my Zihua driver license, Permanent Resident card, copy of an electric bill were not sufficient. And they will be "adjusting" their current price sheet later this month. Regarding the Marina Ixtapa course, it's in terrible condition. Fairways are ankle high and greens are 5-6 on the stemp meter. Three to 4 weeks before it's playable.

The problem is all the hotels in Ixtapa are focusing their marketing on All-Included packages for the lower end of the "middle class" economic spectrum, and those folks do not play golf or tennis and certainly can't afford the local rates. The Ixtapa golf courses USED TO cater to foreigners, but local politicians have lowered the bar and themselves are focused on the autobuseros and lower middle-class tourists. Frankly I don't think they have a clue what our natural market is or has historically been, and they seem to be just winging it and improvising. As someone else commented on another post of mine, their vision of our tourism is more Zihuacapulco. Everything I have always dreaded would happen to our lovely corner of paradise. I doubt I'm alone in my feelings on this. I don't think the current owners care if anyone plays golf. They'd probably just as soon dig it all up and build condos all over that land.

We, three of us who live much of the year in Troncones and golf regularly, went to golf at Palma Real for the first time this year. With our Permanent Resident cards we asked for the local discount (1200 pesos vs 1600 pesos). They denied us. Apparently one must have a Zihuatanejo ID card for the discount. There was literally no one playing golf. Between the three of us there were decades of living here and golfing here. Pretty lousy policy. Hopefully they will rethink this one.

It begs the question- what is a 'Zihuatanejo ID card'?
Is it something like a 'Voter Registration' card- which I believe I was asked for when I tried to sign up for Mercado Libre.

With this kind of attitude toward potential regular local clients, they will go far. Of course, where they go is a matter of conjecture.