In Nauka, Tom Fazio created something wild and wonderful in Mexico

We’re tearing up the volcanic rocks high above the central coast of Mexico visiting several isolated houses in various stages of construction (more than a few of which belong to a few tour pros whose names you’ll know.) I’m sitting in a Can-Am four-wheeler with Mark Birnbaum asking questions while trying to avoid eating another friend. It is dusk on the first day in Sciencea new private golf course community occupying 920 acres in the enchanting Riviera Nayarit region, approximately 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta.

The attraction at Nauka is a new Tom Fazio championship golf course with a practice facility to match (also, The Booby Trap, a spectacularly lighted 9-hole par-3) that is capable of knocking the socks off the country club crowd as well as the pros who make a living playing golf.

The Nauka vision belongs to Jaime Fasja, a successful Mexican real estate developer and private club owner, who is the driving force behind the direction and personality of the project. Atmosphere belongs to LIFE Properties International, a firm dedicated to creating exclusive heritage communities. Birnbaum, a longtime restaurateur well known as the owner of Catch New York, among other places that host the rich and famous, and Fasja are partners in LPI.

It is a testament to the stunning scenery and incredible imagination of this group that families who could afford to buy a holiday property anywhere in the world would be drawn to a place so rugged and rugged that this region was back in the tear-clearing stages. Birnbaum calls those early sales trips “machete tours.”

“It says something when you’re able to interest affluent buyers with enough money to look for their third, fourth, fifth home, and the trees hit them in the face as they rumble through the jungle,” says Birnbaum. “And they still want to buy! No roads, no nothing. It was unbelievable how much they wanted it. It was really an excuse that I wasn’t crazy.”

of Golf club lesson it features five sets of tips and can extend up to 7,600 yards. There are many things that make the course unique, but chief among them is the diversity of experience. Fazio has created a route that transports golfers from the mangrove estuary up the volcanic mountains down through the old growth jungle and right along the crashing surf. It’s a rollercoaster with a layout that amazes at every turn, keeps you guessing, and most importantly, begs to be played again and again.

Fazio’s portfolio is certainly prolific, with more than 300 courses to his name, among them Shadow Creek, World Woods and Pinehurst #6 and #8. Consider this: Fazio is said to have said that Nauka is among the top three courses he’s ever laid hands on. He scowled when asked who the other two were.

“Our expectations were up here,” Fazio says, gesturing overhead. “And this course met them.”

One reason the hopes were so high for the designer and developers is because Fazio was given the freedom to create, many acres of different terrain to play, and almost unlimited funds to build his dream course.

Not that it was easy. Construction crews dug up about 60 million cubic yards of sand to create the deep-water marina that anchors the village and yacht club, and they made all that sand available to Fazio’s team to build their fairways and greens. The course is covered with sand to an unheard of depth of five feet for maximum drainage and ideal pitch conditions.

“I think Fazio is the best designer alive in the world right now for many reasons,” says Fasja. “But when it comes to giving someone sand to work with, there’s no one better than Tom Fazio. So it’s like giving a kid the keys to a candy store. We thought, ‘Tom, you’ve got 60 million cubic yards of sand. Go and design what you think might be the best golf course in this country.”

Even with all that dirt and sand, Fazio hit a snag in the middle of the front nine. There was a parcel just beyond the Nauka property line that he believed would absolutely elevate this part of the course.

“He says, ‘There’s a spot in this area here and if you can buy that land, then it’s just icing on the cake,'” Fasja quoted Fazio as saying. “I said ‘Tom, that’s not going to happen. It’s just a lot of land.’ And he says, ‘well, that would improve the golf course.’ Within two weeks we had acquired that land.”

Was it worth the purchase?

“That was a game changer,” says Fasja. “Purchasing those 40-plus acres, which are now (various parts of) the 3rd, 4th and 5th holes, completely changed the landscape of the golf course.”

Fazio feels the same way: “It really made it happen,” he says. “That really made it work.”

A very special part of the landscape existed all along; sandy beach covered in sun. Fazio and Co. they took full advantage of it. Holes 14, 15 and 16 run for nearly a mile parallel to the shoreline about 60 yards from the breaking surf. Golfers are encouraged, nay, required to kick off their tees before the 14th tee and take a dip in the refreshing Pacific. Post-swim cocktails and beachside snacks just add to the adventure. I have lost my shirt on the golf course many times, but never on purpose. It is a completely unique and unforgettable meeting.

However, it is interesting that when you ask Fazio what he considers SIGNING hole in Nauka, he has no answer.

“Try to pick your favorite hole. You can’t,” he says. “If we had a favorite hole, then (we’d say) we have smaller holes. That’s what makes a great golf course. Everybody likes a different hole for a different reason, but they like them all because they’re all dramatic.”

As he says, you check with players of every skill level who have played Nauka GC and you’ll hear a variety of reasons why and what they like about the course. It is long and hard enough from the back to challenge the best players in the world. However, if you switch to the right set of tees for your game, you’ll have a great time. Basically, the course offers everything you are looking for.

“Professionals are coming down here and buying (lots) not just as a place for their families, but a legal place they can practice, and that’s been amazing to see,” Birnbaum says. “These guys are on tour and on days off coming in to practice and work on their game.”

I am curious to know if they are jumping into the sea.

Of course, most members are shopping with friends and family in mind, and for them, there’s no shortage of amenities to enjoy. Birnbaum is the Master of Hospitality and his imprint is on everything F&B from the magnificent Nest complex perched high above hole #8 – which, among many other delights, offers made-to-order Burger-Dillas (a sweet burger wrapped in a tortilla) and a high-end Willy Wonka sweet shop. produce from their organic farm on site.

There is also a 15-hectare health retreat, literally nestled among the mangroves. It’s not a building, it’s a series of bamboo huts and spaces dotted with sandy jungle paths that offer everything from traditional massage to sound therapy to indigenous practices like Temezcal, a sweat lodge-style ceremony that’s sure to make you forget that three-shot with the 18-year-old.

While Nauka is a low-density private community, there are opportunities for visitors to experience the property and play the golf course. Opening this fall, Siari, only the ninth Ritz-Carlton property in the world, welcomes guests to their 91-room on-site resort. There are five on-property dining options (the same as the number of bedrooms in the Presidential Suite), an on-site beach club, and limited Nauka tea times available to Siari guests.

“Nauka was never meant to be just another tourist development,” says Fasja. “This land is five miles of pristine coastline, cliffs and jungle. It was looking for something different. We wanted to build a private club community that felt deeply connected to nature, where families could enjoy the best food, wellness and golf, but also feel like they are part of a place that will last for generations. It’s not about creating volume; it’s about creating legacy.”

Nauka’s logo features a whimsical rendition of the Blue-footed Booby, a rather rare and colorful bird found primarily in the Galapagos Islands. The only other place Booby puts his blue feet is along the subtropical Pacific coastline, including the rocky outcrops off the coast of Riviera Nayarit. Instinctively, Booby understands that this is an exclusive, safe and welcoming environment. Nauka knows this too, and they are taking great care to keep it.