Top 10 Golf Courses in Panama
Panama occupies an unusual position in Central American golf — geographically a narrow bridge between North and South America, it has developed a golf scene that draws on both its cosmopolitan canal-city culture and its extensive Pacific coastline. Panama City is a modern, financial-centre city with several established golf clubs serving the expatriate and professional community; the Pacific Riviera an hour or so west along the Interamerican Highway holds the country's most ambitious resort courses. The tropical climate means golf is possible year-round, though the dry season from December through April is distinctly preferable — greens are firmer, visibility is better, and the heat is manageable. The wet season from May to November brings afternoon rain, lush conditions, and softer fairways.
1. Buenaventura Golf Club, Rio Hato
Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2009 as part of the JW Marriott Panama Golf & Beach Resort, Buenaventura is the finest golf course in Panama and one of the best in Central America. The layout sits on the Pacific Riviera at Rio Hato, roughly 130 kilometres from Panama City, and uses the natural savanna terrain and Pacific Ocean proximity to create a course of genuine resort ambition. Several holes along the ocean bluff play into the consistent Pacific breeze with dramatic sea views. The course is open to resort guests and the public at premium green fees; the hotel resort provides full destination-golf infrastructure.
2. Santa Maria Golf Club, Panama City
Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2017 as part of the Santa Maria master-planned community, this is the country's newest championship-quality course and it shows — the conditioning is meticulous, the infrastructure modern, and the design sophisticated. The course plays through the residential development with lakes and waterways featuring prominently, and several holes offer views across Panama Bay. Santa Maria is primarily a private residential club but accepts some public tee times through its booking system.
3. Summit Golf Club, Gamboa
Summit Golf Club sits within the former Canal Zone in the rainforest interior near Gamboa, roughly an hour from Panama City on the Caribbean slope of the isthmus. Originally built to serve the Canal Zone community and redesigned over subsequent years, Summit is one of the most atmospheric golf courses in Central America — the rainforest presses close to the fairways, toucans and parrots are routine presences, and the sense of isolation from the city is remarkable despite the short drive. The course plays through mature tropical vegetation with significant elevation change. Summit is open to the public.
4. Club de Golf de Panama, Panama City
One of the oldest golf clubs in Panama, Club de Golf de Panama has served the capital's golfing community since the 1940s. The parkland course sits within the city fabric of Panama City and has witnessed the growth of the metropolis around it over several decades. The layout is shorter by modern standards and more intimate than the Pacific resort courses, but it has the character and tradition of the region's foundational golf institution. The club is primarily private but accepts reciprocal arrangements with visiting golfers who are members of recognised clubs.
5. Coronado Golf & Beach Resort, Coronado
One of the oldest resort courses on the Pacific Riviera, Coronado Golf & Beach Resort has operated since the 1970s and has been a fixture of Panama's leisure golf scene. The course is flat and straightforward by resort standards — the terrain along the Pacific coastal plain does not offer dramatic elevation — but the sea air and easy access from Panama City have made it consistently popular. The resort offers beach access alongside the golf; green fees are moderate.
6. Tucan Golf Club, Panama City
A parkland course within the expanded Panama City metropolitan area, Tucan Golf Club serves the residential golf community west of the city centre. The layout uses artificial lakes and mature tropical plantings to define the holes on what is otherwise flat coastal plain. Tucan is a private residential club but the facilities are well-maintained and the membership active. Guest access requires a member introduction.
7. Los Capitanes Golf Club, El Valle de Anton
In the crater of an ancient extinct volcano in the central Cordillera, El Valle de Anton is one of Panama's most popular weekend retreats — a cool, forested village that provides relief from the capital's heat. Los Capitanes is a nine-hole course that takes full advantage of the crater landscape, with the volcanic rim visible above and the valley floor providing flat, park-like terrain. The course is modest but the setting is extraordinary. Open to visitors; green fees are minimal.
8. Riande Aeropuerto Golf Course, Panama City
Immediately adjacent to Tocumen International Airport, the Riande Airport Hotel operates a small golf facility that serves the transit and short-stay market. The course is basic and the surroundings are not scenic, but it fulfils a specific functional need — golfers with connections or layovers who want to play a few holes without leaving the airport district. Green fees are very low.
9. Bijao Beach Club & Resort Golf Course, Rio Hato
Near the Buenaventura complex on the Pacific Riviera, the Bijao Beach Club operates a shorter golf layout that complements its beach resort offering. The course is designed for resort golf rather than competitive play — the primary guest demographic is family and beach travellers for whom golf is one activity among several. The Pacific coast setting and the consistent breeze are the main attractions.
10. Costanera Golf Club, Panama City
A relatively compact urban golf facility in the Costanera district of Panama City, this course serves the residential and professional community with an accessible layout that emphasises playability over length. The course has undergone improvements in recent years as the surrounding urban development has raised the profile of the area. Visitor access is available; green fees are competitive.
Panama's golf calendar is shaped by its two-season tropical climate. The dry season from late November through April is the premium period — steady sunshine, firm turf, and the ease of afternoon rounds without rain interruption. The wet season turns the rainforest courses like Summit into even more vivid tropical experiences. Green fees range from the very affordable at the club and municipal courses to resort-level pricing at Buenaventura and Santa Maria. Open the map to explore Panama's courses from the rainforest canal zone to the Pacific Riviera.