I made a trip to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, to work with my dear friend and student, Jose Trauwitz. We practiced and played at the beautiful Myakoba Golf Club every day. It is a great golf course!
Myakoba GC is a Greg Norman design and I believe, out of all of the Norman courses I’ve played, that it is one of his best designs. The greens are outstanding and very rounded on the edges, similar to a Donald Ross look and feel.
Although I’ve been to Cancun multiple times, this was my first trip to Playa Del Carmen. Wow! What a beautiful place! One of the few places in Mexico that I routinely heard several different languages as I was walking down the street…truly a global vacation destination.
Fifth Street in Playa was my favorite street with open air shops, restaurants, coffee houses and night clubs. The food was absolutely off the charts!
Jose’s brother has a restaurant on Fifth Street and we ate lunch there the first day. It was amazing and I could’ve gone back each day!
Our accommodations were within walking distance of the beach in a gated community in the heart of Playa. Every morning there was a ton of activity with people out walking, running, riding bikes, etc. It is a very cool setting and got me out for my short run to start my day. Then, it was out on the patio with my computer and cup of java…I could live like this!
We were on the golf course by 10:00 am each morning and stayed until dark. Jose (I refer to him as Pepe) is an extremely good ball striker. After a couple small adjustments in his full swing on the practice tee, we did the majority of our work on his short game out on the course, grinding away on each hole until late in the day. Pepe is making great strides in his short game and continues to refine and grow. I believe he is destined for greatness!
Here is one of his latest wins: Jose Trauwitz International PGA Tour Player – Negra Modelo Mexican Tour (use your Google bar to translate)
Until next time,
Shawn