Golf in Guadalajara

Clubs are less crowded on Wednesday and Thursday; all rent equipment for around $20 to $30. Golf carts typically cost around $40. Guadalajara's top golf clubs—El Cielo and Santa Anita—are technically for members only, but hotels can get you in.

Las Cañadas Country Club (Av. Bosques San Isidro 777, Zapopan. 33/3685-0512 or 33/3685-0412) is a rolling, 18-hole course in an exclusive area of Zapopan. Greens fees are $60-$80.

The private El Cielo Country Club (Paseo del Cello 1, Zapopan. 33/3684-4436), on a hill outside town, is an 18-hole, 6,765-yard, par-72 course blissfully removed from the city's din and with challenging holes and water features. For nonmembers it's $270 for 18 holes.

Club de Golf Atlas (Carretera Guadalajara-Chapala, Km 6.5, El Salto. 33/3689-2620) is an 18-hole, par-72 course designed by Joe Finger that's on the way to the airport. Greens fees are about $100 on weekdays, and $120 on weekends and holidays.

The Club de Golf Santa Anita (Carretera a Morelia, Km 6.5, Col. Santa Anita. 33/3686-0321 or 33/3686-1192) is a private club with an 18-hole, 6,872-yard course—the region's longest. Greens fees for nonmembers are $95. Guest passes are necessary at both of these clubs: call ahead or ask your concierge.

Rumor Has It

It's believed that centuries ago the Tiquila, a small Nahuatl-speaking tribe, discovered the fermenting powers of the agave heart's juice. When distilled (an innovation introduced after the Spanish arrived in the 16th century), the fermented liquid turns into the heady liquor, which can be legally named tequila only when cultivated and distilled in this and a few other regions of Mexico.