Ecuador is not much of a golfing destination. The country has seven private clubs near Quito, Guayaquil, or Cuenca, some of which allow visitors to play (ask the concierge at your hotel to call). The easiest option for travelers, however, is to stay at one of the two resorts that have 9-hole courses. The upside is that those resorts are surrounded by impressive tropical scenery, and one is just a chip shot away from the beach.
Although the course is rather run-down, the best option for golfers remains the Casablanca Beach Hotel & Golf Club (tel. 06/2733-159; www.casablanca.com), located near the beach resort of Atacames, which has a 9-hole course designed by Jack Nicklaus.
Another option is Hacienda La Carriona (tel. 02/2331-974 or tel./fax 02/2332-005; www.lacarriona.com), just outside Quito, which has an agreement allowing guests to play at a nearby private country club with a regulation 18-hole course.
One final alternative is to stay at Hacienda Tinalandia (tel. 02/2449-028; www.tinalandia.com), set in the cloud forests west of Quito. The 9-hole course here, designed in the 1970s, is a bit of a botanical garden and could easily double as a bird-watching refuge.
