Natural Golf at its finest
La Frontera is the farm of Juan Nicholson, former president of the AAG (Asociación Argentina de Golf), and he has a golf course there. La Frontera has a beautiful setting in a mountain valley at 1100 meters above sea level and the views and golf are spectacular. It is so remote that we had to cross through two streams at a low point and it took us 30 minutes from the time we left the “regular” dirt road to get to the house!
For 25 years, Juan had 4 greens with multiple tees throughout the course to make up an 18-hole routing of fun golf. But when more people come to play, there are crossover issues so Juan added a loop of 6 holes up the valley to accommodate larger groups of players. I met Juan in June, 2010, in Buenos Aires and he invited me to come to the farm in Salta (Salta is the northwest province of Argentina) and consult on his changes. I returned in September to work with José and Goyo, Juan’s workers for the golf course, to create a new first green and a new 18th green.
The new first hole tees off from the elevated driveway of the farmhouse and the drive will be through mature trees opening up to a broad field. The approach shot is uphill to a green at the base of a forested hill. The green will have a large ridge across the front portion, with a broad valley in the middle and another plateau in the back.
The new double green at the home holes adds on to the existing 9th/18th green with a lower portion of the green built for the 18th side. Four bunkers were also built, with two bunkers pinching the middle section of the green and one on either end for each hole coming in. Two of the bunkers face the house and add to the bucolic scene from the terrace and porches of the house.
La Frontera Golf is an amazing place and Juan is a great host. It is truly one of the coolest and most unique golf experiences you could ever imagine. This is an unknown entity in the world of golf and I am blessed to have experienced it and to have the opportunity to help Juan make it even better. Thank you, Juan!
