Thanks for coming to the Amazon Golf Course Blog from the article Amazon Golf: Where Water Hazard Means Piranhas in Time Magazine, writen by Lucien Chauvin . I know you are savvy about blogs and the internet or you wouldn’t be here, because Time didn’t give us a link, and your here anyway. Your smart, but there is a lot on the Amazon Golf Course Blog, and I want to take a second to show you around.

First of all, if you like what you see here, subscribe to the blog, by clicking the Entries RSS feed in the right side column, or bookmark us to your favorites, and come back soon for our new posts. Until then, here is a list of live links to posts I don’t want you to miss;

Welsh Golfer Makes The Cut At Amazon Golf Course; He was told not to retrieve balls from the water hazards, that the piranhas were dangerous, but he didn’t listen…Why didn’t he listen? We hope this does not happen to you.;

Golfing Amazon Style, From The Fringe; “We always, always tell golfers not to retrieve balls from the water traps unless they really are intent on feeding the local wildlife”.

Easter Resurrection Of The Amazon Golf Course; I wish you could have stood with Marmeltia and I looking up the lane through the Hibiscus, and Heliconia, to the clubhouse and felt what we felt. What a change in just 11 months.

The Clubhouse Is Painted And Trimmed, Dec. 5th 2009; We do actually have a clubhouse and it’s nice to hang in the hammocks in the shade from the observation deck and look out over the beautiful golf course.

How The Amazon Golf Course Looked Thursday November 5th; It was bound to happen sooner or later. Both weedeaters were broken down waiting for parts for two weeks, and the push mower needed repair last week. It is a jungle out there, and difficult to keep up even when the equipment works. Imagine taking care of a 24 acre golf course with just two weed eaters and a push mower. It’s quite a job.

The Amazon Golf Course, November 12, 2009; I like to sit on the top floor of the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse and watch the trees grow.

Here Are Some Of What I Saw At The Amazon Golf Course, November 14; I give full credit to our hardworking crew. Today all of our full time crew signed contracts giving them health insurance, and a retirement fund. Most of them got pay raises, and all of them make at least minimum wage.

I’m glad you came and I hope you found your visit interesting, and that you will be inspired to come play a round of adventure golf with us at the Amazon Golf Course in Iquitos Peru.

Welcome Time Magazine Readers

Bill Grimes, Manager of the Amazon Golf Course and Captain of Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises;

The Shamans Ball at the Amazon Golf Course, Iquitos Peru

Marmelita and I attended The Shamans Ball, at the Amazon Golf Course, a gathering of Shamans and the ayahuasca faithful that would be considered unusual in most places. Somehow here it didn’t seem so out of the ordinary to have 20 or 30 shamans interacting on a Golf Course. This event could not have taken place anywhere else on earth except in Iquitos Peru.

View from the top floor of the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse of the preparations for the Shamans Ball

The catalyst for the gathering was that Vanity Fair sent a couple of popular journalists, Ted Mann and Rick Meyerowitz, on assignment to write an article about Shamanism and Ayahuasca in Iquitos Peru. Ted and Rick have highly developed senses of humor, and there was something about the concept of a Shamans Ball that tickled Ted.

The Iquitos String Orchestra playing at the Amazon Golf Course

So he invited 30 shamans and their family and friends, dressed in a tuxedo, and hired the Iquitos String Orchestra to play for the “Shamans Ball”. If that wasn’t strange enough, the Shamans Ball was performed at the Amazon Golf Course.

Rick Meyerowitz, Amarath, Emma, and Ted Mann at the Shamans Ball, Amazon Golf Course, Iquitos Peru

It’s probably not a coincidence this sounds like something out of National Lampoon Magazine. Rick and Ted both worked for the Lampoon for several years back in the early 70s. Or maybe it doesn’t sound like National Lampoon. Maybe this is just as normal as a spring rain, reading a book, and eating a piece of chocolate cake. As normal as it gets…Maybe?…Is this how your life is? Does this sound normal to you?

Emma, Rick, shaman, Ted, Amazon Golf Course, Iquitos Peru

Marmelita overheard one shaman talking on his cell phone as he walked down the lane to the road. He said, “I don’t know what’s going on here, but it’s something weird and I’m leaving.” It may have been weird but that shaman missed out on some great music, interesting conversation, and a delicious chicken BBQ. Margarita and the crew served 78 meals.

Ted, shaman, Emma, at the Shamans Ball, performed at the Amazon Golf Course in Iquitos Peru

You could enjoy reading more about Vanity Fair, Rick Meyerowitz, Ted Mann, Shamanism, Ayahuasca, and some of my opinions and plans by following this link to my Captains Blog and to this article; Shamanism, Ayahuasca, and Vanity Fair in Iquitos Peru.

This is what the east side of the entrance to the Amazon Golf Course looked like on the day of the Shamans Ball

Our flower gardens, and all of the blooming bushes and trees are growing and looking great at the Amazon Golf Course.

The flower garden on the west side of the entrance to the Amazon Golf Course on the day of the Shamans Ball

We took Brian Wienmeyer, one of our friends, with us. We had a great day. It was extremely interesting. I wish you could have been there to see this with your own eyes. I’m telling you, no where else in the world would this have happened.

One of our friends, Brian Wienmeyer, in the entrance of the Amazon Golf Course

The Shamans Ball was held at the Amazon Golf Course, Iquitos Peru

Bill Grimes is the manager of the Amazon Golf Course, president of Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises, and owns and hosts the Dawn on the Amazon Cafe, among many other projects.

Check out more of Bill Grimes’s writing on his Captain’s Blog. To follow up on this story, click the links below;

How Does Shamanism, Ayahuasca, And Vanity Fair Come Together In Iquitos Peru, And What Will Be The Result?;

Opinions About Ayahuasca From The Shaman’s Apprentice;

New Ayahuasca Diet Menu At The Dawn on the Amazon Cafe;

This is a guest post from our friend Royce Reed. The photos are published here with Royce’s permission.

The Chica of the Month, modeling on the top floor of the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse, Iquitos Peru

We would like to present the beautiful and elegant Ivonne Del Pilar Panduro Perez. Ivonne is 22 years old and her star sign is Virgo.

Chica of the Month modeling at the Amazon Golf Course, Iquitos Peru

She lives in the Puchana district of the city with her parents and 4 younger brothers and sisters. Ivonne was recently crowned Miss Elegance in a beauty pageant in Bella Vista.

Chica of the Month, posing at the Amazon Golf Course, Iquitos Peru

In her spare time Ivonne likes to listen to music and practice her English. Ivonne is currently enrolled in the university and is studying to become a nurse.

The Chica of the Month, posing on the 9th green at the Amazon Golf Course, Iquitos Peru

Ivonne speaks very little English, but her smile says it all, “Welcome to Iquitos!”

The Chica of the Month photo shoot at the Amazon Golf Course, Iquitos Peru.

A guest post by our friend Royce Reed

East flower garden and welcome sign at the entrance of the Amazon Golf Course on Easter Sunday, 2010

Easter Sunday in Iquitos began like many days in the rainforest, with a cleansing, cooling, rain that blew over by mid morning. Then the weather and day turned beautiful. Marmelita and I packed up a change of clothes, camera, a book to read, a notebook to capture ideas before they disappear, and a good attitude. We flagged down a motocarro, negotiated the fare down from S/ 20 soles by laughing loudly as we walked away. The motocarista followed us begging for how much we would pay. We alway pay S/ 10 soles to the golf course, and that is what we settled on. I decided if the motocarista did a good job getting us there in one piece with no problems I would give him a S/ 2 Easter tip.

Before we even got out of downtown Iquitos we saw two friends of ours in a motocarro in front of us nearly have an accident. A bus changed lanes right on top of the motocar they were riding in and the two vehicles touched fairly hard, but no one lost control and no one even stopped to see if there was any damage.

As usual, we saw several other interesting scenes on the ride out to the Amazon Golf Course. A motocar was carrying two giant blocks of ice that must have weighed 100 pounds apiece, and a couple of small children that probably weighed 40 pounds apiece were turned around in the seat rubbing the ice and enjoying the cold sensation.

I like to watch the activity along the road. Riding through San Juan, the suburb of Iquitos on the way past the airport, a young woman crossing the street in front of us had a Capuchin Monkey wrapped all around her arm. Marmelita pointed out a camu-camu juice processing plant that I was not aware of. Past IIAP where they have a display of manatees, trying to raise awarness in the native community to protect the “river cows.” We rode along with the wind blowing our hair past several new construction sites including workers expanding the largest wood drying kiln in the greater Iquitos area, and a government building project that I’m still trying to figure out, that may be a recreational park with water works and small zoo. We were traveling mostly south, past the Iquiteña beer brewery, the rice warehouse, and the plant nursury where we purchased many of the trees and blooming bushes for the Amazon Golf Course. The plant nursury had several customers lined up to buy Easter Lilies. I noticed most of the restaurants we passed were open on Easter Sunday, expecting people to want to eat out. Most of them were nearly empty between 12:30 and 1:00pm. The motocarista turned to the right and headed west on the Zungeracocha, Nina Rumi, road and we bounced along the washboard rough sand road for 7 minutes and were happy to see the Welcome to the Amazon Golf Course sign and flowerbeds by the road marking the entrance, with the clubhouse up on the hill.

The flower garden on the west side of the entrance to the Amazon Golf Course as it was on Easter Sunday, 2010

I wish you could have been there in person to see how much our trees have grown. I’m very impressed. The grounds crew are keeping compost from near the base of the trunk to past the drip line for a mulch, with a hand full of lime mixed in to sweeten the soil. The trees and bushes are responding to the tender loving care.

The Ficus and Pamarosa trees next to the road are growing and looking good with a compost mulch to help them thrive

I wish you could have stood with Marmeltia and I looking up the lane through the Hibiscus, and Heliconia, to the clubhouse and felt what we felt. What a change in just 11 months.

The lane to the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse, with the practice putting green on the east side

Do you remember how these 4 Ficus Trees looked 11 months ago? Wow!!! What a spurt of growth. I know, Marmelita isn’t the tallest person to compare the trees to, but I’m impressed. How about you?

Marmelita showing how much these four Ficus Trees have grown in 11 months

Margarita, Rodrigo, and the rest of the crew prepared a great Easter parrillada. The chicken was perfect, and the cocona sauce was delicious. After lunch Marmelita walked all around the course and I took photos of all the greens so I could show you part of what we’ve accomplished.

This is green 1, with the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse in the background

One of our biggest challenges has been making and keeping the greens playable. We can do better, but I think you will agree they are pretty good.

Green 2 at the Amazon Golf Course

This will be the first time I’ve managed to photograph every green to post in one article.

The third green at the Amazon Golf Course

We need a professional greens mower to take the next step up to more playable greens. We mow our greens with a wore out $700 push mower that’s broken down and in the shop right now.

The fourth green at the Amazon Golf Course

Green # 4 is a tough one. It looks more like a lunar landscape than a golf green. Joe Boatright will tell you the best way to deal with # 4 it to hit a hole in one.

The fifth green at the Amazon Golf Course, with the second green in the background

Sixth green at the Amazon Golf Course

The seventh green with the driving range shade protection in the back ground at the Amazon Golf Course

Marmelita on green number 8 at the Amazon Golf Course

The view from the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse, overlooking green number nine

Aguaje Palm and water hazard lined with blooming bushes, with the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse in the background

Part of the back half of the Amazon Golf Course with Coconut Palm saplings and young fast growing Crotons

The back half of the Amazon Golf Course was long neglected. We have made a special effort to bring it “up to par” with the rest of the course. That will be an ongoing project to catch up with the front half, but we’ve made a good start.

Crotons and Coconut Palms growing on the back half of the Amazon Golf Course

Coconut Palms and an Aguaje Palm near a water hazard at the Amazon Golf Course

Forever Spring, blooming profusely by a water hazard at the Amazon Golf Course

This Forever Spring blooming bush is another of about a thousand amazing growth success stories.

This palm tree has ripe fruit, green fruit, immature small fruit, and new blossoms that the bees are pollinating, all on one tree

Great growth on the Palmarosa sapling next to the Heliconias

Wild life at the Amazon Golf Course

Marmelita and I walked all over the Amazon Golf Course examining all of the greens, water hazards, and nearly ever blooming bush and tree. We were happy. It was a great way to spend Easter Sunday. Right at dark we were walking back to the main road to catch a motocar back to our home. My thoughts were wandering about the significance of Easter Sunday, and I kept coming back to an analogy about the resurrection of the Amazon Golf Course. Without laboring over the mystical, religious implications, very simply, let me share this analogy with you; the Amazon Golf Course has been brought back to life. I wish you could have been there with us. Maybe next time.

Bill Grimes is the manager of the Amazon Golf Course, where you can have an Amazon Golf Adventure, in Iquitos Peru.

A guest post by Mike Collis

Patricia and John, donating golf equipment to the Amazon Golf Course. Margarita and Bill gratefully accepting the golf equipment.

John Wilkens first came to Iquitos in February 2000 and was immediately accepted into the expat community. John fell in love with the city but soon also fell in love with Patricia. John and I were always talking about bringing in new things into Iquitos. We talked about a paintball club, a military type assault course and a golf driving range. We checked all three out but decided on a driving range. No matter how hard we looked we could not find a suitable piece of land at the right rental so we shelved that too.

In August 2002 John and Patricia were married and left to live in Florida in December of the same year. John found work in security working in Iraq , where John stayed until August 2006. Although Patricia had seen the golf course on her occasional trips to Iquitos to visit family and friends John had never seen it himself although he joined as  member number 6 in April 2004.

On Christmas Eve this year Patricia suddenly appeared in my office. What a joy to see her again but then John came in and we had a great reunion after 7 years.

I invited John and Patricia to the Christmas Bar-B-Q on 27th December at the golf course. This would be John’s first time he had seen what we had achieved over these last 6 years. John and Patricia arrived at the Bar-B-Q along with his brother-in-law. John had brought with him a complete set of golf clubs, lots of new sets of boxed golf balls along with a host of other golfing gadgets. John said that they lived in a place called “The Villages” in Florida where the community is based on golf and that he had no trouble asking for donated golfing equipment for the Amazon Golf Course.

Everyone had a great day at the Bar-B-Q  and John knocked some balls around the course, a golf course that was just a dream when he left in December 2002.

On behalf of everyone at the Amazon Golf Course I want to say a Very Big Thank You John and Patricia for the desperately needed golf equipment.

John Wilkens donates golfing equipment.

Mike Collis is founder of the Amazon Golf Course and editor of the Iquitos Times.

Cooking the Christmas chicken Bar-B-Q at the Amazon Golf Course. The food was delicious. Good job.

We had a good turn out, serving around 60 meals. More important it was a fun day. The weather was perfect and many of our friends and members supported the event.

John Waymire's family came all the way from Indiana USA

John Waymire’s family from Indiana, USA, won the prize for coming the farthest, and maybe having the most fun.

Sitting in the shade at the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

Mike, Elizabeth, Gringa Linda upstairs at the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

Marmelita, Guido, Lupa, Noelia, Richard, Matt, in the shade at the Amazon Golf Course Christmas chicken cookout

Friends from the Selva Viva enjoying the meal at the Amazon Golf Course

Linda Flynn enjoying the day, upstairs in the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

Alex and family at the Amazon Golf Course Christmas cookout

Guests at the Amazon Golf Course Christmas cookout

Mike Collis in the upstairs observation room at the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

Matt carving a tagua nut, Rodrigo examining Matt's other carvings; late afternoon at the Christmas cookout.

Ficus with fresh compost, in front of the practice putting green at the Amazon Golf Course on Dec. 27th

I’m very impressed with how fast our trees and bushes are growing.

Pomarosa tree exibiting maximum growth

The pomarosa sapling to the left of the heliconias in the photo above, has grown the fastest of all.

Our most recent project, the new storage shed

Our most recent project is this new storage shed being constructed by Rodrigo. The main goal is to get all of the gas, oil, and other flammables out of the clubhouse.

Amazon Golf Course view from the balcony, Saturday, the day before the Christmas Bar-B-Q

We enjoyed a delicious Christmas Bar-B-Q at the Amazon Golf Course on the last Sunday of December, the 27th.

Bill Grimes was manager of the Amazon Golf Course for most of 2009

I think it usually takes 3 years for a blog to become successful, unless the author is brilliant, or has some luck, so I hope at the end of of 2010 to call the Amazon Golf Course Blog a success.

Thank you for helping grow the Amazon Golf Course Blog. You are our most important asset. Without you to read our articles and make comments, what would be the point?

I started the Amazon Golf Course Blog on April 1st 2008. It went nowhere that first year. We only wrote 10 articles from April 1st to December 31, and posted only 7 photographs. You made 49 comments, 25 of them were on our most popular article, Welsh Golfer Makes The Cut At The Amazon Golf Course, written by Mike Collis.

In 2009 we wrote 63 articles, with 359 photographs, and you all made 193 comments. That is a significant improvement. I hope with your help, attention, and comments, we can continue growing the Amazon Golf Course Blog in 2010.

Thanks again and best wishes for the new year;

Growth of the Amazon Golf Course Blog

Bill Grimes was the manager of the Amazon Golf Course through most of 2009 and the start of 2010.

Our Christmas party at the Amazon Explorers Club Lounge

We invited everyone that works with Dawn on the Amazon, The Amazon Explorers Club, and the Amazon Golf Course to the Amazon Explorers Club Lounge to celebrate Christmas together.

Our Christmas party

First we popped the corks on two bottles of sparkling wine, and toasted our good fortune to all be together again. Then we feasted. We enjoyed Broasted chicken, the best rice ever, white rice cooked with carrots, for those who might not like the best rice ever, fried platanoes, fresh squeezed camu-camu juice, an after dinner wine, and finished off with peach juice mixed with pisco.

We had a nice evening together and I think everyone left feeling the Christmas spirit. I know I did.

Our Christmas party with our crew at the Amazon Explorers Club Lounge

We celebrated Christmas with the Crew of the Amazon Golf Course at the Amazon Explorers Club Lounge.

Bill Grimes is president of Dawn on the Amazon, Amazon Explorers Club, and manager of the Amazon Golf Course.

From Bill, and Marmelita, Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises

Amazon Golf Course, photographed from the observation deck of the clubhouse on December 5th, 2009

December 8th Charcoal Chicken BBQ

On December 8th, Tuesday, during La Purisima, the religious holiday dedicated to praying to the virgin Mary, combined with partying in Punchana while drinking lots of Pilsen, Margarita and the grounds crew at the Amazon Golf Course will host a Charcoal Chicken BBQ, a parrillada de pollo, working and praying to raise money for their own Christmas bonus, knowing I am not giving out a Christmas bonus. Steve McAlear and I donated S/50 soles apiece to get them started, and I am praying to the Virgin Mary right now to encourage you to help them with a small donation also. They are self motivated, smart, hard working, and deserve your support. If you are feeling generous about Christmas, and helping hard working people with much less than anyone you probably know back home, you can funnel your donation through me, or if you are in Iquitos, plan on buying a parrillada ticket for only S/8 soles, and attending the cookout at the Amazon Golf Club on December 8th.

You can buy a ticket to the delicious Charcoal Chicken BBQ for only S/8 soles

December 12th, Golf Tournament

On December 12th, we are having a golf tournament to determine the annual winner of the Ernst and Edith Schneider Trophy. The tournament will be for all the golf students we have taught at our free Saturday morning golf lessons. They will play a round of 9 holes and be allowed only 8 strokes per hole to keep things moving along at a good speed.

The west flower garden and view of the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse from the road. Don't drive past, pull in and have fun.

December 27th, Charcoal Chicken BBQ, last Sunday of December

We are making the last Sunday of the month our day to host a special meal every month to raise money to help with the maintenance and improvements of the Amazon Golf Course. On December 27th, the last Sunday of December, we will host an after Christmas Charcoal Chicken BBQ at the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse. The red hot coals will have the good food ready to serve around noon.

December 27th will be a full fun social day of golf, volleyball and soccer or just hiking around the beautiful landscaped park. We will all be there. Please join us. Buy your ticket in advance at Mad Mick’s Trading Post, located near the middle of the first block of Putumayo, #163, at the top of the stairs on the second floor, the Dawn on the Amazon office, #185 Malecon, Maldonado, near the corner of the 1st block of Nauta, on the boulevard, overlooking the river, the Amazon Exporers Club, #101 Nauta, the first door on the first block of Nauta, around the corner from Dawn on the Amazon, windows overlooking the river, or at the Amazon Golf Course.

The approach to the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse

January 31st, the last Sunday of January, “THE JUNGLE ROAST”

If you can only come to the Amazon Golf Course for one meal all year it should be this one. Don’t miss The Jungle Roast, all you can eat, the last Sunday, January 31st. The Jungle Roast will be the most remarkable meal of 2010, and one of your best days. You will remember and talk about The Jungle Roast all year. If you are living out of Iquitos, fly in special for The Jungle Roast. It will be worth it. To learn all of the details about the menu, price, and what is included in the day, follow the link below to an article I posted on the Captain’s Blog;

Join us for The Jungle Roast at the Amazon Golf Course in Iquitos Peru on January 31st, the last Sunday in January.

The entrance to the Amazon Golf Course

Upcoming Events At The Amazon Golf Course

Bill Grimes is president of Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises, and manager of the Amazon Golf Course.