This ayahuasca golf retreat aims to help players overcome fear

Why are golfers often afraid on the course when golf is not generally a dangerous sport? Christopher Smith, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher with more than 35 years of experience, believes the answer often lies not in mechanics but in internal patterns—thoughts, emotions, expectations and past trauma.

Smith first tried ayahuasca—a psychedelic tea brewed from Amazonian plants and used for centuries by Indigenous cultures in spiritual and healing ceremonies—in the early 2010s. He says it is not a recreational drug but a tool for self-exploration. Since 2023, he has run retreats combining traditional ayahuasca ceremonies with conventional golf instruction; he now offers two or three each year.

Smith says ayahuasca can help players access subconscious experiences, work through negative experiences and trauma, and replace detrimental thought patterns with more functional ones. He also points to clinical trials examining the brew’s potential healing properties. Ayahuasca can interact dangerously with certain medications and health conditions, however, so candidates are screened in advance.

Because ayahuasca is illegal in the United States, the retreats take place in Mexico. These are not roughing-it jungle escapes: Guests spend five nights at a luxury seaside home in Los Cabos, with an experienced ayahuasca practitioner on site around the clock. The program includes access to Puerto Los Cabos Golf Club, three shaman-led ceremonies, an 18-hole evaluation round under Smith’s supervision, and continued coaching on and off the course.

Ayahuasca’s effects can last six hours or more. Ceremonies are therefore scheduled accordingly, and each participant receives a private indoor space to experience them safely under the supervision of experienced practitioners. The goal is not to play golf while under the influence, but to transfer what Smith describes as ayahuasca’s benefits to golf and daily life.

Participants arrive with different goals. Some feel stuck in their swing work; others face problems away from the course, including unhealthy relationships, bad habits, self-sabotage or excessive self-criticism. Smith encourages guests to define their intention in advance, while warning that, as in golf, no specific outcome is guaranteed.

“Everyone gets something different out of it. But generally what we’ve seen is people coming away more fearless, kinder to themselves, more compassionate and freer,” Smith says.

The next retreat is scheduled for Nov. 17–22. The price is $8,999 per person. More information is available on Christopher Smith’s website.

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