The splendid Golf Santander course in Madrid was the setting for the first round of the Andalucía Golf Challenge Destino Riviera Maya Golf Club Bahía Príncipe, an amateur circuit with a final prize of a week of golf in the best of the Mexican Caribbean.
After the wonderful experience of 2018 at the sister resort of Playa Nueva Romana in the Dominican Republic, this year the prize is as attractive as that one and, once again, from the hand and with the care of Grupo Piñero and its fantastic resorts in the Caribbean with its Bahia Principe chain. In addition to the fantastic Riviera Maya course of the Bahia Principe complex, the five winners of the Grand Final will have the pleasure of playing other courses, such as Mayakoba, where a PGA Tour event has been held since 2007, to complete the experience.
The competition that opened the ninth edition of the Andalucía Golf Challenge Circuit, which is played on the best courses in the region and for the first time this year also on a course outside Andalusia, was such a success that the hundred or so places available were sold out well in advance.
In the end, more than a hundred players participated, who teed off and after the competition enjoyed a splendid lunch at the Golf Santander clubhouse. Those who did not know the course -most of the participants in the tournament- were impressed by the course and the maintenance of the course. The weather was generally good, although a moderate breeze blew and early in the morning temperatures were relatively low. Despite the forecast, there was no rain and the sun was even shining.
The main sponsors of the Circuit, Exxacon and REALE-Galpe Mediat, were present and participated in the awards ceremony. Exxacon began the collection of cards to participate in a draw for an international trip that will be made at the end of the circuit among all players who sign up for this initiative. The Puerto Banús store Fairway+Blue provided prizes of top clothing brands for the first classified players. Also collaborating with the circuit is the Somontano Denomination of Origin, with a gift of high-end wines, as well as Holiday Golf, which provides prizes of its brands for the raffle such as Bridgestone, Glenmuir and Zoom. Turismo Andaluz offered two prizes of a weekend with golf -two nights for two people- in El Parador de Córdoba and in Ona Hoteles de Valle Romano (Estepona).
As for the sports results, in the first category, Fernando Vega Alonso won with 37 points, Rodrigo Martínez Carvaja was second, with one point less, and Álvaro Calzada Barco finished third, with 35 points. In the second category, Pedró García Álvarez won with 42 points, followed by Luis Cifuentes Fernández-Shaw, with 39, and Ignacio Basa Fagalde, with 37. The scratch winner was Álvaro Calzada Barco, with 31 points. All of them received trophies and prizes, as well as the winners of the longest drive and closest ball to the flag.
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ANDALUCÍA GOLF CHALLENGE 2019 CIRCUIT
The Andalucía Golf Challenge Destino Riviera Maya Golf Club Bahía Príncipe Circuit began on April 10 at Golf Santander (Madrid) and concludes at La Reserva Club Sotogrande on August 24. The Grand Final will be played in September at a course yet to be determined. The top five in each category in each tournament qualify for the Grand Final, where the five one-week all-inclusive trips to Bahia Principe Riviera Maya Resort, with golf at Riviera Maya Golf Club and El Camaleón Mayakoba, will be decided. This trip will take place on October 28th.
The schedule of the Circuit is as follows:
– Golf Santander (Madrid) April 10
– Real Club de Golf Guadalhorce May 4 and 5
– Mijas Golf – Los Lagos 29 May
– Santa Clara Marbella June 23
– Real Club de Golf Sotogrande 1st and 2nd July
– San Roque Club – Old Course 27 July
– Valle Romano Golf Club August 3
– Flamingos – Villa Padierna August 17
– La Reserva Club – Sotogrande August 24
– Grand Final (field to be determined) – September
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RIVIERA MAYA DESTINATION GOLF CLUB BAHIA PRINCPIPE
The Riviera Maya resort, like the one in the Dominican Republic, has an 18-hole championship golf course and another par 3. The design is by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and was chosen as the best course in Mexico and Central America in 2018 in Golfdigest magazine’s Editor’s Choice list. It also has a hotel offer of the highest level counting with four Bahia Principe hotels and a Residencial equipped with comprehensive services and security that make many who have visited the resort fall in love and want to buy their happiness in this magnificent paradise.
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THE IDEAL DESTINATION
For those who are planning to spend their next vacation enjoying golf, beautiful beaches and the countless charms of the Mexican Caribbean, the Riviera Maya is undoubtedly the ideal destination.
In this field we will find jungle, mangrove and cenotes. The first time you see a cenote -and in this field there are some perfectly integrated into the tour- does not leave you indifferent. It is something to be experienced. So much beauty will pierce you.
The location of the resort is ideal, situated in Akumal, between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. In Playa del Carmen we will find world-class restaurants and fantastic leisure and shopping options. In Tulum we can visit the famous walled city of the Mayan culture. Many other excursions and activities, such as scuba diving or island hopping, are within easy reach of visitors.
There will be, however, those who do not want to leave the resort, as they can travel to the various themed restaurants, the beaches, the golf course and the leisure areas on the little trains that run constantly around the resort.
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NATURAL GOLF GUIDANCE METHOD
The golf facilities are completed with an academy run by Toni Planells and where teaching is given with his Natural Golf Guidance method. It can be a great opportunity to approach golf, as this method gets those who have never picked up a club before to approach golf in a non-traumatic way and can have fun from the first moment. It is also perfect for correcting bad habits and getting players who are stuck in their progress and want to improve back on track.
The services are equally excellent: golf clubs and golf carts with GPS are available for rent and there is even a golf shoe rental service.
It has become a tradition that, in October, the BAHIA PRINCIPE Golf Open is held, where the best of the golf world is brought together around one of the most recognized brands in hospitality and tourism: BAHIA PRINCIPE Hotels & Resorts. The tournament is one of the most important in the Riviera Maya.
Regarding the hotels available in the resort, there is something to satisfy all preferences.
There are two hotels reserved for adults only, where luxury and exclusivity prevail: the LUXURY Bahia Principe AKUMAL, right on the beach, and the LUXURY Bahia Principe SIAN KA’AN, located in front of the golf course clubhouse, ideal for golf players.
The other two hotels are also a perfect choice to enjoy the beaches and the authentic Mexican flavor: the GRAND BAHIA PRINCIPE TULUM, with pools right on the beach and with the peculiarity of releasing turtles, and the GRAND BAHIA PRINCIPE COBA, the ideal place for families within the Riviera Maya complex, with the best facilities and spaces for children in the complex such as the waterpark, in addition to being able to choose family rooms for up to eight people and special services for children.
Climate, beaches, golf, gastronomy, culture and the friendliness of the best hosts: the perfect combination for a blissful getaway.
{gallery}AG Tournaments 2019/AG Tournament Santander 2019{/gallery}
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