The winners of the Andalucía Golf Challenge circuit, destination La Romana Golf Club/Bahía Principe, in the Dominican Republic, will have a very special prize this year, an all-inclusive trip, airfare, accommodation and golf, to this great Caribbean resort, located in the best area of the island, between Santo Domingo and Punta Cana.
It will be an intense week in which the five players who win the prize will be able to enjoy, in addition to the beaches and the crystal clear Caribbean water, the best courses in the Dominican Republic: La Romana Golf Club, our host, Punta Espada, in Cap Cana, and Diente de Perro, in Casa de Campo.
To prepare and organize the trip to the Dominican Republic for the winners of the circuit, we recently traveled to this Caribbean island, one of the favorite destinations for Spanish tourists, which is also becoming a Mecca for golf enthusiasts.
As soon as you get off the plane in the Caribbean, you feel a strange sensation of well-being; you receive a slap in the face of heat, humidity, smells… you immediately feel that pleasant sensation that allows you to think: at last, I am already here, I like it here. The people are different, more friendly, more welcoming, less tense. Everything predisposes you to break with your usual routine and prepare for joy.
Almost immediately the stress evaporates, you leave your worries behind and almost forget the name of your accountant. You start living.
The Dominican Republic has evolved a lot in recent years: infrastructure has improved enormously. Roads are no longer what they were, highways and freeways connect the key points of the island. It is now very easy, fast and safe to move around the country.
The hotel we are heading to, the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville, in the large Nueva Romana complex, is just forty-five minutes from the modern airport of Santo Domingo, in the tourist heart of the island. Halfway between the capital and the major centers of Bavaro and Punta Cana, very close to Casa de Campo.
It is accessed from the highway through a wide landscaped avenue, with lush vegetation all around. There is no lack of space here. Everything is big.
The reception is luxurious and elegant, very open and decorated with exquisite tropical taste. The friendliness with which you are greeted will make you feel welcome immediately. It is the best way to start a few days of relaxation in your dream destination: the great Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville experience begins, an adults-only hotel and one of two in the resort.
From here you just have to let yourself be pampered and get ready for the days of golf that await us in the best golf courses in the Caribbean, taste its exquisite cuisine and enjoy the dreamy beaches of the surroundings.
“Our resort,” says the general manager of the complex, Gabriel Salom, “is in a privileged location on the island, just a short distance from the main airports, whether in Santo Domingo, La Romana or Punta Cana. From here we can also reach most of the Dominican Republic’s golf courses and the country’s main tourist centers in a very short time: the capital of the republic is less than an hour away (its colonial area is worth visiting), Punta Cana and Samaná a little more”.
We have two different hotels here,” he continues, “united but differentiated. The one where the winners of the Andalucía Golf Challenge circuit will stay, the Luxury Bahía Principe Bouganville, is our five-star luxury hotel; the other one, the Gran Bahía Principe La Romana, is also five-star but with a more family-oriented character. We are located within a macro-project, in full development, of almost six square kilometers, which already has, in addition to the two hotels, golf, a residential area, which will be expanded, a marina, etc.
THE BEST GOLF IN THE CARIBBEAN
Another great advantage of staying at this hotel is that, without leaving the complex, and in less than five minutes you can reach its great golf course, La Romana Golf Club, which opened its eighteen holes less than a year ago, but is already ready to present its credentials to be among the best and most prestigious courses on the island, which is almost the same as saying the Caribbean.
The club, which also has nine par three holes, is managed by a great expert in course management, our old and great friend Luis Navarro, who was previously in charge of Aloha Golf Club and Rio Real in Marbella.
This is the second course that Grupo Piñero, the owner of the resort and the Bahia Principe hotel chain, has opened in the Caribbean. They already have another magnificent course in Rivera Maya (Mexico).
At the head of the Group’s golf division, Vanessa Vignali, a renowned professional player who began her career at the same course as Sergio García, the Club de Campo Mediterráneo. At the age of fifteen she was already a 0 handicap and, although she continued with her studies until she became an industrial engineer and then obtained a master’s degree in business management, she decided to become a professional player and dedicate herself to competition. Golf is her passion and her life.
“Of our course in Nueva Romana,” says, “I would highlight, in addition to its great design, its privileged location next to the Caribbean Sea, with four holes next to the water that almost hits you in the face when you play them.
Its beauty and the unique sensation of playing them is unspeakable: that turquoise sea, the gentle breeze that always blows, the cliffs that sometimes have to be negotiated, the vegetation composed of coconut, almond and beach grape trees… it is something unique”.
“But also,” he adds, “when the course runs “inland” we have holes of great beauty and even a lot of water, especially in the corner formed by holes two, three and four. The third is beautiful, with an island green that is quite a challenge, although it is not very long”.
“This is not a course that can be defined as links, parkland, desert or Caribbean. It is a mixture of all those styles with very different parts. The course combines more technical or strategic holes, where you have to think well how to play them, with almost always two options, one more risky and courageous, versus another more conservative but longer, with other very wide holes where you have to hit the ball with all your heart”.
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We are”, Vanessa concludes, “very proud of this second golf course that Grupo Piñero has built in the Caribbean, which stands alongside the best in the area, such as Punta Espada, Diente de Perro or Playa Grande, and in no way detracts from them. For us it is a challenge and a stimulus to compete with these great courses. Of course, we are not yet at their level of promotion and prestige because they are twenty, thirty years ahead of us. or forty years, but we are convinced that we can be very soon. We’re missing history and the passing of time. In terms of design and maintenance, we have nothing to envy”.
“Everyone who has tried the course,” says Luis Navarro, “has been surprised by the sensations it gives. Despite the short time we have been open, it seems to them to be a mature course, as if it were has been here all my life. It is perfectly integrated into the environment and has an impressive design and ‘finish’.”
“Very recently,” continues the director, “Miguel Ángel Jiménez visited the course and loved it. Especially its variability, its different game possibilities, and the fact that you can never get bored playing it”.
JACK LUND, COURSE DESIGNER
“The goal in the design was to make a course where every hole was memorable.”
Course designer Jack Lund began his career on the Costa del Sol twenty-seven years ago, working for Peter Alliss at Alcaidesa Golf. He later moved to Mallorca where he worked on the construction of the best courses on the island. It was precisely during the construction of Golf Alcanada that he met Robert Trent Jones and his team.
With them he moved to Mexico for the realization of the 36-hole Bahia Principe project in Rivera Maya.
Upon completion of the Mexican course, Grupo Piñero hired him to design and direct the work, with Robert Trent Jones’ team, of the new course in the Dominican Republic.
– What are the characteristics of La Romana Golf Club?
-The course presents three very different styles within the course. It has several “parkland” type holes with lakes, trees and very soft movements in its contours. The holes next to the sea and in front of the clubhouse are “links” style – large dunes that separate the holes, and the vegetation is centered on wild grass and beach grapes. And holes 14, 15 and 16 belong to the Arizona type, with well-defined grass areas, with rock and white sand in the out-of-play areas.
-How is it different or similar to other fields in the Caribbean?
-Very difficult to answer. This course has a variety of styles that I have not seen in other fields in such an accentuated way.
-How would you define your career?
-The goal in the design was to make a course where every hole was memorable, and every hole was playable for players of all levels. I’d like to think we’ve achieved that.
-Signal the three strong points of the field…
-The proximity of the four holes to the sea; a design that allows players of all abilities to compete on each hole; and, of course, the variety of styles on the course.
-Which holes would you highlight?
-Holes 7 and 16 are par 3’s where the player hits upwind directly into the sea. Both holes are very striking. Hole 8 is a par 5 of 570 yards with a double fairway divided by dunes. The player who plays the fairway next to the sea, usually plays his third shot to the green over the waves that break and roll over the top in front of the green. Spectacular during stormy days. Hole 3 is an island green, very large, but very intimidating from the tees.
-In the Dominican Republic there are great golf courses of prestigious designers. Do you think that La Romana Golf Club is at the height of these?
-The competition in the Dominican Republic is very strong; Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore, Punta Espada, Playa Grande and Corales are very prestigious courses. La Romana Golf Club is still in its infancy; it needs time, not only for the course to mature, but also for the landscaping, which is the framework around the course. What makes me very happy is that the players who know all the courses in the Dominican Republic do me the honor of comparing us very favorably with the competition, something that gives me a lot of hope for the future and for the position of the course in the golf ranking in this country.
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