From April 10 through 12, Varadero Golf Club, the single course with 18 pits and favorable conditions for competition in Cuba, is celebrating the Sixth edition of Cuba Golf Grand Tournament.
Investments in projects linked to the construction of golf courses and properties is one of Cuba’s priorities for boosting and promoting this tourist segment, which demands specialization to meet its demands. This market brings about considerable expenses by customers, which generates higher profits than those coming from sun and beach tourism.
The Cuban government has realized of the importance of promoting this kind of tourism and has approved several projects with the aim of building more golf courses gradually, which are supposed to happen with British, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Russian capital and associated with property development.
Numerous golf courses were shut down after 1959, a period in which Cuba had the largest number of courses in the Caribbean, eight in total and four in Havana. At present, there only remain two: Varadero’s in Matanzas province and Capdevilla’s in Havana.
Varadero Golf Club is an 18 pits par 72, designed by architect Les Furber in the incomparable style of Robert Trent John’s. This course gained international prestige during the European Challenge Tour Grand Final in 1999 and 2000, during which 15 out of the 45 finalists chose The order of merit of Europe’s qualifying tour.
However, nowadays it offers challenging obstacles for players of any category, because there isn’t a real tourist market in that sector given than it isn’t in its best condition. According to Ivis Fernandez, delegate of the Cuban Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR by its acronym in Spanish), that is one of the reasons for the construction of a modern golf coursein the municipality of Carbonera, also in Matanzas, with the approval of a Joint Company.
“This new golf course will meet every technical requirement, which Varadero Golf Club doesn’t and will contribute with exploiting the sector of golfers which today we are not in condition to promote and that will bring considerable revenues for the country”, pointed out Fernandez.
For the construction of this top quality course, an alliance was made between the Cuban company Palmares S.A. and English Essence Hotels and Resorts, belonging to Havana Holdings, which handles the Floridita brand throughout Europe. Official sources affirm that the investment in the Carbonera Club will reach the amount of 350 million Euros.
In accordance with information published sometime ago by OnCuba, the design will transform an area of 170 hectares. The plans of the new resort, in addition to Carbonera Club, include an extensive community of 650 apartments and villas, as well as a hotel and a country club, with tennis courts, a spa and anautical club.
As part of the action undertaken to boost Cuba as a destination for golfers, the Varadero Golf Club is celebrating the Sixth edition ofCuba Golf Grand Tournamentfrom April 10 through 12.
This event, organized by Grupo Empresarial Extrahotelero Palmares S.A., is the most important international event of the kind in Cuba. It welcomes professional and amateur players older than 18 years old with handicap, the same for men over 24 and women over 30. The participants must honor the dressing code by wearing trousers or Bermuda shorts and polo shirts with collar. They will be grouped in three categories depending on game modality: Medal play; Second and Stable ford for ladies.
“The inscription fee of the tournament is 150 CUC per player and 60 CUC per escort, and includes one round and practice balls, two 18 pits competence rounds, shared golf car, Club Storage, a welcoming cocktail, drinks and food during the competence rounds, gala dinner and an awarding ceremony, Wi-Fi access to the local web of the event, as well as draws, tastings and other social activities”, stated a report from Palmares S.A.
As said by the organizers, the tournament includes three rounds, one for practicing and two for competing which will accumulate the final result of each player, respecting official and local golf rules. Furthermore, the event demands that the contestants must present a handicap certificate or any other official document endorsed by the federation or golf club. Awards will be presented in the categories of handicap, with trophies and prizes. Besides, the judges will choose the best gross and the official sponsor of the Tournament will be Havanatur Tour & Travel
Events like this one show potential and attractiveness for deluxe tourism interested in the features of the resort. The participation of renowned golfers in the event shows Cuba’s potential, which is in disadvantage with other countries like the Dominican Republic, which at present holds the largest number of courses in the region.
This sport has already been included for the next Olympics to be held in Brazil. Rumor has it that building each whole demands approximately between half and one million dollars, given its complexity and nine is the minimum number of pits.
Interesting data on this market reveal that in average golfers travel twice a year for competitions, they are mainly old people and they spend more than regular sun and beach tourists.
More than 80% of golf courses built during the last years have been associated to the development of properties. The most attractive golf destinations for golfers are those that allow them to play 4 or five times in different courses.
Having these kinds of events in Cuba, with just one 18 pits golf course not in the best condition in comparison with the American continent, proves that this unexploited sector has a lot to offer.
By Lis García Arango
