The Latest in Luxury Resort & Real Estate News

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Cuba's Varadero Golf Club Plays Host to Inaugural Montecristo Cup

(HAVANA, CUBA) -- Palmares SA, the organization responsible for golf in Cuba, hosted the inaugural Montecristo Cup May 2 at the Varadero Golf Club in Varadero, Cuba.  The competition, which was open to amateurs and professionals, was oversubscribed and exceeded expectations.

The event was a truly international competition, with golfers representing many countries including the UK, Canada, Spain, Andorra, Korea, Vietnam, Japan as well as Cuba.

PGA Tour star Ernie Els, a three-time major championship winner, was the guest of honor.

He told the crowd in attendance, "I'm very pleased to see so many people enjoying a wonderful day on this great course, and I look forward to coming back and seeing much more Cuban golf."

The 18-hole tournament began with a shotgun start under clear blue skies at the beachfront course and ended with a win for Xavier Espot Miró, the Andorran Ambassador to Spain, with the lowest net score of 67.

He accepted a Cuervo y Sobrinos watch as well as a framed photo of Che Guevara playing golf from Els and the rest of the organizing committee that comprised the president of Palmares, the Vice Minister for Tourism in Cuba, and representatives from Esencia and Habanos.

Palmares president Sandino Fernandez, said "We are extremely happy. It was an exciting tournament and the first of many."

Andrew Macdonald of Boisdale, CEO of Esencia Hotels & Resorts, presented a set of junior golf clubs to the Cuban Vice Minister for Tourism,  gifted from the Royal & Ancient in Scotland, the original home of golf, in support of the growth of golf among Cuba's youth. 

Macdonald  said:  "As a British company from the original home of golf, we are excited to work with Palmares in the development of golf in Cuba. The tournament is a great launch of a new era for the game in Cuba."

The Varadero Golf Course is a par-72 course that covers 6,856 yards  and features several salt water lakes that connect directly with the sea. This is the first and (currently) only 18-hole Cuban golf course, designed by Canadian golf architect Les Furber (once an associate with Robert Trent Jones).

The course, which played host to the European Challenge Tour Grand Finals in 1999 and 2000, offers luxurious surroundings and an entertaining round of golf, both for beginners and experts.

Varadero is Cuba's primary tourist destination, located about 75 miles from downtown Havana with a series of all-inclusive hotels stretching along the beachfront of the peninsula. The Varadero Golf Club caters almost exclusively to the hotels located along a 2-mile resort strip along Varadero Beach. 

Palmares S.A., a Cuban organization supervised by the Ministry of Tourism, has developed over 1,000 projects throughout Cuba, including the Cabaret Tropicana, La Bodeguita del Medio, El Floridita and the Varadero Golf Course.

Esencia Hotels & Resorts, associated with Havana Holdings Group, was incorporated to embrace the Cuban in-country business opportunities. Contracts have already been signed for a chain of boutique hotels throughout Cuba with the leading hotel group Gran Caribe.

The first hotel in Havana, Hotel Victoria, is due to open early 2009, followed by a hotel and spa in Vinales, a UNESCO world heritage site.

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Troon Golf Selected to Manage New Sequoyah National Golf Club

(SCOTTSDALE, AZ) -- Troon Golf, the largest operator of golf course properties worldwide, just announced it will be managing its fifth course owned by Native Americans - Sequoyah National Golf Club LLC. Located in Cherokee, N.C., Sequoyah National is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Scheduled to open in September 2009, the par-72 Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed course will feature spectacular views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which shapes the property's northern boundary. The 600-room Harrah's Cherokee Hotel & Casino is located nearby in the heart of the Cherokee Indian's homeland. The community combines a welcoming environment, rich with Native American culture, and year-round attractions.

"Sequoyah National is a wonderful addition to our portfolio," said Troon Golf president/chief operating Hud Hinton. "We are pleased to have been selected by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and are confident that our experience operating resort and casino courses will contribute positively to the overall facility's success."

Sequoyah National joins Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass and Talking Stick Golf Club, both of which are located in Arizona, as well as Yocha-De-He Golf Club at Cache Creek Casino Resort in California and Lake of Isles in Connecticut, under management by Troon Golf.

These unique destinations have received a myriad of awards for setting the standard in combining luxurious accommodations, casino gaming, and championship golf. Accolades include top rankings on both Golf Digest's and Golfweek's lists of the best casino courses in the United States. Sequoyah National is positioned to experience the same success.

"Our tribe welcomes Troon Golf to the Sequoyah National Golf Club project as a valued partner," said Larry Blythe, vice chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.  "Our other partners, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Notah Begay III, have helped us create a world-class golf experience in western North Carolina and Troon Golf will ensure this venture is a success."

The property's 15-story luxury hotel includes an indoor pool, workout facility, 15,000-square-foot conference center and three restaurants. An elevated mountain walkway leads guests from the casino into the hotel's grand lobby, which incorporates traditional Cherokee art and local Native American culture. The hotel is currently in the middle of a major expansion that will bring the total room count to 1,300 by 2011.

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon Golf oversees operations at properties located in 31 states and 26 countries. Additionally, 39 Troon Golf facilities enjoy a Top 100 ranking by national or international publications. Among the notable Troon Golf properties: Oneida Golf and Country Club, Green Bay, Wis.; Troon North Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.; The Clubs at St. James Plantation, Southport, N.C.; Classic Club, Palm Desert, Calif.; and The Grove, London, England.

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