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The
Guavaberry Golf & Country Club
Those
are a few of the comments you’ll
hear as you play your way around Guavaberry
Golf and Country Club on the sunny southeast
coast of the Dominican Republic. |
The
Gary Player Design team has really outdone itself
this time, creating not only a golf course but
a landscaping marvel. They’ve blended
the course design flawlessly into the existing
natural environment, giving the impression that
the links have been part of this gently-rolling,
tropical terrain from the beginning of time.
Guavaberry
will challenge you with its impressive waste
bunkers, deep sand traps, and indigenous coral
rock formations that rise up from lush fairways.
Together, they make this a course not to be
tamed easily.
And
if the natural hazards aren’t tricky enough
for you, the ever-present Caribbean breezes
and five different tee positions that cater
to every level of play will tempt you to come
back and try to conquer Guavaberry again and
again.
The
13th hole comes as a refreshing surprise with
its waterfall cascading into a quarry pond.
Brace yourself for Hole 15 where a three-acre
pond surrounds and protects the green from your
best shot. And save some strength for the arduous
18th!
| Location
Only
one hour to the east of the capital of
Santo Domingo, Guavaberry is located near
the resort town of Juan Dolio. Here you
are within reach of spectacular beaches,
all-inclusive resort hotels, the highest
mountains in the Caribbean, and the capital
city’s Spanish colonial architecture
and modern amenities.
Guavaberry’s
convenient location, natural beauty, and
challenging features make it one of Gary
Player’s most stunning achievements.
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hotel in the Dominican Republic
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Facilities
Golf
Pro
Director
of Golf, Mark Clouse, comes to us from the United
States with an impressive background both professionally
and academically. Mark is a Class A Member of
the PGA and graduate of the Golf Professional
Training Program. In addition to working as
Director of Golf at North Links Golf in Mankato,
Minnesota, Mark was also selected "Coach
of the Year" of the North Central Conference
of the NCAA in 2000-01.
Golf
Academy
Getting
the right instruction is one of the most important
steps to improving your game.
Golf Pro Mark Clouse offers clinics and private
instruction from beginner level to the most
advanced. The Golf Academy is open to women,
men and junior golfers.
Club
House
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The
Clubhouse at Guavaberry features a gourmet
restaurant, terrace bar, piano bar, gym
room, locker rooms, club storage area,
meeting rooms and pool, as well as golf
pro shop, 19th hole snack bar and golf
academy classroom. The Pro Shop features
logo golf clothing and is open year-round.
CLUBHOUSE
RESTAURANT
On the second floor of the Clubhouse,
the restaurant is the ideal setting for
luncheons and dinners for groups of up
to 60. It has an excellent ambiance, attractive
lighting, air conditioning and screens
for viewing satellite television programming |
GARY
PLAYER SALON
A boardroom with capacity for 12 guests with
four additional posts for assistants, this air-conditioned
room is on the third floor of the clubhouse.
It features in-room telephone service, attractive
lighting, piped-in music, a sofa and chairs.
PIANO
BAR
Also on the third floor of the Clubhouse, this
room has capacity for 30 and is recommended
for private luncheons or cocktails. It features
its own bar, air-conditioning, piped-in music
and a dance floor.
MEETING
ROOM
Located on the first floor, the assembly hall
has a capacity for 80 in theater-style seating.
It’s appropriate for speeches, workshops,
press conferences, etc. It can also be used
for luncheons and cocktail gatherings for up
to 60 people.
BAR
TERRACES
The Guavaberry Golf & Country Club offers
three outdoor terraces, one covered and two
open air. Each has capacity for 30 people. Recommended
for luncheons, dinners or cocktails, these terraces
can be booked individually or all three together
for larger groups.
POOL
TERRACE
The perfect spot, right beside the pool, for
larger events such as awards ceremonies and
weddings. It has capacity for 250 for lunch
or dinner and 300 for cocktails.
POOLSIDE
LAWN
This park-like setting between the pool and
tennis courts can accommodate 300 guests for
lunch or 400 for cocktails. Ideal for BBQs and
children’s birthday parties. When the
poolside lawn or pool terrace are booked, lunch
is served under large white tents. For night
events, the food tents are optional but recommended.
Course
Overview
This
beautiful 7,156-yard par-72 course is sensitively
blended into the landscape bordering a tropical
forest and nature preserve. The course is as
beautiful as it is challenging.
The black championship tees offer the greatest
challenge. There is a 936-yard difference between
the middle white tees (11-20 Hcp) and black
tees (scratch golfer) -- the sight lines are
quite different and the penalty for missing
a landing area can be quite ruthless.
There
are a few holes that require some sharp, short
iron play to avoid a big number and still others
that offer birdie opportunities. The greens
are quite true for such a young course and,
as is the case with courses in this environment,
they should become even more consistent with
time.
If
you get hot with the putter you can score well
here. Failing that, you’ll need to hit
a straight shot. There are some forgiving fairways;
however, in width and reach, this course is
a ball graveyard for the scatter golfer and
will only become more so as the flora matures.
| Hole
6, for instance, has trees growing in
on the right side that will eventually
change the view from the tee and also
affect the sight lines for the approach
shot.
With
the splendor of the tropical flora, blue
skies, and consistent Caribbean breezes,
this is a highly enjoyable course to play.
It caters to every golfer’s whim
with five sets of tees, smartly-crafted
waste bunkers, and some inviting looks
that seem to inspire the golfer to take
a shot at scoring on every hole.
Watch
out for the coral rock formations, especially
on Hole 9. Also, notably, the closing
18th has a massive coralline garden on
the right flank with the fairway tilting
precariously in that direction as well.
Its exposure to a strong and steady ocean
breeze pushes even a straight drive to
the right. |
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This
ending hole is a true score killer. Even a strong
drive will leave the second shot in question
as the direct line to the hole will require
an accurate long iron over the coralline corner,
through a strong wind and over a protective
bunker in front of the smallish green.
There
is ample room to the right and back of the green
though, indicating Gary Player doesn’t
have a heart of coralline. This additional room
around the green is a consistent aspect throughout
the course and invites all players to try to
score as much as to play.
Guavaberry
is going to be a very fun course to watch grow
up, as it appears to have a well thought out
designscape.
Links
& Sources:
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