The certified Silver Signature Sanctuary golf course located in the picturesque Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, has recently been crowned the best golf course in Puerto Rico by Golfweek’s Ultimate Guide – the premier Golf Magazine.
The announcement was made in the magazine’s list of the Top 50 Best Courses of the Caribbean and Mexico. Every year, Golfweek’s elite team of course raters, which currently boasts more than 850 evaluators, survey more than 3,600 courses – grading each nominated course based on Golfweek’s 10 strict standards of evaluation. Collectively, these knowledgeable raters have turned in more than 75,000 votes to compile Golfweek’s Best Courses lists.
“It is a matter of pride for the entire team at the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club to be recognized as the best Golf course on the island. With the most exclusive membership program and being a 5 Stars / 5 Diamond resort, we understand and appreciate true luxury and a world class golfing experience. With this achievement, we aim to continue to cater to our highly distinctive clientele and provide them the finest golfing experience” expressed Fahad Ghaffar, partner of Paulson Co., owners of Bahía Beach Resort & Golf Club.
The pristine golf course at Bahia Beach resort has been designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., one of the world’s pre-eminent golf course architects. He terms it a haven of golf that will challenge and delight your soul and spirit, as will the lush natural landscape that surrounds the course.
Given its exclusive clientele, it is no surprise that the golf course at Bahia is heavily invested in. During 2019, 48 out of 60 bunkers at the course were renovated using imported silica sand from Florida resulting in an enhanced playing experience for its members. The course is maintained by a Golf maintenance team of 25 highly trained individuals who cater to over 300 members. The team is supervised by Golf course superintendent William Ocasio along with Alberto Rios, the club General Manager, who have been responsible for further enhancing the course’s conditions to achieve this accolade.
Celebrating the achievement, Alberto Rios, club General Manager stated, “It’s a real honor to be named as one of the top golf courses in the Caribbean and the best golf course in Puerto Rico. The golf course maintenance team, led by William Ocasio, golf course superintendent, work arduously in maintaining the course in excellent playing condition. The recognition highlights the exceptional golfing experience Bahia Beach offers our members and guests.”
Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club is a 483-acre property where more than 65% is green area and natural preserves. The Resort collaborates with different public and private environmental organizations to protect endangered species, habitats and ecosystems and foster environmental sustainability in the region. To implement and monitor its adherence to best environmental practices, the property has an in-house resident biologist and a department of natural resources.