When Larry Breau first scouted the Southern Pacific Zone for land to develop into the area’s first golf resort, he finally found it in a cattle pasture. The verdant valley near the village of San Buenaventura, south of Uvita, offered the perfect topography for fairways and greens.

The wide open spaces, rolling hills and natural contours formed ideal golf course features. The dramatic backdrop of mountains, majestic trees and sweeping breezes made for an outstanding golfing experience in a tropical setting, thought Breau.

“Mother Nature put it there,” Breau says. “I didn’t want to do a lot of earth moving, and I didn’t have to. It was just a matter of preserving what’s already there and adding to it.”

Breau, the Costa Rica Golf Resort Community project manager, puts his civil engineering degree and prior golf course experience to good use. The former Canadian Air Force pilot was president of two golf courses in Canada and Germany.

He was responsible for every aspect of golf course development, including redesigning and rebuilding of golf holes, budgets and daily operations.

Fellow Canadians Rob Cuncic and Rob Fraser add their decades of professional expertise as managers of golf course development and construction, respectively. They have resided in the area with their families for the past several years.

Breau and his partners bought 332 acres in 2003 and enrolled other investors and professionals in an ambitious project. Six years later, the Costa Rica Golf Resort Community is a reality – unlike other Costa Rica golf courses that were announced with great fanfare, but never happened.

The first nine holes are almost completed. The driving range will open in January. The golf academy is done, and condos are under construction. Grand opening will be in April, earning this beautiful project the distinction of being the first and only golf resort in the Southern Pacific Zone.

Plans call for an 18-hole, par-72 championship layout measuring nearly 7,000 yards, plus driving range, practice hole, putting green, and golf academy with a resident golf pro from France.

The centerpiece will be the Clubhouse Complex, with its luxury amenities, such as wellness spa, restaurant, lounge, patios, tennis courts, fitness center and terraced pools.

The private, gated community will cater to a mixture of investors and residents. There will be 850 units, including condos, luxury villas, terraced casitas and private lots.

Condo prices start at $219,000, and private lots are priced at $159,000 to $200,000. The Golf Course Resort already has sold seven of 38 clubhouse condos and 26 of 70 private lots. Three of 17 golf memberships have been sold to the general public.

A rental management program will generate income for owners.

Sustainable practices and ecological sensitivity are important to the builders and investors. Breau and his partners modified the original golf course design by architect Dan Lavis to save several of the 220 large native trees. They are reforesting with thousands of native hardwood trees.

They are using Paspalum platinum T.E., a new hybrid turf grass that requires one-half the water and nutrients of Bermuda grass. On a sand and gravel base, the turf dries quickly after rainfall, without pooling or runoff.

“Our plan is to be 100 percent organic in three-to-four years,” says Breau.

These introductory prices are less than 50% of the most reasonably priced condos in the nearest golf course on the Central Pacific coast but will be increased so if you have a serious interest, now would be a good time to inquire.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.