First residential offering in Mexico branded with golf’s most iconic mark will surround a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course along the Gulf of Mexico
CAMPECHE, Mexico—The first and only residential offering in Mexico to bear the prestigious brand of golf great Jack Nicklaus was unveiled today in Campeche, with the introduction of “Golden Bear Residences.” The 2,000 residential units that make up the Golden Bear Residences will be situated along a new Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, which serves as the centerpiece to Campeche Playa Golf Marina & SPA Resort, an oceanfront, eco-tourist complex on the Gulf Coast side of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
The historic launch is the result of an agreement signed this week between Projecto Esmeralda Resort S.A. de C.V., a development subsidiary of Spanish-based Grupo Mall, and Nicklaus Real Estate Licensing, LLC, a subsidiary of the Nicklaus Companies. The strategic partnership will utilize the global marketing power of these groups and leaders in their respective industries to promote Golden Bear Residences worldwide.
Today’s announcement was made at Campeche Playa by principals of Grupo Mall and the Nicklaus Companies, including Jack Nicklaus and his son Jack Nicklaus II, as well as the Governor of Campeche, Jorge Carlos Hurtado Valdez.
This is the first time the Golden Bear Residences brand has been granted and introduced in Latin America.
“The Golden Bear Residences brand, in concert with our Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, guarantees a lifestyle that combines exclusivity and the best and most modern services in an exceptional environment, surrounded by native fauna and flora and with a different golf course that gathers mangrove, jungle and beach,” said Julio Noval, a principal of Grupo Mall. “Our teams have joined to establish the new parameters for lifestyle by combining unique experiences, with innovation and quality.”
The strategic relationship established between subsidiaries of the Nicklaus Companies and Grupo Mall led the resort’s developers to create the Founders Club of the Golf Course at Campeche Playa Golf Marina & SPA Resort, which offers immediate and multiple advantages for those that choose to acquire a unit. This exclusive membership, of which Mr. Nicklaus is an Honorary Founder member, will feature 250 Founders. Benefits include: special pricing for greens fees during the first year; one year of complimentary membership to the yacht club in the marina; preferential selection of lockers; and several golf-related gifts, such as an electric golf car for ease of transportation within development; a set of Nicklaus Golf Equipment; and other items such as Jack Nicklaus Sportswear and headwear.
Noval values the importance of this agreement: “It is the first time that Jack Nicklaus and his team have granted the use of the Golden Bear brand on this type of residential offering in Mexico, and by doing so, they bring attention to the unique lifestyle enjoyed in a residential-tourist complex. For us, this distinction means a great source of pride, because it is the acknowledgment to a job well done and to the promotion of a singular development that not only incorporates housing with the maximum quality standards, but is situated amid an extraordinary environment the company has been diligent to preserve.”
Jack Nicklaus and his company, Nicklaus Design, are recognized as the world leader in golf course design, and never is that more evident than in Mexico. They have opened 14 courses throughout Mexico in 14 years, and because the Nicklaus name has proven to be a driving force in Mexico’s booming golf market, BEST’s Golf Guides to Mexico honored the Golden Bear with the “Best Golf Course Architect in Mexico” award. The Golden Bear’s work has dominated the magazine’s rankings, with Nicklaus Design being responsible for a third of the top 30, including the world-ranked Ocean Course at Cabo Del Sol at No. 1.
This is Nicklaus’ first design in Campeche, a colonial city nestled on the Gulf Coast side of the Yucatan Peninsula, and one that marries Mayan history and charm with a burgeoning tourist industry. A 2-hour drive southwest from Merida, Campeche provides visitors the appeal of centuries-old dwellings and many of the old colonial Spanish city walls and fortifications which protected it from pirates and buccaneers.The area is rich in archeological wealth, including many ruins of the Maya civilization.
But with all of its historic romance, Campeche also has worldwide tourist and investor appeal because of its vast activities, such as beautiful beaches, boating and some of the Gulf’s finest fishing (the Golden Bear took in some tarpon fishing on his recent visit). Now, thanks to Nicklaus, golf is becoming a major attraction.
“We are excited about our involvement in Campeche Playa, first as designers of the Signature Golf Course, and now through our relationship on the Golden Bear Residences,” Nicklaus said. “I not only love the game of golf, but I am an avid outdoorsman, who enjoys tennis, fishing, boating, and diving, among other activities. Campeche Playa intends to offer all of those amenities and attractions, and we are proud that our golf course will be the central focus.”
The site for Campeche Playa is only minutes from spectacular Mayan ruins, but weaves through lush jungles and mangroves, and hugs some of the area’s top beaches. This marriage of natural lure will bring much of the personality to the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, and, in fact, the 12th hole parallels the ocean.
Another key characteristic to the Signature Course is that is has been meticulously designed with respect to the existing native vegetation on the property, and sustainability measures have been carefully implemented.
“Julio Noval and his team, along with our design team, are taking great care to integrate the beautiful environment found in this area, and we only hope that we can enhance this natural beauty with a memorable golf experience,” Nicklaus added. “There is so much history in this area of the world, and, in fact, we have found pockets of Mayan ruins around our golf site that will be part of the Campeche experience. I know Grupo Mall will continue to embrace the environment and the history that has made Campeche famous, and now we want to add a golf experience that will be a part of Campeche’s exciting future.”
ABOUT CAMPECHE PLAYA
Campeche Playa Golf Marina & Spa Resort is located in the historic city of Campeche, in the state that bears that same name, located in the Yucatan Peninsula (in the southeast of Mexico). The area presents several attractions, outstanding among them is its immense landscaping and archeological wealth (next to the sites of Edzna and Calakmul, two of the more famous examples of remains from Mayan culture). The complex will have 3,045 units, a Luxuriously Grand 5 star Westin Hotel, a boutique hotel, a 150-slip marina, town center, yacht club, two beaches clubs, a medical clinic, a museum for the Hawksbill turtle and an archaeological underwater museum, among other amenities and attractions.
The construction of the mega-development is scheduled to be completed in four phases by the year 2010. During the first phase, the hotel, marina, golf course, town center and 1,243 units will be built and is expected to be operational by mid-2009.
For more information on Campeche Playa and the nearest global sales office, visit www.campecheplaya.com
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