The hotel division of Grupo Pinero, Bahia Principe Clubs & Resorts, recently unveiled the “Riviera Maya Golf Club”, a brand new 36 hole golf course, conceived to provide personal enjoyment to players from around the world.

The facilities have been designed by the prestigious Robert Trent Jones II architectural firm, recognized worldwide for the impeccable design and layout of their golf courses.

Set in a unique natural environment, it manages to create spectacular synergies between the course itself and the luxuriant Mayan jungle.

Once the project has been completed it will boast a 36-hole course set out on 90 hectares of land, and will become one of the most important in the area. Play began on 15th December, with 9 professional holes in play (par 36).

By February 2010, Riviera Maya Golf Club will have 18 professional holes and another nine executive ones, which will allow golfers to play a complete round.

In November the Gran Bahia Principe Riviera Maya Hotel***** received the presentation from the new Executive Committee of the Mexican Caribbean Golf Club Association. This is an organization which brings together 14 facilities located in varying popular tourist destinations, located in the states of Quintana Roo, Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cozumel and Tulum.

The president of the aforementioned Committee, Jose Acevedo Penas, revealed that the golf industry, made up of 12 active clubs, currently generates an annual profit of 40 million US dollars and directly provides work for 1,200 people in the Mexican Caribbean. These figures are the result of an investment which Acevedo estimated to be around 160 million US dollars in the last 7 years.

The Golf Club Association affirmed, through its president, their commitment to the public to convert the Mexican Caribbean into the first golf destination in the world to obtain a joint environmental certificate from the Golf Environment Organization, an organization endorsed by the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU).

The development of the project will hopefully conclude in the Spring of next year, with the opening of the remaining nine professional holes and the facilities functioning at full capacity. This includes the complementary availability of a clubhouse, swimming pools, spa, pro-shop, bars and restaurants.

For the development of the course, a flora and fauna recuperation program has been followed, together with the Eco - Bahia ecological foundation. The program guarantees the conservation and protection of the ecosystem, native species and species in danger of extinction, rescuing and relocating a large number of plant species and conserving the region’s typical landscapes. Having animals secure in their natural habitats amongst lakes and springs makes Riviera Maya Golf Club a unique experience for golf lovers, as well as providing a place worth visiting for nature lovers.

The golf industry’s growth is not only profitable and sustainable, but has also created many jobs. Bahia Principe expresses its confidence that this new golf club will contribute to the improvement in the quality offered to tourists in the Mexican Caribbean, creating sustainable wealth and employment in the area, whilst respecting the environment.