Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2021 - 14

ST REGIS BAHIA BEACH
tained and was host to a pair of World Cups as well as a PGA Tour
Champions event. Certainly, it does not stand alone. There are several
quality golf properties not far from the hub of San Juan (no
passport required for U.S. residents), and the offerings are set at a
wide range of price points. There is the top-shelf, $10,000-a-night
Grand Casa offered at The St. Regis Bahia Beach. One can dine
at night with a private chef, get biologist-led tours through the El
Yunque rainforest and beckon a private helicopter onto the property
for an evening aerial tour. And that's after playing a quick
18 holes on a terrific, well-manicured course that finishes along
the ocean. (If the Grand Casa sounds pricey, Bahia also has room
options starting at $599 during non-peak season.)
Bahia Beach head professional Alberto Rios can remember when
the property was nothing more than 18 holes, a modest golf shop
and a little snack bar at the end of a long dirt road. Robert Trent
Jones Jr. redesigned all 18 holes in 2006, and a beautiful property
has sprung up around it. There is the upscale, 139-room St. Regis,
as well as spacious, privately-owned oceanfront villas available to
rent. The Bahia Beach course holds Audubon International Gold
Sanctuary Certification for its eco-sensitive practices. The course
features a par-4 hole down the beach at No. 16, a brief inland jaunt
for the short par-3 17th hole, and then a great par-4 closing hole
that returns down the beach. Quick tip: Most every putt at Bahia
breaks not toward the big blue ocean, as one might expect, but
toward the rugged mountains of El Yunque. The overall beauty of
the property and relaxed island ambience gives a player the true
tropical experience. At Seagrapes, back toward the clubhouse, halibut
tacos and a refreshing passion fruit drink serve up the day's
perfect capper.
Puerto Rico gets to shine a light on its island each February and
March with the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open at Hyatt Regency
Grand Reserve Puerto Rico. The event first was played in 2008, and
but for one year after Maria, has been contested each year since.
It's usually played opposite a star-laden World Golf Championship
stop (in 2022, it will be played opposite the Arnold Palmer
Invitational) and is probably better known for some of its highCOCO
BEACH GOLF RESORT
AT HYATT REGENCY GRAND RESERVE
profile runners-up than for its roll call of champions. Jason Day,
Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau are a few of the names who
ran second here. The property has gone through some identity
changes and extensive renovations through the years-it was formerly
a Trump property (known for years as Coco Beach) and is
now called the Grand Reserve Golf Club (with its Championship
and International courses)-but quality golf has been a constant.
The PGA Tour plays on one of two Tom Kite-designed golf
courses, and with the island winds seldom taking a day off, the
Championship layout presents a formidable test. The dream for
islanders is to see one of Puerto Rico's own win here. Rafa Campos
14
MINNESOTAGOLFER Fall 2021
mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2021
