Nicklaus Design to create Grupo Mapache's Sabana Falls Golf Course

Costa Rica-based developer, Grupo Mapache has signed an agreement with Nicklaus Design to have the world's leading golf course design firm create the Sabana Falls Golf Course at Hacienda La Ponderosa in El Salto de Bagaces, located just outside Liberia, the capital city of the Guanacaste province in Northwest Costa Rica.

According to La Ponderosa Architecture Director, David Garcia Restrepo, the proposal submitted by Nicklaus Design best suited the project's needs and vision for a golf course that will serve as the centerpiece for this residential community.

"Sabana Falls will be a national and international success because it has been conceived as an appendix to Rancho La Ponderosa," Garcia said. "Its natural beauty will only be enhanced by this golf experience and it will make this project one-of-a-kind."

The Nicklaus Design team will rely on the natural elements of the surrounding area and the land's undulating topography, as several holes are virtually already there, created by nature and discovered amongst the trees of this impressive setting.

Strategically located just 6 kilometers from Liberia, Sabana Falls covers 82 hectares or roughly 203 acres, and is blessed with three spectacular waterfalls, two streams, rolling terrain, rock formations and stone bridges, all of which adorn the Guanacaste pampas. Together these elements create a breathtaking combination enhanced by an incredible view of the Miravalles Volcano, which stands 2,028 meters high.

With a driving range that will measure close to 350 yards and two practice holes, Sabana Falls will help grow and promote the game of golf within Costa Rica. Sabana Falls will also feature an 800-square-meter clubhouse that will include lockers, golf shop, restaurant service, social area, administrative offices, and a 90-cart storage area.

Complementing the golf course will be the master-planned, 124-hectare (306-acre) Sabana Falls Residential Community, consisting of three different types of housing units: 1,000- square-meter lots, single-family homes, and condominiums, with state-of-the-art wireless telecommunications technology, IP telephony, underground power lines, and security camera surveillance.

Construction for the Sabana Falls Golf Course is expected to start in August of this year.

About Sabana Falls Golf Course Committee:
The Sabana Falls Golf Course Golf Committee is composed of Mr. Carlos Arroyo, General Manager of Corporacion Mapache; Mr. Francisco Alvarado, President of Corporacion Mapache; Ms. Margarita Arroyo, Sales Manager; Mr. Mario Zarattini, Project Coordinator and Mr. Orlando Rojas, Assistant Project Coordinator (both agronomists); Mr. David Garcia, Corporacion Mapache Architecture Manager and Project Planner.