Morelia Project Begins New Nicklaus Trend In Mexico

Tres Marias Golf Club Will Be The Centerpiece Of A 1,000-Home Community And Signals The New Wave Of Residential Golf Throughout Mexico

MORELIA, Mexico --- What Jack Nicklaus did for coastal Mexico, he is about to do for inland Mexico. And what the Golden Bear did for luxury golf communities in the United States, he is about to do throughout Mexico.

Nicklaus will visit today the burgeoning city of Morelia, Mexico, to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Tres Marias Golf Club, which will be the centerpiece of a 1,000-home community and what owner Enrique Ramirez envisions as a "city within a city." Morelia, the capital of Michoacan, is a beautiful colonial city ideally situated between Guadalajara and Mexico City - approximately 185 miles or 300 kilometers northwest of Mexico City - and just three hours from the pristine beaches of Ixtapa.

"We have been fortunate enough to design some wonderful golf courses in Mexico, and we are excited about the opportunity we've been given here in Morelia," said Jack Nicklaus. "With this site, combined with an enthusiastic and committed owner, we have a chance to do something truly special."

Nicklaus Design recently signed the agreement to design a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course for Ramirez, a third-generation member of one of Mexico's most prominent families. The Ramirez family owns 180 theaters (930 screens) throughout Mexico and Central America. They own the largest chain of cinemas in Latin America, Ramirez said, and the biggest chain outside of the United States. They also own the Michoacan affiliate of TV Azteca (the second largest station in Mexico), several newspapers, shopping centers and one bullfighting ring.

"I am designing the project of my dreams, and where I want to live the rest of my life," Ramirez said. "I am third generation, 33 years old, have two kids, and I think I will have the best of everything here. We have a great deal of land, which will allow people to walk, bicycle, play golf, and even ride horses. In the future, we plan to have shopping centers and office space within walking distance. You will never have to leave the community, if you don't wish to do so. This is not just a golf course; it's a city within a city.

"We feel this is one of the first great inland golf courses to be designed by one of the best designers in the world. Everyone knows of what Mr. Nicklaus did in Puerto Vallarta and in Los Cabos, with Cabo del Sol, Palmilla and Eldorado. We believe we can do that inland. That's why we are building a city around this golf course."

Tres Marias (Three Marys), named after a regional landmark on the site that is a rock formation resembling three standing silhouettes, will feature 800 lots and 1,000 homes. Ramirez pre-sold 450 of the homes before he even signed the design-build agreement.

"The city is well located and has great communications," Ramirez said. "There are direct flights daily from Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles. The weather in Morelia is awesome. There are few places where you can golf in short sleeves at 8 a.m. in December."

Ideal weather is one of the many reasons that attracted Nicklaus to Mexico a decade ago, and why Mexico is becoming one of the world's most sought-after golf destinations. Nicklaus was awarded the International Network of Golf's 2000-01 Achievement in Golf Course Design Award for his work in Los Cabos, Mexico. Nicklaus was lauded for turning a sleepy fishing village into what GOLF Magazine has ranked as the world's No. 2 destination for golfers from the United States. The year prior to the 1993 opening of Palmilla, only 5,000 rounds were played on Cabo's lone course - a 9-hole municipal layout called Fonatur. During the year 2000, more than 220,000 rounds were played in Cabo.

To quote GOLF Magazine, "Mexico is hot and getting hotter, mainly because of Jack Nicklaus." Nicklaus Design currently has eight courses open for play throughout Mexico, another 12 under construction or under design, and has at least five more prospects. According to Tim Kenny, Senior Vice President for Nicklaus Design, at least half of those prospects and projects under development have a residential tie-in.

"For us, this represents confirmation of our analysis of the Mexican market," Kenny added. "The movement now in Mexico is toward residential rather than resort. Typically in an emerging market, golf begins with resort play. But the bulk of our new signings in Mexico begin with residential. It's interesting that this is the only country in the world, at least from what I see, that is similar to what has happened in the United States with residential and high-end golf communities."

Ramirez thinks the potential is there for not only a successful community but also a spectacular golf course.

The entire community, including the golf club, will be spread across 500 acres. The site for the golf course sits at just over 6,400 feet, and is essentially a large mountain valley. One main stream runs through the property, and it is surrounded on the high side by mountain ridges, where most of the residential and a 130,000-square-meter clubhouse will sit.

"We have here a nice combination of ruggedness and softer areas," said Nicklaus Design Associate Jon Garner. "The challenge will be in the rugged areas, but the return on that is the opportunity to design a one-of-a-kind golf experience. The ability to utilize the stream for waterfalls and ponds or lakes gives us a special opportunity.

"The Ramirez family is interested in a tour event coming here, so we're going to try to accommodate that with the back tees. But we'll remain conscious of the daily or member play, so we'll minimize carries and make it very playable and enjoyable."

The golf course is being constructed by Puerto Vallarta-based Diamond Golf, and Owner/President Sal Rodriguez.

"People will see that the land is incredible," Ramirez said. "It is breathtaking. My goal is to have one of the top 100 golf courses in the world and certainly one of the best golf courses in Mexico. We hope to be on the level of an Eldorado, Palmilla, Cabo del Sol and Punta Mita (near Puerto Vallarta).

"We also want to bring tourism here. We are not planning just one golf course in Morelia, but maybe four or five - and all Nicklaus. Quite a few retired Americans, close to 50,000, once lived in Morelia, but many left because there was no quality golf. We currently have only one nine-hole golf course and it is 30 years old. We now have the space to have one of the best golf courses in Mexico. The demand is here and the city is great to live in or spend a winter."