Golf, a sport that brings foreign currency to the Dominican Republic

In addition to the beauties of the beaches, good weather and the proverbial hospitality that Dominicans offer to foreigners, golf has brought an added value to catapult tourism in the Dominican Republic.

The genesis of the development in the country of a sport that over time would become a sub-sector of the “industry without a chimney”, must be located in 1971, the year in which it was inaugurated

the Teeth of the Dog field in Casa de Campo, designed by American Pete Dye. On the singular course there is consensus since then that it is the best in the region and among the 50 in the world, according to the rankings of specialized magazines such as Golf Digest.

Although the benefits of nature and “smiling at the tourist” are basic, the package must be endowed with other attractions so that it can be competitive, because over the years most countries have focused their attention on taking advantage of its conditions. in order to increase an industry that today dominates the world.

In 1978, with the development of the Puerto Plata tourist center, the mythical Robert Trent Jones designed the Playa Dorada Golf Course, located in the center of 14 hotels in the Playa Dorada area, which like Diente de Perro is surrounded by the sea ​​and seduces players by its complexities and challenges it presents to them.

Later, in the capital, in Santiago and, consequently, in the incipient tourist poles of Punta Cana and Bávaro (Higüey), as well as in Samaná, Río San Juan, Jarabacoa and other destinations with that vocation, excellent courts were built. In total there are 28 that the country has, an enviable quantity also in terms of quality.

“In our case, the sport of golf has become one of our great attractions, since from the development of the Diente de Perro course, we entered the field and map of the goal in the Caribbean”, highlights Ellis Pérez, a former Secretary of Tourism (1981) who has been linked to this activity for more than six decades.

It expresses that, with the development, later, of Puerto Plata and the subsequent courses that today adorn the country, the country has positioned itself as the main golf destination, “without a doubt”, in the entire Caribbean area, competing with other Latin American countries such as Puerto Rico, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia.

“So, the development of these golf courses of ours is very special, it has a very particular value, because the players are executives who have a high income capacity, so their expenses are much higher than the average of the average tourist expenditure ”, emphasizes Pérez, an amateur of this discipline who in 1973 became the first Dominican to acquire a Golf Villa in Casa de Campo.

SOME FIGURES

Last year the Dominican Golf Federation (Fedogolf) released a study entitled “Guidance on the economic impact of golf in the country”, in which it is revealed that the Average Annual Green Fee Income is US $ 33,629,000, as well as US $ 25,222,229 per stay and other expenses. The total income received by the State (annual average) is US $ 10,593,282, but that, in reality, with greater support, this last concept alone would generate

$ 26,508,008. “It is not surprising that one of the few sports that currently contribute to our Gross Domestic Product is precisely golf, as can be shown in the previous statistics”, highlights the entity chaired by Rafael Villalona. “The strategy of allocating resources to golf is not to spend, it is to invest in fertile land, as long as it is done in an intelligent and rational way,” he underlines.

In view of the fact that the so-called “Golf Tourism” is one of the most important subsectors of the leisure and entertainment industry, it considers that, due to its significant real and potential income coming directly from this sport, the country should launch an aggressive promotion plan for the excellent existing infrastructure.