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Punta Brava Golf Club is a private golf & surf club currently under development in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico on the Punta Banda Peninsula. The site is framed by the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Bay of Todos Santos on the other. The course is designed by Tiger Woods. When asked about the vision by CNN the founder, Brian Tucker, stated "to shape golf history by creating the most spectacular golf course on earth."
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History
In 2006, former Charles Schwab executive, Brian Tucker, set out to develop a world-class golf course after discovering a plot of land at the tip of the Punta Banda peninsula, which extends 7 miles into the Pacific Ocean. Because of the unique topography and coastline, the land became one of the most sought after golf design projects in the industry.
Tiger Woods was privately awarded the contract to design the golf course in early 2008. On June 15, 2008 on the 18th hole of the final round of the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods made a 12 foot birdie putt to tie Rocco Mediate and force a playoff round the following day. The public first caught wind of Punta Brava at the ensuing press conference that evening after Woods was asked what he had originally planned to do the following day. Briefly mentioning his site visit to Punta Brava, although he was closely guarded about it, set the media abuzz. Woods rescheduled his site visit to Punta Brava the following week where he walked the site on foot again, despite having a knee injury. Tucker noted, "Tiger's a perfectionist. He just keeps working the routing over and over again."
The project was officially announced at a press conference at the Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles in October 2008 with capital support from billionaire Red McCombs In the Wall Street Journal’s coverage of the news conference, golf writer John Paul Newport opined after the conference, "Judging by the layout, it's possible that the course will break into the world's top 20 rankings on the day it opens. It looks to be a new and improved version of Cypress Point on California's Monterey Peninsula."
Design
The Tiger Woods Design features seventeen tees or greens on the ocean and 5 holes with over ocean carries. Additionally, the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes run along the Pacific creating a dramatic finish. In the design Woods had paid meticulous attention to detail, making 27 routing maps, when most top architects only draw three or four. Woods said at a press conference in October 2008, "Every single hole on this golf course, whether on a tee, a fairway or a green, you can see the ocean. That makes Punta Brava very different from most golf courses, with the goal to make sure you are a part of this amazing peninsula every time you play." Woods also said in regards to the course at the conference, "You have to walk it, to feel it, to realize how special it is, how beautiful it is, and what you can do with it. As soon as I got on site, I was in." When describing the vision of the course design to Forbes, Tucker remarked "When you have a site surrounded on three sides by ocean and a golf architect (Tiger Woods) that completely integrates it by designing 17 tees or greens on/adjacent to the ocean… you have the opportunity to create something special–a true golf club."
Punta Brava Golf Course will be a 6,835-yard par-70 course. The club will also have lodging for members. The New York Times reported that there were "grand plans of large villas and a clubhouse." Ricardo Legorreta, winner of the prestigious UIA Gold Medal in 1999 and the Praemium Imperiale in 2011, was reported to be among the team of architects involved in Punta Brava. The developers have also formed an agreement with Don Vita of Vita Associates to overlook the land planning and landscape architecture of the development.