HAVANA -- Open to golfers worldwide, this year's Second Annual Montecristo Cup and Esencia Cup golf tournament takes place from April 22 - 24th, at the Varadero Golf Club in Varadero, Cuba. The updated schedule is available online and now includes a practice round on Thursday, April 22nd for all registered players followed by the Opening reception which officially kicks off the tournament. Registration is now open where a single entry fee of £100 offers golfers three days of Cuban Pro-Am golf. Register at www.themontecristocup.com
The exciting three-day event includes:
Thursday April 22nd
• Players can play a practice round and enjoy the evening Welcome Party
Friday April 23rd
• The Esencia Cup event - a two-person team-play competition
Saturday April 24th
• The Montecristo Cup event - an Individual Stroke Play competition
• A 5-hole professional play-off between Spanish golfer Alvaro Quiros and another world class golfer to be announced
• Evening awards dinner at the DuPont family Mansion, Xanadu
Last year's event, with guest of honour Ernie Els, a three-time major championship winner, was a truly international competition, with golfers representing many countries including the UK, Canada, Spain, Andorra, Korea, Vietnam, Japan and China as well as Cuba.
Andrew Macdonald of Boisdale, CEO of Esencia Hotels & Resorts, said, "This is a unique opportunity for golf enthusiasts to play the challenging and scenic Varadero Golf Course, meet players from around the world as well as experience the vibrant Cuban culture."
Limited to 120 competitors, with a maximum handicap limit of 26, the 18-hole tournament will be open to both amateur and professional golfers who will test their skills on the beachfront golf course.
An awards dinner will take place following the competition on Saturday April 24th at the Xanadu Mansion where prizes, including The Habanos Humidor, a Cuervo y Sobrinos gentleman's fine watch and a monogrammed Zodia golf club, will be awarded to the event's winners by professional golfer Alvaro Quiros.
Registration for the tournament is priced at £100. Space is limited and early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment. For full competition details, itinerary and registration forms visit www.themontecristocup.com
The main sponsors of The Montecristo Cup & The Esencia Cup are Habanos SA, the world's leading premium cigar company and purveyor of the famous Montecristo brand and Esencia Hotels and Resorts, one of the supporters and developers of golf in Cuba. The event is hosted by Palmares, a Cuban organization supervised by the Ministry of Tourism. Further sponsorship is available to companies by appointment. For full sponsorship details, please contact christopher@esenciahotelsandresorts.com
For information about travel arrangements from North America, please contact
Gryphon Golf at 1-877-479-7466 or email info@gryphongolf.com
In the UK call 0800 622 6985 hholding@enet.cu
Varadero Golf Club & Xanadu Mansion
With a design that meets the highest international standards, the Varadero Golf Club has presently the only professional, 18-hole par golf course in Cuba. It is a par-72 course running 6,856 yards (6,269 meters) and features several salt water lakes that connect directly with the sea, a rare feature in golf course design. This is the first and (currently) only 18-hole Cuban golf course, designed by Canadian golf architect Les Furber (President of the Canadian company Golf Design Services Ltd. and also once an associate with Robert Trent Jones), which offers luxurious surroundings and an entertaining round of golf, both for beginners and experts. The course opened in 1998 and hosted two European Challenge Tour Grand Finals in 1999 and 2000. It is challenging yet extremely fair with wide fairways and few hidden hazards. The signature hole is the par-5 18th, which runs along the ocean with an elevated green protected by bunkers and with the wind sweeping in from the north. The course offers practice facilities with a driving range, two putting greens, a chipping green, and two practice bunkers.. Club rentals are available as well as a Golf Academy.
The course runs from the San Bernardino Hill, the highest point at Varadero beach, all the way down. On the hilltop is the clubhouse - the monumental Xanadu Mansion, former residence of multi millionaire Irenée Dupont de Nemours which has been refurbished strictly respecting its original construction in 1930. Upstairs is the Casa Blanca Panoramic Bar featuring cocktails and live music and a great view of the beach. The mansion has six guestrooms, each with private balconies, featuring 1920's classical furniture. Pure air, lush vegetation and peacefulness characterize the green and blue environment of the Varadero Golf Club, the grounds on which the Mansion Xanadu is set.
Varadero is Cuba's primary tourist destination, 120 kilometres (75 miles) from downtown Havana with a series of all-inclusive hotels stretching along the beachfront of the peninsula. The Varadero Golf Club caters almost exclusively to the hotels located along a 3.5 km resort strip along Varadero Beach. For more information visit www.varaderogolfclub.com
Palmares S.A.
Palmares is a Cuban organization supervised by the Ministry of Tourism. Palmares has developed over 1,000 projects throughout Cuba, including the Cabaret Tropicana, La Bodeguita del Medio, El Floridita and the Varadero Golf Course..
Habanos S.A.
Habanos is responsible for the manufacture, promotion, distribution, and export of Cuban cigars and other tobacco products worldwide. The word habanos means literally (something from Havana), and is the word used in the Spanish-speaking world for Havana cigars and, sometimes, cigars in general. Habanos S.A. owns the trademarks of every brand of Cuban-made cigars and cigarettes.
Esencia Hotels & Resorts, associated with Havana Holdings Group
Esencia Hotels & Resorts is a British company dedicated to the development of golf resorts and boutique hotels in Cuba. The company embraces mainly well known British brands such as Conran, PGADC, Savills and Camper & Nicholson.
For press enquiries please contact
North America: Dalia Blumenthal T. +1 416 926 1967 M. +1-416-788-4573 dalia@dbprinternational.com
Europe: Johnny Considine: T. +34 914262053 M. + 44 7793451652 Johnny@esenciahotelsandresorts.com
