Golf Charity Tournament at Hacienda Iguana Golf & Beach Club Nicaragua

Charity Golf Tournament at Hacienda Iguana Golf & Beach Club in Nicaragua performs a "Threepeat!"

Less than one week has gone by and I have had some time to reflect as to what made this charity golf tournament so special...

Was it the amount of money raised for the Iguana Primary School?
This year we just were shy of the $8,000 goal in a climate hard hit by political and economic circumstances. But still we had a bidding war on the Iguana Golf membership that alone raised $2,100!

Was it the great golf groupings?
Nine teams competed and not one single team was far behind first place. Last place was only a few strokes away from first place and there was only a stroke’s difference between the two first place teams and the third place!


Was it our first sudden death on the short par 3 "Play off hole" with a meager par winning it?
The answer was an 8 foot par put by team Nejapa's captain Bernard Pierson...calm and cool under pressure and not choking! It was the home grown Nicaraguan team "Nejapa" taking first place over the Danish team that took first place the first year and came in last in 2008


Or was it simply because Team Monkey Bar took 3rd place with one stroke’s difference from the winning team?

I keep saying to myself one putt less and we could have...oh well smiles and grins now!

After all the festivities I ran into little Julian, his brother and two friends walking down one of the roads in Iguana with a baseball glove in his hand and I asked him who was the best player, only to get a quick response "YO (Me)!" Then I realized it was Julian and his little group of buddies that attended Iguana’s Primary School and they were the reason why we had made this event. Now I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. I quickly asked what position Julian played and he responded "Fielder" and then I asked his brother and you? "Fielder" again was the response...well then what about your two little amigos? Julian answered for them, "They will be good someday!" We have provided a chance for them to all make something for themselves someday! Thanks to our friends in Costa Rica, our friends living in Iguana, our Danish friends and our friends from Managua!

I recall the first year I got the trophy for the worst golfer or perhaps I like to look at it as "needs most improvement!" I also recall last year the team from Denmark also got that award and now they took 2nd place.

This will be one to remember. I will remember that trophies are not as important as the memories they hold and the purposes they served!

Surf Shots & oh ahh... a big sorry!

OK blogger followers of Iguana,

I owe you an apology! I do a couple of cool blogs from Flamingo Marina Resort and boy do I hear it from you Iguana fans....hey Ulrik "What about Iguana Beach, the golf tournament, and how has the surfing been?"

I will point out my heart is always with Iguana! I met my wife there! We feel in love there. One might say that I saw it from the very beginning much like a father sees a child in from its birth to its diapers and then lately I have seen it off to college!

But in all honesty and my defense for Flamingo, I have to say for those that do not know I was raised in Flamingo! In fact I went to the local school in Brasilito for sixth grade (officially, I can now tell you I was supposed to be in 7th grade, please do not call up my high school and get my credits reversed...it is not like I am Eliot Spitzer!) So yeah I also have a true love for Flamingo. It too went off to college and now I am home to supervise its new marriage!

Ok back to Iguana...Tony Robert sent me these shots for you surfers to wet your whistle and give me a chance to get an update on the Golf Tournament!!!

Iguana's New Family Member & Condo Tour...

Dear Iguana Owner, Member, and Fan;


Allow me to introduce our newest family member Mr. Eric Blau! Eric has an impressive background in the hospitality industry and he is well known to us as the manager from the competition down the hill here in Flamingo. Eric worked at our competitors hotel in The Flamingo Beach Resort for ten years. He also has worked for ten years with Ecoplaya Resort and two years with The Tabacon Resort. We are glad to have Eric on board and the experience he brings to the table can only add to our Iguana Management group!


Eric...I will definitely take pointers from you and welcome on board!

To contact Eric Blau please email him at:
eric@haciendaiguana.com


Villa Rio Dulce Condos are on line!
They are now available and ready to rent!
I have added this virtual tour for you to enjoy....
World class surfing,
challenging golf,
and relaxing in this condo...
just watch....you will see....


Please let us know what you think of the virtual tour...write us at:
tim@flamingomarina.com
or yours truly....
ulrik@haciendaiaguana.com


This weekend are we having our Managua Invitational Golf Tournament! I will follow up with a story and great shots as usual.

Nica Times blows wide open Nicaragua's best kept secret!

Iguana Golf Course made the front page & page two yesterday in the Nica Times and what an article it was!

The first golf course to open on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua officially opened just slightly over two years ago, but unfortunately as a friend once told me, "Ulrik do you realize that this place is Nicaragua's best kept secret!?" Well with a great article from Tim Rodgers the secret is no longer a secret and who could blame him. A round of golf for a member is still only $10! Compared to the other golf courses in the neighboring Guanacaste at over $100 for green fees, I am wondering what am I going to do after tonight's soccer match between Costa Rica & Mexico?!?

The article lifted my spirits so much in fact, I said to my wife I am packing my golf bag tonight and we are headed to Iguana first thing in the morning. From Flamingo Beach, it is an easier drive and far more pleasant trip to Iguana Beach rather than driving from Flamingo to San Jose and from Dagmar's point of view she does not mind the shops on the duty free side of the Nicaraguan border as they have got great perfumes, chocolates and even great deals on liquors. Upon our arrival we will be greeted by the staff with open arms and whisked off to our luxury condo right on the beach.

The newly opened and now renting, Villa Rio Dulce, condominiums is in front of the famous surf break of the Colorado River.... yet another soon to be lost secret in Hacienda Iguana!

Be sure to go out and get your Nica Times & Tico Times paper to read more about the golf course!

Golf Tournament in Nicaragua goes for an all time high!! 2008 Iguana Beach

Seldom we are able to see or are we even given the opportunity to see a good deed done in one day, yet twice…more you say? Well I can say I saw more than one good deed was done in one day on the golf course! What is this good deed? One good deed was the charity golf tournament, which raised over $6,780 for Iguana’s Children School. The 2008 Iguana Pro-Am hosted over 11 teams from differing countries. The winning team was yours truly, but that is insignificant compared to the good deeds done. We had a gentleman whose wife had knee surgery and yet he told his favorite golf professional Manuel Morera that when the dates are set pencil him in!



“Where did Mr. Roger Martin come from?” I asked. “All they way from Belgium!” Manuel said.



Ok great to say someone came from Europe to play again in our tournament. What else can you come up with…Ulrik?




Did I mention that on the winning team there as a 9 year old girl, Daniela Gutierrez whose mom saved up her hard earned cash in these trying days to come all the way up from Costa Rica with her little sister to participate in her very first tournament?




Did I mention that the winner of the closest to the pin was Canadian home grown and raised Sherri Eve Grbavac from Rancho Santana? Sherri also played on the winning team…”Team Iguana UNO!”




Did I mention we had a player from Panama ride 8 hours on a “Tica Bus” from Costa Rica to make the tournament? Juan Carlos Chavez was on “Team Costa Rica” (A.KA. Team Pinilla), by the way that team won second place.





Did I mention the staff worked until 1 AM on Saturday morning to make sure everything was set in place for a smooth tournament? A special thanks goes out to all whom worked so hard to make it such a great success along with our sponsors and patrons.

Did I mention an amateur won longest drive from Team Nihapa in Managua? Pancho Caledron with a 25 handicap and not a scratch player took home that trophy along with a bottle of 18-year-old rum.






Just when I felt like all those warm fuzzies were done and awards being handed out and the top raffle prize of a lifetime membership going out to Thomas Kirkvang from Team Vamos Group in Iguana, then Thomas did the most amazing thing! He asked me for the microphone and announced his prize of a $10,000 golf membership would be auctioned off right there on the spot with the proceeds going to the school benefit! For $1,850 the membership went to his buddy Soren Hasholt of Vamos Group!!!


OK…So now the original amount of $6,780 just broke last year’s fundraiser with Thomas’ generous feat along with Soren barking his final offer! $8,630 is the total amount raised for Iguana Children’s School. I cannot have dreamed a more Walt Disney fundraiser type event!!! I am proud of this event and all of our friends whom helped make this dream a reality! Thanks to everyone!!!

Pro Am Golf Tournament Next Week November 21 and 22!

Local Elections, Roads, Heavy Rains, & Golf Tournament!!!

While the economy splutters along and the U.S. elections are around the corner, the finger pointing continues and the blame game goes on! But this one is clearly on Mother Nature! Heavy rains have caused power outages, road blockages, and communication breakdowns for most of the Central American pacific coastline. The state of the roads between the mountains in San Jose and Puntarenas (Costa Rica) forced many travelers back to where they came from.

Back on the ranch finally power was restored on Saturday evening here in Iguana. We were without power, access, or even communications for over two days. "TD 16" is what the weatherperson blamed here locally. Tropical Depression #16 was the most rain I have ever seen in this region in less than 24 hours in the entire past 4 years of living here and 12 years in Costa Rica! The rain gauge only registers 6.5 inches at its maximum capacity and by 7 am on Friday morning it was already overflowing. I called to the golf cart barn to send the tractor to pick me up so I could assess the damage. They say Katrina was bad, fortunately this time around there was no loss of human life. My head of security that dared to venture out past the rivers tells me that the roads are being repaired today.

The good news it that the golf course drainage once again held up remarkably and with less than four weeks to go the 2nd ever golf tournament it is still a green light! We still have room in the tournament for individuals or teams to sign up! Please contact us if you have not already done so. The trophies and awards are here in the pro-shop and available for your viewing and serve to tease those of us whom long to take one home!