Troon & the non-golf Santa Ana Country Club


By: August 6, 2018


The latest new business win of Troon Privé is probably the first time when I hear from them about winning an assignment of a non-golf country club. The Santa Ana Country Club (in San Jose, Costa Rica) is a new, non-golf country club currently under development by Garnier & Garnier.

With a total investment of approximately $50 million from Costa Rican partners, Santa Ana is the most innovative country club in the country in 40 years.

It is the only club that has included sustainability criteria from its design and construction stages and the first private project to receive the Bandera Azul Ecological (PBAE) Category XV: Sustainable Construction recognition for the construction phase. Of its eight hectares, seven will be preserved for the enjoyment of nature and recreation.

The club will be operated by Troon Privé, the private club operating division of Troon.

Troon & the non-golf Santa Ana Country Club

Santa Ana Country Club is scheduled to open in the next six months and will provide members with exceptional food and beverage, aquatics, racquet sports, fitness and social connections.

The club has allocated 90 percent of its property to green areas with 1.6 miles of trails for walking, running, or cycling; and a Dog Park.

Santa Ana Country Club will include:

  • 3 swimming pools, including an eight-lane semi-Olympic pool;
  • tennis,
  • volleyball,
  • squash,
  • and soccer courts,
  • as well as exclusive playgrounds and indoor areas for children and teenagers.

In addition, the clubhouse will also feature:

  • 2 high-definition golf simulators,
  • a putting green,
  • and a 10,000 square-foot fitness and wellness facility with spinning, yoga, and Pilates, as well as a massage area.
  • the club will include four environments for unique culinary experiences (a sports bar, a coffee bar, casual and formal restaurants), a business center (4 meeting rooms) and rooms for social events.

Needless to say, that Santa Ana Country Club members will enjoy access to extraordinary golf and lifestyle benefits around the world, including reciprocal access to other private clubs in the Troon Privé portfolio and tee times at Troon Golf-managed resort and daily facilities around the world through the Troon Advantage program.

Here are some interesting facts about Costa Rica:

  • The direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP was CRC1,485.6bn (USD2.7bn), 5.1% of total GDP in 2016 and is forecast to rise by 3.7% in 2017, and to rise by 4.7% pa, from 2017-2027 to CRC2,443.7bn (USD4.5bn), 5.7% of total GDP in 2027.
  • Travel & Tourism generated 110,000 jobs directly in 2016 (5.2% of total employment) and this is forecast to grow by 2.1% in 2017 to 112,000 (5.2% of total employment). This includes employment by hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services  (excluding commuter services). 
  • FocusEconomics is expecting GDP to grow 3.4% in 2018, and 3.5% in 2019.
  • The population is only 5 million people.
  • The unemployment rate was 9.3% in 2017.
  • The OECD says restoring sustainable public finances has become more urgent.