The newest residential resort in the Caribbean Basin isn’t quite like any of the others. It starts with the new St. Regis itself, a development with 143 residences ranging from two to five bedrooms, amenities like a beach club and grill, a St Regis bar, a spa and a private owners’ club. 

It’s instantly the most luxurious resort project in Costa Rica, set on the country’s stunning Papagayo peninsula, at the cutting edge of what luxury travelers are looking for in the wider region right now. 

That includes the golf offering, anchored by a course that’s unlike any other in the Caribbean Basin. It’s designed by by one of the biggest names in course architecture right now: Agustin Piza, who is creating something rather special indeed.

Piza is the pioneer of what’s called “Wellness Golf,” a new approach to the game he created back in 2017, and now he’s bringing it to Costa Rica.

The idea, Piza says, is to “take your shoes off, connect with nature, look around and enjoy the 360 degrees that nature has to offer. It’s the stop and smell the coffee concept.”

“Wellness golf is all about connecting with nature,” he told Caribbean Journal. “We’re too busy all the time with technology and regular golf. We’re busy looking at our score, looking at our handicaps. So it was time to unlearn golf as we know it.”

The formula is relatively simple: a 500-yard-long, nine-hole short course that you can play either in a linear nine, or a circuit of six and then three, or three circuits of three. It’s casual and accessible, equally enjoyable for the avid golfer and the novice looking for a fun afternoon with the family. 

“There’s not necessarily a rule book to this,” he says. 

There’s also the concept of “The Pit,” which is a large putting green accompanied by fire pits, where you can “listen to music and have drinks and food.” 

Golf has been exploding in popularity since the pandemic, and while that’s included sizzling demand for traditional 18-hole golf, it’s also extended to more accessible, family-friendly concepts like Top Golf and Popstroke (and even TGL), which can take the pure concepts of golf and make it entertaining for a bigger audience. 

“That’s the point of wellness golf,” Piza says. “It’s the well-being of everything, the earth, ourselves, the land, the experience. You don’t have to spend more than 90 minutes here. So your’e out there enjoying a family vacation, or a couple’s retreat, and you’re not going to be out there six hours on a golf course.

But the course, which is targeting a late 2026 opening, is also extremely sustainable, with a smaller footprint and a focus on achieving more with less space.. In fact, while it’s set on nine acres, it has only four acres of grass, meaning less water consumption, less grass overall and less grassing maintenance. 

That’s something that could be a model for future golf course development in the Caribbean, mindful of the region’s resource challenges and pristine natural landscapes.

“We’re very lucky that we have our client at St. Regis Papagayo where they care for nature, they care for the environment,” he says. “Wellness golf is a replicable concept, and I know that the St. Regis Papagayo is going to be a perfect example for other developments in the future.”

The St. Regis Papagayo, which is being represented by Waypoint Real Estate, is anticipating a December 2026 launch. 

For more, contact Michael Kalb at michaelk@wptrealestate.com.