Andalucía boasts over 60 superb courses making this a
glorious region for golfers
Andalucía
is the size of Portugal or Denmark. It is the southernmost region
of Spain and home to flamenco music and the birthplace of Picasso.
Orson Welles is said to be buried here, in Ronda, and many modern-day
stars choose to live amongst the historic and contrasting landscapes
which are overlain to produce a twentieth century mosaic.
Throughout its history Andalucía has been invaded by various
cultures – Phoenicians, Romans, Moslems, Jews, Christians – the
evidence of which is written all over this rich land, from the
Alhambra in Granada and the Jewish quarter in Cordoba, to the
prehistoric caves in Nerja and the 308-foot tower of La Giralda
belonging to Seville’s cathedral.
In modern times the "invaders" are perhaps more civilised
as they descend upon Andalucía in search of sun, relaxation,
beautiful scenery, exotic culture, wonderful food and wines and,
more and more frequently, golf.
The southern region of Spain is where the 1997 Ryder Cup was played
and there can be no doubt that the successful campaign to bring
the match to Andalucía opened up enormous possibilities
for the region.
Seen from the UK, Sweden, Germany and the United States, the Ryder
Cup came to southern Spain, which immediately raised Andalucía’s
status and turned it into a privileged destination. Last year’s
Amex World Championships, on the same course as the Ryder Cup,
Valderrama, at Sotogrande, in the province of Cadiz, consolidated
this position. In addition, the Volvo Masters has been played
in the region for many years, in the past at Valderrama too, and
for the fifth time this year at Montecastillo in Jerez
de la Frontera, also in the province of Cadiz.
As a golfing resort area, Andalucía climbs the world ranking
of regions known for the richness, variety and quality of their
golf installations and facilities. That is good for everyone.
The golf sector in Andalucía directly generates more than
48,000 million pesetas annually. This income derives from green
fees, other expenditure at the golf clubs (club hire, buggy rental
etc.), accommodation, food and drink and so on.
In 1996 1,600,000 rounds of golf were played and more than one
thousand tournaments contested. The game of golf is a fundamental
aspect of Andalucía’s tourist industry and the positive
effects are generating massive investments too.
The arrival of the Ryder Cup provided the impetus for greater
efforts to improve the product of golf tourism in the region and
this area of the economy has revived to such an extent that capital
investment is being ploughed into the region to an unprecedented
extent, to provide new and better facilities and keep up with
the tremendous demand generated.
Investment is also being made in the real estate sector, where
golfing properties flourish, and in tourist accommodation. In
Estepona the five star Las Dunas opened in February 1996,
along with the Diana Park Hotel.
Marbella’s El Fuerte has added an extra one hundred rooms and
the Marbella Club has been rebuilt. Marriott have developed a
new resort next to Marbella’s Don Carlos Hotel and, further west,
the Kempinski chain has built a luxury hotel in Estepona. Las
Dunas is also expanding, and apartments are available at the hotels
for those who wish for a permanent residence with all the amenities
of a hotel. New hotels are in the pipeline, for instance a luxury
establishment at Puerto Banus with a 17,000 million peseta investment.
Many golf courses have been extended and cleaned up and the influence
of the 1997 Ryder Cup is still reverberating far and wide: to
the Atlantic shores of Cadiz and the eastern province of Almeria.
All this activity is accompanied by a marked revival in the private
real estate sector.
Ultimately
visiting golfers are benefiting enormously from the positive steps
the region has been taking over recent years to improve golf courses,
hotel deals and infrastructure. Look out Florida! The effects
of the "Andalucian" Ryder Cup will continue to be felt
for a long time to come, and along with the 1997 European team,
Andalucía emerged from the fray victorious, having had
the opportunity to shine under the glare of the spotlight as images
were transmitted live to over 500 million homes.
More than 30 per cent of Spain’s golf courses are to be found
in Andalucía, that is over 60, with more on the way. In
support, over one hundred hotels offer the game to their clients
as a matter of course.
Some have their own layouts while others have created packages
with the clubs, offering accommodation with green fees included
or discounted green fees. Andalucía’s golf season runs
from October to May and generally speaking prices are lower during
the summer months. The fact that it is possible to play all year
round, because of the mild climate, is probably the number one
attraction of golf in Andalucía but others come high on
the list too. The golf courses are beautifully designed and set
amidst glorious natural countryside, with ancient olive and oak
trees often being incorporated into the landscaping rather than
uprooted.
Another enticement for amateur golfers, whether resident or holidaying,
is that they may well find themselves rubbing shoulders with famous
professionals, who come here not only to play in top tournaments
but also to practise their game.
And the sport continues to gain in popularity. No sooner is a
new course opened than the players are queuing up to join the
club or book a game.
Selected courses in Almeria, Granada… Golf Almerimar (Tel: 950 497 451), in El Ejido, in the
province of Almeria – the sunniest one – opened in 1976 and is
located between the mountains and the sea. It is a resort complex
with its own hotel – Golf Hotel Almerimar (Tel: 950 497 050) –
apartments and a marina. Five holes feature water and the short
12th is the most spectacular with its green marooned
in the centre of a lake.
Granada province is replete with stark contrast. Golf is found
in Las Gabias, where Granada Golf (Tel: 958 584 436) extends
over rolling countryside, and at Los Moriscos (Tel: 958 825 527),
which is a nine-hole layout five miles from Motril. The hotels
Rallye (Tel: 958 272 800), Saray (Tel: 958 130 009) and Salobreña
(Tel: 958 610 261) all have special rates for visiting golfers.
…Cordoba,
Seville and Huelva Cordoba boasts Pozoblanco (Tel: 957 339 003),
which was Spain’s first municipal golf course. It has nine holes
which follow the contours of the Cabezoliva Nature Reserve. The
Hotel San Francisco (Tel: 957 101 435) is closest to the club.
Nearer to the city and situated in an area teeming with wildlife,
the Club de Campo de Cordoba (Tel: 957 350 208) has developed
local rules to deal with animal interlopers. Hotel Las Adelfas
(Tel: 957 277 240) is among several which offer accommodation
with green fees included.
The people of Seville also enjoy their golf, which has long been
established here. There are several excellent clubs to choose
from. Real Club de Golf de Sevilla (Tel: 95 412 4301) was
designed by José María Olazábal. The course
is easy to walk and over 12,000 trees were planted when it was
developed so there is plenty of shade. The multi-facility clubhouse,
which includes stables to cater to the equine mad Andalusians,
is ideal for relaxing after a round of golf. A number of Meliá
Group hotels offer special rates for golfers.
Huelva, Andalucía’s westernmost province, has a curious
golfing history. At the end of the nineteenth century golf was
first played in mainland Spain by the miners at the Ríotinto
mines. The Golf Club Corta Atalaya at Ríotinto dates
from that time although the nine-hole layout seen there today
is more recent. Islantilla Golf (Tel: 959 486 039) is a
27-hole club that forms part of an impressive complex including
the four star Confortel Islantilla (Tel: 959 486 017). The PGA
European Tour gave their seal of approval to the Canales-Recasens
design when they bought the 1995 Turespaña Masters Open
de Andalucía to Islantilla’s parkland layout, and the Challenge
Tour and Spanish Federation have also taken tournaments there.
The Swedish Golf Federation uses Islantilla as the permanent base
for its Winter Golf School and the Danish national golf team spent
a recent winter training here. Just down the road, with 18 holes
in play, water featuring in no fewer than 11 of them, is Isla
Canela (Tel: 959 471 288), almost in Portugal.
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