Golf Developments in Spain | An Ever Growing Industry

Golf Son Muntander, Mallorca Ladies Open, Spain

An Update On Spain’s Golf Industry

In this article, we will take a look at some of the developments in Spain’s golf sector, such as: Events; investments, innovation, renovations, and social actions.

Ladies European Tour – Mallorca Ladies Open

The Ladies European Tour added a new tournament to the schedule. The Golf Son Muntander Ladies Open will be played at Golf Son Muntander . This will be the 13th high-level golf event in Spain this year.

Other events played in Spain: Solheim Cup; Junior Solheim Cup; Open de España (DP World Tour); Andalusia Challenge Cádiz, Challenge de España, Challenge Tour Final Mallorca (Challenge Tour); La Sella Open, Andalusia Costa Del Sol Open de España, Mallorca Ladies Open (Ladies European Tour); 5 Alps Tour Events

A Golf Tournament in Costa Del Sol and Madrid , at the same time

Chaparral Golf Club from in Costa Del Sol and the Centro Nacional de Golfe from Madrid joined forces in the development of a unique event. A virtual golf tournament was held at the same time at both facilities.

The tournament took place in the academy of both clubs, thanks to Toptracer. Thanks to their technology, participants were able to experience golf in a high-fidelity virtual environment, simulating the Old Course at St Andrews, for many the most iconic golf course in Europe.

Players from a variety of golf clubs came together to celebrate the shared vision of advancing the sport’s evolution at the event. In addition, authorities from Mijas Town Hall gave their support to the event at Chaparral Golf Club, underscoring its importance to the community support of the sport in general.

Golf Courses Under Renovation

Mataleñas Golf course in Santander, northern Spain, is under renovation. The project aims to improve the overall visitor experience. All greens, bunkers, and short game areas of the course will be tackled. The driving range roof and lighting will also be renovated. The work should be concluded by next spring.

La Rasa de Berbes Golf, in Asturias, finished the renovation of the green on the back 9.

Getting Into a New Trend

The opening of ‘Calma’, a new lounging area located on the 9th green to the 10th tee of the Links course at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort. It gives golfers the opportunity to sit back and enjoy spectacular uninterrupted views of the Mediterranean, Gibraltar, and the distant North African coastline while enjoying a delicious menu based on local Andalusian produce.

Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. for golfers and 8:00pm to midnight for the general public. The new facility, built using the best bioclimatic practices and sustainable materials with a near-zero carbon footprint, offers a selection of freshly made tapas, snacks, and desserts for players to enjoy as well as inviting members and visitors to pause for fifteen minutes before continuing their rounds.

Should more courses follow suit?

Jon Rahm’s Golf Garden

Jon Rahm, a reference in Spanish, European and world golf, has inaugurated ‘El Jardín del Golf’, a recreational facility for children and adolescents admitted to the Niño Jesús University Hospital in Madrid.

This new golf space is in one of the outdoor patios of this hospital. Measuring approximately eight hundred square meters. It houses four holes with different designs and slopes that include, thanks to the use of materials of different textures, simulated lakes and bunkers to make the golfing experience as real as possible.

The new ‘Golf Garden’ of the Hospital Universitario Niño Jesús, was built entirely with artificial grass that requires minimal maintenance, is completed with a six-hole putting green where you can also make real strokes with a putter.

Jon Rahm at Golf Garden in Madrid, Spain

Book your golf holidays in Spain with Tee Times Golf Agency and enjoy spain’s best golf courses

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Spain Golf – Solheim Cup 2023 has already sold 82.000 tickets

Solheim Cup. Solheim Cup 2023 in Spain has a big impact on the country's economy

Solheim Cup has many positive effects in Spain’s economy

Arturo Bernal, the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sports for the Junta de Andalucia, went to Finca Cortesin, in the Costa del Sol, to see for himself how the Solheim Cup 2023 is being prepared.

82.000 tickets have already been sold for the event, which takes place from September 18th to 24th, and the organisers expect a full house. Bernal said, “We’re going to see a show that will stay with us forever, and its effects are already being felt on every level”.

Some changes have been made to the course’s path so that it can meet the needs of the Solheim Cup. The new hole 1 makes it possible to build a platform that can hold 3,000 people. This will let fans get very close to the golfers.

The counsellor thinks that the Solheim Cup will bring in 200 million euros from the media. “We also think that the direct and secondary effects will add up to about 300 million euros. We’re talking about a global impact of about 500 million euros, with an event that will not only make Andalusia and Malaga a place of reference but also create a new icon of golf courses around the world”, he said, referring to Finca Cortesin.

Bernal also wanted to point out that the drought was especially hard on the Junta de Andalucia and the golf industry. In this way, he said, “80% of the golf clubs in Andalusia use recycled water to water their greens. And the rest that can’t, are watering their plants with non-potable water.

Book your golf holidays in the Costa del Sol with Tee Times Golf Agency and play on some of the best golf courses in the world.

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Spain Golf – The impact of golf in Spain’s economy

Valderrama Golf. Golf in Spain has a big impact on the country's economy

Huge economic impact of golf in Spain

Spain is the most popular place golf holiday destination for European golfers. This is because golf brings in more than 1.2 million visitors from other countries every year. Golf in Spain brings in almost 13 billion euros and supports more than 12.000 direct and indirect jobs.

Both the average daily spending and the average length of stay are higher than normal for this segment.

Of the slightly more than four million registered players in Europe, more than a quarter come to play golf in Spain. The country is also a leader in the organization of international professional tournaments in continental Europe.

The main markets for golf in Spain are the British, Swedish, German and Irish. Costa del Sol, Madrid, and Costa Dorada reap the greatest economic benefits by being Spain’s main golf holiday destinations.

Luis Nigorra, president of the Spanish Association of Golf Courses, indicates that 2018 and 2019 were the best years for golf in Spain. The 1.2 million tourists who came to Spain to play golf in 2018 generated almost 10 million green fees.

“In 2022, although there is still no complete data, the volumes of foreign players prior to the pandemic recovered, and so far in 2023 the trend continues, which has allowed the billing figures to improve”, says Nigorra.

Golf impacts the Spanish economy by more than 5,400,000,000 euros annually. If the indirect and induced effects are factored in, the number jumps to about 13 billion.

In terms of jobs, the direct, indirect, and induced effects add up to more than 14,000 full-time jobs, 95% of which are permanent. However, more than 121,000 jobs are created due to the money that players spend on their golf holidays. In total, there are more than 121.000 jobs.

“The busiest times are in March-April and October-November, outside of the high season of July-August, which contributes to seasonally adjust the profile of tourism”, says Nigorra.

Book your golf holidays in Spain with Tee Times Golf Agency and play on some of the best golf courses in Europe.

You can also read other posts about Golf in Spain:
Sotogrande officially declared as the best golf destination in Spain
Golfer Ana Peláez is the new ambassador of Finca Cortesin
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