Spain Golf

In celebration of 2023, La Hacienda Links Golf Resort has unveiled plans to improve the golf experience at the resort with a new investment programme.

La Hacienda will shift its attention to the Heathland golf course after a busy year during which it relaunched its renamed Links golf course following a significant restoration, opened a new clubhouse, and announced a new hotel expected to open in 2024.

Fairways on Holes 1 and 11 will be levelled to increase playability, lakes and bridges on Holes 8 and 9 will be cleaned and conditioned to their original form, and all buggy pathways will be repaired and resurfaced in addition to general redesign work like the relocation of the 18th hole.

A new intermediate clubhouse will be opened at the Links golf course later this year, and La Hacienda will launch a brand-new, state-of-the-art website in the coming months.

“2022 was a landmark year for the resort with the relaunch of our magnificent Links course and the opening of so many other new facilities. These are exciting times for La Hacienda and we look forward to introducing a number of additional enhancements to the experience we offer our guests in the coming months” said Javier Illán, President of Millennium Hospitality, owners of La Hacienda Links Golf Resort.

La Hacienda Links Golf Resort, located in the Costa del Sol and close to Sotogrande, had a successful year in 2022, thanks in large part to the renovation of the Links course as the flagship of its extensive reconstruction plan.

One of the most fascinating golf course projects of the year in Europe, American architect Kurtis Bowman reimagined the layout, which stretches along the seaside with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea.

Other than the greens, La Hacienda has undergone a number of renovations that have resulted in a brand new, state-of-the-art clubhouse, a brand new driving range and enhanced practice area, and a brand new "Sal Verde" beach bar and restaurant.

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The European Golf Pro Tour will hold the third of four tests in Spain at Lo Romero Golf on February 6-8. This circuit provides its participants with a wonderful competitive chance and often corresponds with the start of the season for most professional golfers.

Hacienda del Álamo Golf, Roda Golf, and La Serena Golf will host the other three events, all of which will count toward the World Amateur Golf Ranking and therefore be promoted as a fantastic development platform for a large number of amateur players.

This circuit has chosen for years the Spanish Costa Blanca, specifically Alicante and Murcia, to hold an interesting volume of events on its annual itinerary.

The circuit, which uses the winter months to take advantage of the pleasant Alicante weather, deliberately chooses to play its tests at facilities that offer high quality and course care so that players can live and compete in optimal conditions that allow them to face the season with the best guarantees, which is why Lo Romero Golf was selected as the venue.

This sets the European Golf Pro Tour apart from other professional circuits and is a big reason why so many pros and amateurs are looking forward to taking on the tour as their first serious test of the 2023 season. The fundamental goal of these competitions is to raise the profile of professional players and expand the number of tournaments they may compete in, so providing participants with valuable opportunities to gain expertise and familiarity with major tournament play.

Lo Romero golf course is situated in a natural basin in the Alicante town of Pilar de la Horadada, where the average annual temperature is 18 °C and there are more than 300 sunny days each year. A place to go if you want to experience the sea, the mountains, the sun, and, of course, golf, as well as other activities in stunningly beautiful natural settings, such the many hiking paths.

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The II Open de Barcelona, the first test of the Spanish professional circuit, will be played out at the Real Club de Golf El Prat once again in April. Located 25 minutes away from Barcelona, Real Club de Golf El Frat is one of the finest golf courses in Catalonia.

"This is fantastic news for golf in Spain, and on behalf of the Spanish PGA, I'd like to extend my gratitude to Pablo Larrazábal and Álvaro Velasco for their dedication to organising this tournament and their unwavering support of the national circuit and this event in particular”, says Ander Martinez, the president of the Spanish PGA.

"They embody the spirit of camaraderie, promoting the sport of golf, like many other PGA professionals, such as Chisco Lagarto, José Manuel Caballero, or Carlos Roca, among many others who have taken the circuit to their territories, enlarging the national circuit year after year", continues Ander Martinez.

The Barcelona Open is the result of Pablo Larrazábal's personal dedication to bringing it to his club, as well as the efforts of other pros like Álvaro Velasco, a former player on the European Tour, and the PGA of Spain.

Following last year's hugely successful national circuit, which featured nine tournaments at some of the best courses in Spain and Portugal to commemorate the Association's 50th anniversary, the PGA now faces the challenge of surpassing itself and further developing a more than consolidated circuit in the national male professional scene.

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1.2 million visitors visit Spain each year to play golf, of which 98.6% are from other EU countries. An estimated 11,183 million euros is generated annually by these visitors.

Golf tourism has grown to be a massive attraction for tourists from across the world. With 4.2 million registered golfers in Europe and roughly 1.2 million international tourists annually, Spain's annual tourism intake is not insignificant.

Around €4.64 billion is spent annually by these tourists, discounting the money they spend directly at golf clubs.

The multiplier effect of these direct expenditures on indirect and induced income increases the economic impact of tourism on Spain to 11,183 million euros. In addition, a foreign visitor who comes to Spain to practice this activity stays longer than the usual traveler, with a difference of 11.9 days compared to 7.4 days.

As a whole, the golf industry has a direct impact on the economy of around 5,418 million euros per year, of which 85.6% comes from tourist spending, while the other 14.4% corresponds to the billing of the courses themselves of golf.

RFEG president Gonzaga Escauriaza tells that "Spain is, in terms of golf tourism, the second most significant country in the world. Only behind the United States".

Since golf's peak seasons are in spring and fall, it's important to keep in mind that golf tourism is a seasonally adjusted sort of travel. In addition, this makes the activity more resilient in the face of economic fluctuations, promoting tourism in off-peak periods and not just in most holiday regions. This means that the arrival peak of these visitors to Spain is outside of the summer months of July and August, which helps to avoid the concentration of tourists during these periods.

The pandemic crisis had a significant impact on this activity, it is undeniable. According to data from the 2021 Sports Statistics Yearbook, the number of overseas visitors dropped from 1.08 million in 2019 to barely 310,700 in 2020. In addition, the number of people who took part in a round of golf while on vacation decreased by 53%.

Andalusia is without a doubt the leading golf tourism destination in Spain. With 94 golf courses, the autonomous community has the most golf course owners in all of the country.

However, eight of the nine most popular golf clubs in Spain are located between Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Mallorca. According to data given by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, European golfers prefer Spain (28.5%), Portugal (17%), and the United Kingdom (16%) as their preferred destinations.

The tourism industry and public governments are aware of this industry's economic potential, so, local governments are working harder to sponsor new tournaments and attract more visitors.

However, if there is an event that will attract visitors to Spain, it is the 2023 Solheim Cup, which expects to receive around 100,000 spectators, from various countries, especially from Europe. According to the organizers, the economic impact of this event is expected to be around €200 million.

Pedro Clares Neves, Sofia Sá and Ana Costa Rodrigues in the first eliminatory round of match play.

The Men's and Women's International Amateur Championships in Spain had today the first day of the match play phase, with the 64 participants of the stroke play phase facing each other in a total of 32 matches.

It was another good day for the Portuguese team that, after placing four of its five members in the second phase of the competition, qualified three of them for the round of 16: Pedro Clare Neves, Sofia Sá and Ana da Costa Rodrigues.

In the S.M. El Rey Cup, at the Sherry Golf Jerez, in Jerez de La Frontera (Costa de La Luz), the two Portuguese players in the qualifying round faced Swiss players, but with opposite results.

In a day with more wind and harder and faster greens, Pedro Clare Neves beat Marc Oliver Keller by 3/2, while Vasco Alves lost to Nicolas Gerhardsen, by 4/2.

He thus continued his good performance in the two rounds by strokes, finishing in 11th place, among 120 starting players.

Facing Keller, Pedro Clare Neves was never at a disadvantage. "At the beginning of the 9th hole, I was winning by only 1 after having lost the 7th and the 8th. But I won the 9th and went into the second round winning by 3/2", he explained.

In the round of 16, on Friday morning, he will face the Scotsman Rory Franssen, 161st in the world ranking.

In the S.M. La Reyna Cup, which takes place in Real Club Pinedo in Sevilla, the Portuguese players left two Spaniards behind, and, like Pedro Clare Neves, they were never at a disadvantage against their opponents.

Sofia Sá beat Violeta Fernandez-Tagle Muñoz, by 1up and Ana da Costa Rodrigues beat Paula Martin Sampedro, the winner of the stroke play phase.

Today, in the round of 16, Sofia Sá will measure forces with France's Carla de Troia, while Ana da Costa Rodrigues has a duel with Spain's Claudia Lara Miravittilles.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Abama Golf, located in Tenerife, has been recognized as one of Europe's greatest golf facilities by Golf Digest.

According to the journal, Abama Golf was once again recognized as a top destination for golfers and enthusiasts in its most recent ranking of twenty-seven courses, which placed it at number one out of the entire continent. Among the best rated are others located in France, Portugal, Italy, the Czech Republic, Russia, Denmark, Germany, Azerbaijan, Finland, Norway, and Greece, with Golf Digest having a separate selection for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“Each year we intensify our efforts to maintain the quality standards of Abama Golf, because we know that it is an indisputable claim to attract visitors who see this complex as an ideal space to practice this sport, so we are flattered that a specialized and demanding publication as Golf Digest recognizes this place once again as an essential destination to practice this sport", affirms Brendan Breen, manager of Abama Golf.

Among golfers, the course created by Dave Thomas has established itself as one of the best in the world.

“Here, practicing golf is an unforgettable experience because it is accompanied by an environment where nature is the main protagonist: the Atlantic Ocean and the exuberant vegetation are one more incentive for lovers of this sport, who will combine their favorite practice with an idyllic stay in Tenerife. That is why our commitment to the sustainability of the territory is total", adds Breen.

Abama Resort, in Guía de Isora, in fact, is already an excellent attraction for those who seek to complement sport and leisure. With the five-star holiday complex Las Terrazas de Abama, which has one hundred and fifty suites with one to four bedrooms, plus the recently incorporated Los Jardines de Abama, with extraordinary luxury tourist villas, it brings together a complete tourist, sports, and gastronomic experience. In addition, it is developing through Abama Luxury Residences the promotion and sale of apartments, plots and luxury villas with spectacular views of the golf course and the sea. It is a unique environment for those who decide to bet on this destination as a second home.

The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final backed by The R&A will return to Alcanada Golf Course, located in Majorca in 2022, having previously held the event in 2019, which saw Italy's Francesco Laporta win the Rolex Grand Final and the Road to Mallorca Rankings double.

The final event of this year's 'Road to Mallorca' programme will take place from 3-6 November 2022 with players looking to secure one of the coveted twenty DP World Tour cards for 2023.

"We are absolutely delighted to be hosting the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final with the support of The R&A again in 2022. It was a great success the first time it was here in 2019, and we are looking forward to having all the players and fans here once again," indicates Kristoff Both, Director of Golf at Alcanada Golf Course.

"The course has looked brilliant all year and we know it will be the same in November 2022, so we can see the best possible golf from these talented players. We thank the European Challenge Tour for the honour of hosting such an event again," adds Both.

Historically, the European Challenge Tour has produced a host of golfing stars, including 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn, 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson and two-time Ryder Cup player Tommy Fleetwood.

The mayor of Llanes, Enrique Riestra, and the city's councillor for sports, Iván García, were welcomed by Alfredo Álvarez, president of the Golf Federation of the Asturias, and Borja del Campo, manager, as well as Gonzaga Escauriaza, president of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, and Juan Guerrero-Burgos, general secretary, at the federation's facilities to assess the state of the Municipal Course of Llanes.

Riestra spoke about his plans to modernize the facilities, including pertinent measures, such as the installation of solar panels to charge electric vehicle batteries and the refurbishment of both the offices and the maintenance warehouse, with European funds.

These measures are being taken to finalise the agreement signed by the three institutions, making it possible for the Llanes Municipal Course to host national and international competitions, as well as gatherings of the various technical committees of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and territorial federations.

Located on a favourable plateau 100 metres above sea level between the Cantabrian Sea and the Picos de Europa mountains, the Llanes Municipal Golf Course opened to the public in 1989, making it the third such course in Spain. The Llanes golf course, located just three kilometres from the heart of Llanes, has become a premier golf holiday destination in the North of Spain, drawing praise for its inclusive programming and welcoming atmosphere for golfers of all ages.

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Following a final day on the El Encin Golf course in Alcalá de Henares that was made more difficult by the wind, the Danish golfer Rasmus Lot was crowned champion of the XV Daikin Madrid Open of Adapted Golf of the Madrid Golf Federation.

As expected, Lot, one of the tournament favorites, won after scoring two rounds of 75 (150, +6 over par) and surpassing Swedish Johnny Granberg, who finished in second place with a score of 155. Besides that, Felipe Herránz shot a 164 and was named champion of Madrid.

"Every year, the number of golf enthusiasts in the Community of Madrid grows, and the stakes are raised with each test we host. This competition, which features some of the top disabled players in the world, is proof of that”, as stated by Ignacio Guerras, head of the Madrid Golf Federation.

Golf's ability to unite and include people of all ages and abilities in its sporting community was on display at the Daikin Madrid Open. More than a hundred of the world's greatest players with various impairments competed in the tournament.