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by Colm Gill
The Golf Police
New Year Tournament
Members of the Local Police, the National Police
force and La Guardia Civil of Marbella celebrated the end of 2001
and the entrance of 2002 in a sporting fashion in a New Year Tournament
organised by their colleague, Jesús Rubio.
Some thirty policemen gathered together on Saturday
29th December to play a Texas Scramble competition at the attractive
Cabopino course, which opened last summer, thanks to the director
Andreas Hagemann.
Meeting before dawn, the players could enjoy, not
only the golf, but also a day of splendid winter sunshine, and were
able to appreciate the magnificent views to the sea. The game was
lively and competitive, and Jeselu Gonzalez and Antonio Cuevas took
first prize with 55points.
Following the game, the golfers enjoyed an excellent
spread prepared by the clubhouse staff, and thanks to the generosity
of the many
sponsors, no player went home empty handed.
Flamingos Golf
The
latest 'Pay & Play' facility on the Costa
del Sol opened to the public this summer.
Flamingos Golf, after Cabopino and Santa Clara, is the third course
in 2001 to attempt to remain independent of surrounding real estate
developments and survive on its own two feet - perhaps, in the case
of Flamingos, that should read one foot !
Situated in Benahavis, close to El Paraíso,
Atalaya Park, Monte Mayor and Marbella Club Resort, Flamingos Golf
has been built around a natural lake, fed by the Taraje stream,
ensuring water comes into play on six of the eighteen holes. Although
not overlong, 5642metres from yellow tees, Antonio Garrido has added
a personal touch , together with many technical difficulties, to
an original course design by Chamberlain and .
Each hole is distinguished by distinct species
of trees; citrus, pines, olive, jacarandas and pomegranates that
will
all add definition to the fairways when mature, but, in the meantime,
various Roman statues decorate various sections of the course.
An
assortment of raised tees and greens will keep players on their
toes, while several large, severely undulating putting surfaces
mean pars cannot be carded until the ball is in the hole.
A public green fee price of 90,15 euros may mean
that Flamingos Golf is pitched at the upper end of the scale, but
those responsible seek to justify the price by matching the service
offered at a level with the exceptional Mediterranean and mountain
views enjoyed from many parts of the course.
THE PGA OF EUROPE FESTIVAL OF GOLF 2001
and more...
The PGA of Europe's links with Atalaya Park Golf Hotel and Resort,
which were first forged in 1995, have entered a new era with the
signing of a new 5 year agreement as Corporate Partners which creates
new opportunities for innovative joint ventures.
Between 2001 and 2006 the relationship between us will grow and
prosper as the outstanding golf, leisure and business facilities
of the hotel are utilised by the association, its 33 member PGAs
and their collective 12,000 individual club professionals.
This means that while, on official terms, the hotel
continues as the PGAE's Southern European Headquarters, in reality
it is regarded as the Association's "Winter Home". Set
alongside the recent signing also of a renewed 5-year Corporate
Partnership with the Costa del Sol Tourist Board, the PGAE's relationship
with the Costa del Golf could not be more amicable.
Among the major introductions will be the staging
of the second WORLD CONFERENCE OF PGAS as a key feature of the PGAE'S
2001 FESTIVAL OF GOLF. Delegates from the global community of PGAs
will meet to discuss those issues of essential importance to golf
at all levels for the present and in the years ahead.
Another development about which the PGAE is especially
pleased is the return of the annual INTERNATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
after a 2-year break. Wales will defend the title they took from
England in Tunisia last December against an increasingly strong
challenge from a field now drawn from all PGA's world-wide.
THE FESTIVAL OF GOLF WEEK will have as its climax
the GALA PRESENTATION DINNER, at which, along with the prize presentation
and other formalities the three winners of the 2001 Sunderland 5
Star Professional Awards and the Lindberg Bowl will be revealed.
A comprehensive DIRECTORS OF GOLF SEMINAR PROGRAMME
will also be staged during the week of activities as part of the
on-going opportunities presented by the PGA of Europe for the club
professional to increase his or her knowledge and expertise.
Shortly after the 2001 FESTIVAL OF GOLF and during
Atalaya Park's own two months programme of special events, a new
joint venture is being launched. This is an innovative departure
in the form of the inaugural DON MIGUEL BETTER-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
in mid-January. Also, to add to the escalating schedule of events,
an ADVANCED EDUCATION CONFERENCE is in the planning stage for a
date in February.
It has become more and more obvious with the growth
of communications in terms of the Internet and new publications
that relationships with the media are more than ever a fundamental
requirement in the modern world of the 21st Century. As part of
this recognition serious consideration is being given to the staging
of a CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE EUROPEAN GOLF MEDIA at Atalaya Park Golf
Hotel and Resort. Further details of this will be announced shortly.
The appointment in January 2001 of Señor
Jaime Ortiz-Patiño as President of the PGAE for a 2-year
term is proving another significant means of cementing relationships
with the Costa del Golf. Señor Patiño is established
by his actions as President, as a great champion of the club golf
professional, in addition to the very significant contribution
he has made to the tournament players.
Welcoming the renewal of the Corporate Partnership,
Sr. Gabriel Antico, General Manager of the Atalaya Park Hotel, commented
"Backed by the experience derived from our previous years,
both Atalaya Park and the PGAE can only achieve further mutual advantages
by continuing to work together in such a positive and productive
manner. The World Conference, the Better-Ball Championship and the
return of the Team Championship are outstanding examples of what
we can achieve. We are certain that further such worthwhile events
will follow during the next five-years of our agreement."
Further information available from:
The PGA of Europe, Centenary House, The Belfry,
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. B76 9PT. England
Tel:
+ 44 (0)
1675 477899 Fax: +44 (0) 1675 477890
E-mail:
pgae@netcomuk.co.uk Website: www.pgae.com
PGA of EUROPE 'IN THE NEWS' AS IT LAUNCHES WEB SITE
The PGA of Europe's new Website www.pgae.com has
gone on line with two News Releases of essential interest and importance
to all golfers.
Apart from being an online Notice Board for (and
an instant link to the web sites of) its 33 member country PGAs
and some 12,000 individual professionals, the web site contains
click-on links to a wide variety of companies in the golf industry
plus golfing topics of general interest.
Welcoming the launch of the web site, General Secretary,
Lawrence Thornton, commented: "We have held back for a while
in taking this step to examine trends and have now taken the decision
that a simple, easy-to-understand site is the one that will serve
us best.
"It gives us a shop window to display to the
entire on-line golfing community who we are, what we are and what
we do. We can, and will, update the contents on a regular basis
to keep it fresh and interesting while providing an information
service to our member PGAs and their individual members."
Further information available from:
The PGA of Europe, Centenary House, The Belfry,
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. B76 9PT. England
Tel:
+ 44 (0)
1675 477899 Fax: + 44 (0) 1675 477890
E-mail:
pgae@netcomuk.co.uk Website: www.pgae.com
Americans Go 1 Up
Ryder Cup fever has set in early at the Cádiz
course of Costa Ballena. One of the peculiarities of this José
María Olazábal-designed layout is that distance markers
all state distance to greens in both metres and yards. The reason
for the dual measurements is that the course is situated on the
Atlantic coast, just 8km (or 5 miles, if you prefer!) from the American
Naval Base at Rota. This being the case, the course is extremely
popular with American personnel from said base. With the Ryder Cup
matches only a couple of months away, the idea to stage a match
between the American Navy and representatives of the British military
stationed in Gibraltar was born. An indication of the seriousness
with which the challenge was taken is that, of the two sides of
fifty selected, the vast majority played off single handicaps. The
exact result is subject to the Official Secrets Act, but if the
the Yankee celebrations in the brand new Costa Ballena clubhouse
are anything to go by, the Americans scored a psychological victory
before the official matches take place at The Belfry this autumn.
Lucky For Some
The 13th golf course in the province of Cádiz
will be opened to the public at the end of June, 2001. CC Benalup
is situated on the outskirts of the Alcornocales Natural Park midway
between the six courses near Gibraltar and the other six courses
around the Costa de la Luz.
Benalup Country Club, an 18-hole, par 73 course,
is the first of three courses planned for construction in the La
Janda area by the Belgian Bernard Devos. Tranquility and nature
are two of the outstanding characteristics to be found at Benalup
as there are no plans for real estate developments within the complex.
More than 1,300 cork oaks and olive trees have been planted along
with 40,000 plants of other descriptions as well as 20,000 flower
bulbs. All the flora has been carefully selected by the landscape
department of the University of Geneva whose objective was to integrate
the course seamlessly into its surroundings so that each hole would
enjoy spectacular views over the surrounding countryside.
The course is situated within the municipal boundaries
of Benalup-Casas Viejas, a village of some 6,000 inhabitants situated
on the tourist routes of 'Ruta del Toro' and 'Ruta de los Pueblos
Blancos' and only 30 km from the sandy beaches of the Atalntic coast.
As a water saving measure, and to protect the autochthonous vegetation,
more than 55 tons of terracottem, a hydrogel that permits a reduction
in the usage of water and fertilisers as well as strengthening root-hold.
There are plans for a 230-room, five-star hotel to be ready during
2003.
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