Created by former military officer Vicente Pitarch Ortiz, who went on to become a successful real estate developer, Lauro Golf was inaugurated in 1992 in a stunning natural environment surrounded by olive trees and holm oaks. Right from the beginning the design of the complex, located in Alhaurín de la Torre municipality, was based on respect for the environment and nature. The objective was not only to safeguard the life of each and every one of the pre-existing, centuries-old holm oaks but also to maintain 12,000 trees planted in subsequent years, the majority of them indigenous to Andalucía. Such was the transformation and growth during this period that it is sometimes difficult to recognise the current holes from their original layouts.
As for the fauna, all it takes is a walk around the course to notice the wonderful diversity of birds, ducks and geese that freely return every year to Lauro Golf, as well as the rabbits, hares, shrews and other animals residing there permanently.
As Carlos Pitarch, son of the founder and the current club general manager, recalls, when the course was built it was – in spite of its relative proximity to the coast – “in the back of beyond” due to the poor road conditions existing at the time. “It was an inland course, authentically inland, but the plot of land was flat and it was designed to facilitate walking, to honour the sport of golf. That is, for golfers to be able to truly play sport, with the buggy as an accessory for those who wanted to use it, not as an obligatory element of the game. I believe this is important to preserve golf’s sporting essence.”
Ongoing Progress
Much has changed since then, with the club experiencing impressive growth over the past 25 years. In its early days the land was transformed from farmland to golf course, while completely respecting the topography and existing vegetation. At that time there were only 18 holes, designed by the late Folco Nardi, who did an excellent job creating a course that was technically precise but not too difficult – requiring good concentration and a correct choice of club.
During construction, there were rumours and speculation about what exactly was being developed, with some press reports claiming there were plans to build an aerodrome on the plot.
An extension of the layout from 18 to 27 holes was carried out in 2003. These holes where designed by Mariano Benitez, with the aim that players would have to adopt the same levels of concentration and skill to complete all 27 holes together.
The whole golf course can still be played on foot, as it is mostly flat. Two holes located in the foothills of the mountain offer breath-taking views to Guadalhorce Valley and the Mediterranean.
The 27 holes can be combined in any nine plus nine format, all par-72, thus accommodating convenient play in the more than 50 tournaments held at Lauro every year.
Since 2002 Lauro Golf has not only been a golf course but also home to an urbanisation comprising semi-detached houses and villas of excellent quality, featuring an Andalucian style that highlights Lauro Golf’s commitment to an inland village aesthetic and ambience.
The resort has also been boosted with the addition of other services such as a driving range with golf academy and snack bar, as well as a pádel tennis academy, bowls club and equestrian centre.
Clubhouse Renovation
The clubhouse amenities were recently refurbished to enhance their functionality and natural lighting. The façade was re-directed towards the first hole, opening up one of the walls that demarcated the patio and thus securing lovely views over the course from the bar terrace and restaurant. The latter now has a new décor and manager, Álvaro Pérez Angulo, and highly respected chef, Pablo Sierra, who provide “that touch of quality without losing what is most important for Lauro, its family atmosphere, and we should never lose that,” says Pitarch.
The caddy master’s office and club shop have also been renovated, while the clubhouse area has been expanded with a new office for the operations director, Carlos Santos Galera, who recently joined the club set-up. “Together with Melissa Gallardo, who had been taking care of the responsibilities of club sales manager, a position now officially confirmed, we are going to have a fantastic team – in fact, they already are.”
Soundproofed ceilings have also been installed to prevent resonance in some of the areas, and the porch has been glassed-in so people can enjoy that area with air-conditioning in summer and heating in winter. In addition there is a new tournament room “for all the trophies our members have been winning, the track record of our teams, which is growing all the time”, notes Pitarch proudly.
Not that the improvements are limited to the clubhouse, as they also cover the playing area. “We now have the new design for the third and fourth holes. There will only be a slight change on the fourth, but the third will be changed radically because in 1996 we lost the original green to flooding and a green was built 50 metres ahead of the pre-existing one. The hole is a short downhill par-four, photographed a lot, and now we want to regain the original length of the Folco Nardi design.
“All the minor changes we’ve made to the course design have always been with the intention of guessing what Folco would have done himself, and that’s very difficult because we don’t have his ability or vision. Nevertheless, our best intentions have been to ensure any changes are barely noticeable.”
What have been Lauro Golf’s main contributions to the golf sector in Andalucía, and its current role?
First of all, we are one of more than 100 courses in Andalucía that have helped convert the region into a golf tourism market leader, the second region in Spain when it comes to the number of officially registered golfers, and we have helped transform golf into a sport that is now an everyday reality in Andalucía and on the Costa del Sol. However, we have contributed much more to the golf sector than amenities alone. At a sporting level, we have been the venue for major professional tournaments – last year we hosted the Alps Andalucía – and amateur events. We have just held the Spanish Under-18 Championship, we were the venue for the 2013 Andalucía Cup, we have been the host club for junior and senior championships, for the Andalucian championships… one of the players from our academy is a Finnish golfer who is now competing on the Ladies European Tour, Oona Vartiainen. We have also produced champions: our track record includes two Spanish champions, a two-time Andalucian champion, professionals who have played at Lauro and in the past been Andalucian champions…
We provide around 500 federation-registered golfers and, of course, top-quality amenities in a stunning natural setting close to the coast that are highly appreciated by golfers who visit us. They can see that the course is in better shape every day, as we press ahead with our improvements schedule, work that we also carried out during the difficult crisis years. At the time this was a risky decision but we were committed to quality rather than cutbacks – and we got it right. It was destined to turn out okay because golfers appreciate quality at fair prices. And all of that is the result of providing amenities that are closely identified with our local golf sector, of offering a sports-orientated atmosphere that enhances the golf club’s overall activities.
What are the main nationalities of players at the club?
On weekends and public holidays there are more and more Spaniards, to the extent that they are starting to become a majority. Most of the players are locals, including non-Spanish residents who have lived here for 25 years and talk like us. The Lauro Golf residential estate has contributed a lot in this respect, with people living within the complex. On working days, or weekdays, there are still more players from outside Spain than living here, predominantly – depending on the month – players from the Nordic countries and the United Kingdom. We are also welcoming an increasing number of Germans and French, as well as Dutch and Belgians. On the Costa del Sol, Germany and France are our pending issues when it comes to markets.
How do you imagine Lauro Golf in 10 years?
The same as with most other clubs, we have to change our chip, and we are already doing that. Golf courses should represent what there is around a golf academy, not the golf academy being next to the course. It should be the other way round, the nerve centre of all golf courses.
Golf academies are our future, our engine – they are everything. This transformation is underway at Lauro Golf, working closely with our three top professionals: Daniel Serón, Julio Fernández and Tapani Saarentola, who was the Finnish PGA’s leading pro in 2015.
The urbanisation will continue to grow, God willing, the course will continue to improve, we will continue with our renovations, and we will – I hope – have more and more clients, and more members. Above all else, however, we will boost our sporting activity, consolidating the club’s status in the Guadalhorce area, and around Málaga, as there are other excellent courses here. In addition, enhancing our role as a commercial and marketing pacesetter on the Costa del Sol, and we also believe we can become a standard-bearer when it comes to sport in general.
Commemorative Activities
Coinciding with its 25th anniversary, Lauro Golf – which is located between the slopes of Sierra de Mijas and Guadalhorce Valley – held a series of sporting and cultural activities during September, including top-level golf championships, a pádel tennis championship, an Andalucian Law Bowls Championship, a Lauro Golf photography competition and a cooking contest in the resort’s new restaurant area.
The golfing activities began with a match between under-18 teams from Spain and Italy, followed by the Spanish International Under-18 Championship and the Andalucía International Interclubs Championship for under-14s and under-16s.
The final touch for this commemorative golfing programme was provided by the 25th Anniversary Championship, held on 30 September and coinciding with the official presentation of the club’s revamped amenities, including the restaurant area, caddy master’s office and shop.
