No one doubts that the maintenance at Finca Cortesín Golf Club is exceptional and of the highest order. Since opening for play just over five years ago the owners have been committed to ensuring this is one of the features that makes the golf resort stand out – especially as they prepare to host a third Volvo World Match Play Championship in May.

To manage this task – both an important and a delicate one – Finca Cortesín contracted Ignacio Soto just before hosting the first tournament sponsored by Volvo. He is still a relatively young greenkeeper – but with vast experience. Finca Cortesín wanted to shine in the spotlight, and that is certainly what happened.

Soto began working at Atalaya Golf in 1995 before, after four years, moving to Real Club de Golf de Sotogrande. He spent eight years there then three more with Jersa (a golf course construction company).

-This will be third Volvo World Match Play Championship held at Finca Cortesín and the club has never given an inch as far as the level of maintenance is concerned…

–Not only have we not relaxed in this respect but we have actually continuously improved maintenance, with the same team as always. The owners have decided that, in this area, there will be no reduction. We have carried out considerable improvements to the course in recent times: the bunkers are perfectly turned out; the greens are in very good condition… And we have been taking advantage of this winter, unfortunately quite dry, to undertake other renovation work, including levelling the tees, fixing up the drainage, etc.

-Would it be true to say the course been strengthened and consolidated over the last three years?

–The course has matured very quickly. It seems incredible that after barely five years it’s the way it is. You look at it and think it’s a much older course than it actually is. Obviously it still needs to settle down a little, but everyone who plays here leaves with the feeling they have played an older course. The initial commitment to maintain and even increase the native vegetation has resulted in the course being very well integrated into the surroundings, giving players the sensation they are in a much more mature and natural setting.

-What aspects of the course would you highlight? Perhaps the greens?

–As a golfer, I believe it’s a fairly challenging course, especially around the greens. They are very undulating and very fast, with difficult approach areas. On the other hand, by way of compensation, the fairways are very wide, though a little long for amateurs. That’s why we have five tees on each hole, to adapt to varying circumstances.

-As a course that requires a certain level of play, it also has a distinctive personality and status, especially when hosting tournaments for professionals…

-Definitely.

What player has been most fulsome in his praise of the course?

-I was particularly struck by what Sergio García said about Finca Cortesín’s greens, that they had nothing to envy those at Augusta – that they reminded him a lot about them. Also, Ross Fisher, who won the first tournament, said they were the best greens he had played on.

-The course maintenance is also sustainable, environmentally friendly… ..

-Yes, yes. Three years ago we made a commitment to this kind of special maintenance. Previously, the course was re-seeded in winter and we decided not to do that any more, and to maintain it in a more natural way – while also improving the drainage and changing the winter grass, Fescue, which we had on the fore-greens. We changed it all to Bermuda and now the course is almost wall to wall with Bermuda 419, apart from the greens, of course.

-This enables us to carry out a more simple and uniform maintenance. We now re-seed hardly anything and maintain the grass as clean as possible so that at the start of spring it quickly regains its green colour. So we have a very pure strain of grass, in perfect playing condition. Also, a few years ago we implemented the ISO 14001 quality and environment system, which enables us to carry out sustainable maintenance, with key environmental and quality controls. Our idea is to create a high-quality maintenance model with the option of providing consultation services to other courses in the future.

-This winter there have been some extremely cold days and this has led to the grass having a more yellow tinge, though presumably that doesn’t mean it is in poor condition. On the contrary…

-The Bermuda 419 hybrid is a grass that, below six or eight degrees, starts to lose its colour and is said to be “asleep” – it loses its chlorophyllous function. It doesn’t become green but it’s perfect. Even better than during other times of the year because there’s no growth. The playing conditions are better, the ball rolls further on the fairway…

-So being “asleep” improves the grass?

-Yes, because during maintenance control of bad grass can be carried out better, because it’s greener than the Bermuda and can’t camouflage itself. In addition, as there is no growth there is a huge saving on pesticides, fertilisers, etc., and less irrigation is required. Aesthetically it’s also attractive.

-The club has installed some powerful water cannons around the fairways to save – in the event of a fire – the whole area, which has some dense natural vegetation…

-As I showed you, most of the course is surrounded by very thick native flora – and also between the fairways – of extremely high environmental value. So the owners insisted that we look into setting up a fire safety system in case there was a fire. These “cannons” can reach 50 metres, and can also be used to irrigate parts of these areas during dry years like this one.