Their start in golf was family orientated. The Navarros were members of Málaga club El Candado and it was there they caught a bug they were never to lose.

Luis and Guillermo (Willy), Guillermo and Luis: you could almost say of them the same as the Catholic Monarchs’ motto… it amounts so, so it amounts (tanto monta, monta tanto), because – always united, neither shines over or wants to shine over the other. Together, they make a unique tandem on the Costa del Sol: two brothers running elite golf clubs, San Roque and Aloha. Both courses have hosted European Tour events, and both are considered among the best in Andalucía.

It is not common for this situation to arise – neither here nor elsewhere – which is why Andalucía Golf was keen to bring them together in a relaxed and informal interview that, on occasions, did also slip into seriousness. The best thing about the pair is that they do truly interact “like brothers”, which often is a lot to say…

“In fact everything did begin at El Candado,” re- calls Luis, “a magnificent club difficult to replicate because there was a level of services there that in Spain you would not be able to recoup ever. We went sailing, played tennis and golf, etc. – it was paradise. We were very fortunate to have been raised in that environment.”

-Golf had a significant influence on you but later you moved in different professional directions…

–Guillermo: - Yes, I studied economics and then moved to Madrid for work. At the time my “big brother” – he stresses this so it becomes clear who is younger – had already begun working in the world of golf and he encouraged me to do the same.

- Luis: - I studied agronomy, by family tradition, and I was always interested in the world of golf and everything related to it. In 1994, I did a course maintenance course and a few years later I had the opportunity of joining Alicante Golf as greenkeeper. I left a great job as head of acquisitions in Málaga – Siemens’ project for Amena – and put all my eggs in the one basket. I spent several more years at Alicante Golf as manager. From there I moved to El Bosque, not for very long because then Aloha called. They were looking for a manager with my profile and Don Ángel de la Riva (president of the Royal Andalucian Golf Federation) kindly spoke about me Richard Katz, at the time president of Aloha. So that’s how I came back seven years ago and I’m very happy here.

-Are you aware of any other brothers running such top-level golf courses as yours?

–Neither top-level or low-level, says Guillermo. Look, I travel quite a lot around Europe and other parts of the world but never, never, have I found a similar case, and I’ve looked into it a lot because I’m curious.

-Which of the two courses is the best? (We ask to heat things up a little.)

–Of course, says Luis, without a doubt San Roque… It could be Aloha, counters Guillermo – both with an ample dose of sarcasm.

-And the best manager of the two?

-I don’t know what to say, says Luis.

-We have different profiles, adds Guillermo, in a more serious vein, because my brother I’m sure knows more about maintenance as he’s an agronomy engineer, whereas at San Roque, even though we have a members’ club, I also run the commercial side, and in this area perhaps I’m more ahead of him.

-Different personal profiles, and also very different courses…

-Yes, that’s possible, says Luis, though we both have very good products which we are familiar with and aim to look after and strengthen. My philosophy on this matter, and here you’ll see my agronomic vein, is that seeds generate harvests. That is to say that, if you look after the basics, you will have results. I also believe – look how silly this is, he laughs – that the most important thing about a golf course is the course. In this industry the only way to stand out is by offering quality, so if we look after the key aspects everything else involves doing sensible things. There are a lot of places – this is not the case with San Roque – where the course is of secondary importance, and it should be the opposite. Then, how you organise and market it, that’s another matter. If the product is bad there is no way it will prosper. Both us and San Roque make an effort to ensure the product keeps improving: quality and services are the key to everything.

- Together you could almost set up a lobby, an unbeatable team…

- We would complement each other very well, continues Luis. Guillermo has more commercial vision, and possibly economic, and my speciality is perhaps something else. We complement each other perfectly, interrupts Guillermo, and we help each other mutually. When in doubt, or when there is a problem, I consult my brother, and when I have an idea I also mention it to him. Rather than a lobby we could set up a consulting service, because when we’re together we don’t stop “resolving problems and coming up with ideas”… and that’s with us being a fair way away from each other. If we were closer we could put into place initiatives that we believe would improve management practices. Ideas that can you can only see through to fruition with a high level of confidence… And with my brother I have that (laughs).

- Should we talk about the crisis or let it go?

- Certainly at Aloha (Luis) the crisis has affected us only slightly, because we are a members’ club and our members are not willing to give up their passion, and what keeps us alive and active. We are a little on the margin of all this.

It’s affecting me a little more, says Guillermo, because, even though I have my members, I also have a second commercial course. In any event, I believe that the crisis has enabled clubs to re-dimension themselves appropriately so there is no wastage of economic resources or lack of a coherent attitude in managing the situation. As for a return to the previous “figures”, as seems to be happening, we will be more efficient and competitive.

A mí me está afectando un poco más –apunta Guillermo– porque, aunque tengo mis socios, también tengo un segundo campo comercial. De todas formas -sigue- pienso que la crisis ha servido para que los clubes se dimensionen adecuadamente y no haya despilfarro económico y poca coherencia a la hora de gestionarlos. En cuanto vuelvan los \"números\", como parece que está sucediendo, seremos más eficaces y competitivos.

- Are you optimists?

- Completely, completely, says Luis.

- Guillermo notes, the crisis will enable us to learn from many of our errors of the past. When it passes, and it will pass when we regain confidence and are prepared to invest once again in quality of life, we will be stronger.

- What needs to be done to boost the flow of visitors, if we in fact need that to happen?

- Without a doubt, says Guillermo, we have to provide service and quality to make us stand out from other destinations. And in these moments, adds Luis, when everything is so tough we should not stop our promotion initiatives. Returning to the analogy of the seed: we have to carry on and on because everything isn’t done yet. We have to consolidate the destination, train people…

- In the end we’ve become serious. When you meet up at home, at Christmas time for example, do you never stop talking about golf and tourism?

- To be honest that’s what we do (Guillermo). Our work can only be understood by another manager, and that’s what you are 24 hours a day. To have a friendly shoulder, and brother, with whom you can pour your heart out to and let off steam, that’s a great thing.

- And what do they think about all this at home?

- They know us now. They know what we do and what our passion is. On the other hand, even though among the group of managers we get on very well and share experiences, ideas, etc., with your brother it always gives you more of a sense of confidence (Luis). And it makes us both better people, concludes Guillermo.