“ALL OTHER BUSINESSES BENEFIT FROM GOLF COURSES”

Born in Tripoli (Libya) in 1956, Ali M. Saudi graduated in architecture from the Turin Polytechnic University in Italy before moving to Dublin (Trinity Collage) and later Barcelona (Banco Atlántico). He arrived in Marbella in 1987 as assistant manager of Areservices (Aresbank), and since 1992 has been managing director of Santa María Golf.

1 - The banking world, in which you used to work, now has a lot to do with golf, especially because quite a few courses are now owned by banks due to non-payment of loans given to their developers. What would you recommend to a bank that owns a golf course?

-  A bank is not interested in having its funds immobilised, so I would recommend they sell it or at least look for a professional partner in the business.

2 – Andalucía has the capacity – by number of golf courses – to handle double the golfers who visit the region annually. What can be done to boost golf tourism to this destination?

- People here are always talking about wanting to be a golf destination yet we, the golf course owners, are the only ones who are doing anything. The authorities should do their bit and, to start with, they should eliminate the current IVA (VAT) and lower the price of recycled water.

3 – Santa María was inaugurated nearly a quarter of a century ago. What would you highlight, above all else, of all those years in the course’s evolution?

- At Santa María Golf & Country Club we are a group of workers making an effort to offer good quality for the course and its maintenance day after day without skimping on anything – with the aim of always maintaining that quality. And I would also like to highlight the social ambience created by our members and visitors, which has always made us stand out and which is having an increasingly important role in the life of the club.

4 – When you arrived in Marbella in 1987, the Costa del Sol had barely one-third of the courses it has today. What has that huge increase in the number of courses meant to this tourist destination?

- In the 1990s and at the start of the following decade we saw a significant increase in the number of golfers registered with federations in Europe, and in Spain it seemed as though people had discovered golf was a sport that was not as exclusive as they thought. This was accompanied by an increase in the number of golf courses in our area, which went hand in hand with residential tourism development and contributed to a rise in the number of visitors to Andalucía. This all resulted in more revenue and an improvement to the economy in all sectors, especially during the high golf season.

5 – Bearing in mind the strict conditions imposed by the Junta de Andalucía (regional government) in approving new projects, both the minimum size of the plot and a limitation on urban development, plus the still-delicate situation in the real estate market, do you believe any investors will see potential profit in constructing new golf courses in Andalucía, or do you foresee a long stalemate in this respect?

- This is a very serious matter, and thank you for asking the question. A golf course is not a business in itself, but rather an expensive attraction to develop an area and ensure permanent work for many people. The current criteria represent a limitation that doesn’t benefit anyone. I believe they should instead impose criteria that are based more on the quality of the course and insist on good ongoing maintenance, which guarantees the future and viability of the project. And when it comes to residential development, the same: insist on quality, and any project that fulfils those criteria then they can move forward – and good luck.

6 – What is lacking in a premier golf destination such as the Costa del Sol?

- We are lacking support from the authorities in general, and this doesn’t always have to be economic. We, the golf course owners, function well by always offering excellent service to the crème de la crème of visitors to the Coast, and all other businesses benefit from that.

7 – What is it that golfers who play a round here like most about Santa María Golf?

-  Our clients at Santa María Golf like the layout, the quality and the geographical setting of the course, but above all else the human qualities of our staff.

8 – It seems as though we are once again experiencing good times for golf tourism. Do you share that opinion?

- I’m optimistic by nature, but not to the extent of saying we are now experiencing good times. It seems as though we’ve reached the bottom of this freefall, and now we just have to climb out of the well – hopefully soon.

9 – Is this a good moment to buy a home in Marbella next to a good golf course, or are prices likely to drop further?

- It’s always good to buy a home next to a golf course: guaranteed value and almost better than a frontline beach location.