Calle Carlsson, general manager of Lumine Golf & Beach Club, came to the resort about two years ago from Troon Golf, a management company that operates in many countries and manages hundreds of golf courses around the world. Prior to that, Calle had been a golf professional and worked seven years in Egypt at different resorts. First in a project that he managed from the beginning to place it at its highest level, and then in the Marriott chain as director of golf and leisure of its complex in the country of the Nile. Since he has been in Tarragona, the courses that used to be part of Port Aventura are experiencing a new resurgence. There are two 18-hole courses: Lakes and Hills, and another nine-hole course, Ruins. The first and the latter are designs by the Great White Shark, Greg Norman.
-Is Lumine the best golf resort in Catalonia?
-I think so. Of course, we have to respect the PGA of Catalonia, among other things because it was recently named by Golf Monthly magazine as the number one Spanish course, but we have the best facilities and we will certainly fight to be the best in everything.
-What are the differences with the others, what makes them one step ahead?
First of all, we have forty-five holes and they are all different. Other resorts are developed on a single plot with the same characteristics and even if there is more than one course they are similar. Not here, we have very different styles in each course. We are the only resort in the world with this number of golf holes, hotels, a first class beach club and a congress center within our facilities.
-Could you briefly describe each of your fields?
-Lakes, a great design by Greg Norman, is a very exciting links type course, flat but with a lot of water on almost all its holes. Ruins, also designed by the legendary Australian player, are nine holes that run along the slopes of a hill, surrounded by olive and carob trees. Beautiful. Its name is due to the many Roman remains that we find around the course, which have been recovered and restored. Hills is our most beautiful course. It runs along the Cap de Salou through a forest of white pines, olive and carob trees. Almost all its holes face the sea.
-Is Greg Norman’s name a good hook to attract fans, especially European fans?
-He is undoubtedly a special incentive for golfers, because he has been and still is a player of great charisma.
-In the Lumine area there are six golf courses in total. Could it be said that here, in Tarragona, an important golf destination for Europe is being born?
-Yes, without a doubt. We have enough quality fields to be considered an important destination.
-Besides golf, what other attractions does the area have for golf enthusiasts?
-They are infinite. We have an unsurpassable gastronomy, and a splendid wine of the Penedés. In Cambrils alone there are three Michelin-starred restaurants, as many as in Paris. We also have probably the best beaches in Spain and some beautiful villages that are worth visiting. Of course, Tarragona, very close by, is a must.
-How do your players get here?
-In summer we have national and international flights to Reus, ten minutes away. In winter you have to fly to Barcelona, but it is very close.
-And where do they mostly come from?
-Scandinavians and British predominate. Our partners are mostly Catalans.
-Tell me why you would come to Lumine to play golf and not somewhere else?
-For everything we have talked about and especially for the opportunity to play 45 different magnificent holes in one place…. Also for the weather, of course.
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