Doña Lucía Golf, in Estepona (Málaga), is one of the few golf courses now under construction in Spain. Designed by Stirling & Martin, of Global Golf Company, the work is being carried out by GTM Golf, one of Spain’s most international golf course construction companies. It has recently completed and delivered the Trump International Dubai, owned by the President of the United States.
Most of the technicians and managers of GTM Golf come from Jersa, at the time one of the leading construction companies in our country.
“Doña Lucía is, indeed, one of the few courses that are being made now in Spain”,” in fact, it is the only 18-hole course under construction, since most of them are reforms or extensions and in this case it is a work practically from scratch. “points out Carlos Gallegos, commercial manager of GTM Golf.
This is a project that dates back to 2006. “Jersa started to build it,” explains Gallegos, “but because of the crisis it was put on standby. Last year the developer Azata, owner of the land and the real estate development, decided to take it up again and they hired us to do it because we are actually the ones who had started it more than ten years ago.”
“At the time,” continues the GTM Golf sales manager, “the course design was a bit more complicated, and now Stirling & Martin have reworked it to make it more interesting and attractive to the average player. I think it will also be a lot more fun.
“GTM Golf,” Gallegos continues, “was created in 2011, but practically all of its components come from Jersa, which was affected by the crisis, like most construction companies. The new company is not only made up of Jersa’s technicians and professionals, but has also acquired its know-how and the experience of having built 67 golf courses”.
“It has not been easy to position ourselves in the market again,” acknowledges Gallegos, “but little by little and by doing things right we are back on a good line.”
-In addition to this course, Doña Lucía Golf, you have recently carried out important works…
-That’s right. Between 2013 and 2014, since everything was paralyzed in Spain, we decided to go abroad and look for opportunities beyond our borders. It was in that period when we were hired to do the Trump International Dubai, a design by Gil Hanse and owned by the American president. I think it is one of the best courses we have done. It was a difficult work in which we had a lot of pressure, including from the media, but the final result has been very good. It has just been inaugurated and everyone describes the course as spectacular.
-What was it like to build in Dubai, did you have to bring technicians and workers from here?
All the specialists, site managers, etc., we sent them from here; the rest of the non-specialized personnel were hired there, through a local partner we had. We controlled and managed the work.
-How many people did you manage to bring to Dubai?
-Up to 20 people at peak times, and each of them was in charge of another 20 or so workers. There were as many as 300 in all.
-You have also done important works in Spain in recent times….
-We have made many reforms and remodeling of courses. To highlight, La Zagaleta, the prestigious urbanization of the Costa del Sol that has two courses. We were commissioned to completely remodel the Old Course and with the collaboration of all parties we achieved a magnificent result.
At the same time we also carried out the reform of the bunkers and greens of La Reserva de Sotogrande, a work that was a challenge because it had to be done in a short period of time and with the course open. We are now working on the Doña Lucía project.
-At what stage is this project now?
-It is quite advanced. First we had to repair what had already been done in 2006, because it was very deteriorated, and then we had to do a big earthwork to adapt the course to the design changes that have been made; shape new fairways, eliminate some bunkers…. Soon we will start the re-rolling of sand and we hope to plant in early summer.
Once the seeding is completed, the field will be ready to continue with the grow-in for a year. We expect to be playable by mid-2018.
-Do you have more works in the pipeline?
-We have several projects in sight, both short term and long term. Recently we have just contracted a major refurbishment at the Real Club Pineda, in Seville. It will be a very interesting job since we will renovate the irrigation system, bunkers, lakes, paths, tees, greens…and all this under the direction of Acttua Golf Services, the same engineering company with which we carried out the complete renovation of La Zagaleta.
In the following photos, La Zagaleta, La Reserva and Trump International Dubai.
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