To stand out is easy if the competition is scarce, but to stand out when the company is numerous and illustrious is much more complicated. However, this is what Finca Cortesin, the resort that has just been chosen by the Ladies European Tour to host the Solheim Cup, has achieved.
In 2023, for the first time in Spain, the biennial women’s golf competition between the European and American teams will take place, and Finca Cortesín will become a worthy continuation of a saga of courses that, in Andalusia and the Costa del Sol, have hosted top-level international tournaments, from the Ryder Cup to the World Cup, including tournaments of the World Golf Championships or events of the European Tour or the Ladies European Tour. The complex located in Casares will become, therefore, the best ambassador of the more than 70 courses spread along the coast of Malaga and the Mediterranean area of the coast of Cadiz, an area that receives the well-deserved and descriptive name of Costa del Golf.
Vicente Rubio, general manager of Finca Cortesín, was an impeccable host during the recent visit of Alexandra Armas, executive director of the Ladies European Tour, days after the presentation of the Solheim Cup 2023 that took place in Puerto Banús on October 19, and took the opportunity to recapitulate the values of the resort that will host the tournament.
“We are deeply proud and grateful to have been chosen to host the 2023 Solheim Cup. Finca Cortesin was born with the vocation of being a benchmark in terms of luxury resorts. We have worked hard towards that goal and received a multitude of recognitions, among which I would highlight for their value “Best Resort in Spain and Portugal” by Travel + Leisure in the World ‘s Best Awards 2020 and “Best Hotel in Spain and Portugal” by Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Award 2019, which bring us closer to fulfilling our mission.”
“Since the beginning of Finca Cortesín, we have been prepared to host major events and proof of this are the three Volvo World Match Play Championship successfully held in our facilities, where the combination of luxury hotel and championship course was highly valued by the European Tour, the best players in the world and visitors,” said the general manager of Finca Cortesín.
“Because of our commitment to excellence, we have been improving our facilities year after year, and as far as the course is concerned, we have renewed the greens with bermuda ultradwarf, a variety more suited to our climate that allows less irrigation, as it is better adapted to periods of drought and irrigation with reclaimed water, less use of pesticides and greater uniformity of the playing surface. Not only have we adapted the greens to the conditions of the area, we have also improved the bunkers with a new drainage system that allows them to be in perfect condition even in heavy rain, while avoiding contamination of the sand with soil or drainage gravel at all times”.
“These and other improvements have always been made in the interests of sustainability and care for the environment, one of our main concerns, which is why we have been awarded ISO14001 Environmental Quality and Q for Tourism Quality certifications.”
“We have always sought to be able to host new events and the Solheim Cup 2023 fulfills our aspirations and we will do everything we can to make it a great success,” concluded Vicente Rubio.
The head of the Ladies European Tour, a connoisseur of the Malaga course, praised its facilities, which combine a world-class competition course with residential, restaurant and hospitality areas that have received numerous international awards.
“Finca Cortesin is a world-class venue, a worthy host for a Solheim Cup to be held for the first time in Spain in 2023. The Costa del Sol is one of the best golf destinations and I am sure that the challenging and impeccable design of the Finca Cortesin course will be the ideal setting for a match-play showdown that will be thrilling for both players and spectators who come to the course or fans from around the world,” recapped Alexandra Armas, executive director of the Ladies European Tour.
For his part, Íñigo Aramburu, general director of Sport & Business, wanted to highlight the maximum commitment of Finca Cortesín with the Solheim Cup project and the benefits offered by the resort to host a competition of this level.
“There is no need for me to emphasize the quality of Finca Cortesin, chosen as the best resort in Spain and Portugal and highlighted by prestigious publications such as Golf Digest, but I am convinced that the public attending the tournament will be amazed by the quality of its facilities. Vicente Rubio and his team have worked hard to achieve the designation as the venue for the Solheim Cup and they offer us an unbeatable foundation, the one provided by their resort. On that basis, it is much easier to develop a winning project and launch a competition that will go down in the history of the sport”, recapitulated Íñigo Aramburu.
In its more than 215 hectares, with spectacular views of the Mediterranean and the rolling hills of the municipality of Casares, the resort, designed in the style of a traditional Spanish finca, houses a five-star hotel, a number of residences and villas, three restaurants of the highest level and a spa available to its customers, in addition to the field in which Europe and the United States will fight for the Solheim Cup.
Cabell Robinson’s design, embellished by the work of landscaper Gerald Huggan, is perfectly integrated into the ecosystem of the area, and the exquisite attention to detail in its fairways and greens allows each round to be enjoyed with all the senses. On the other hand, its length (over 6,800 meters), character and technical demands make it a great challenge and the ideal setting for a match-play competition,
Finca Cortesin already hosted in 2009, 2011 and 2012 the Volvo World Match Play Championship, a test of these characteristics that attracted the best players in the world. In fact, the 2011 edition was the first time that a tournament held in our country brought together the top three players in the world ranking (at that time, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald), and six of the top seven in the world, a lineup of similar quality to the one that will meet in 2023 at the Solheim Cup, the most important women’s team competition on the international calendar.
In addition to having exceptional practice facilities and a Jack Nicklaus Academy available to its clients, Finca Cortesín also stands out for its unwavering environmental commitment. Not in vain, and as Vicente Rubio pointed out, in 2017 a comprehensive reform of the greens was undertaken to plant a variety of grass that adapts perfectly to irrigation with reclaimed water and is much more environmentally friendly. In fact, Finca Cortesín is the first course to have the quality seal issued by Acosol for irrigating with this type of water, a well-deserved reward for its commitment to sustainability.
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