His initiation in golf has a family origin. The Navarro family were members of the El Candado club in Malaga and it was there where they were bitten by this little bug that would never leave them.
Luis and Guillermo (Willy), Guillermo and Luis; it could be said of them almost like the Catholic Monarchs: tanto monta, monta tanto, because, always united, none of them stands out or pretends to stand out from the other. Together they form a singular phenomenon on the Costa del Sol, that of two brothers managing two elite golf clubs, San Roque Club and Aloha. Both courses have hosted European Tour events and both are among the best we have in Andalusia.
It is not usual, no, that such a situation arises here or anywhere else, so we wanted to bring them together in Andalucía Golf in a relaxed and relaxed interview that sometimes became serious.
And the best thing about these two is that they get along “like brothers”, which is often a lot to say…. “In fact, it all started in El Candado – Luis remarks – a wonderful club that would be difficult to repeat because there was a level of services there that will never be recovered in Spain. We practiced sailing, tennis, golf, etc., it was paradise. We were very fortunate to have grown up in that environment”.
-Golf marked you, but then your careers went elsewhere….
-Guillermo: -Yes, I studied economics and then I went to Madrid to work. At that time my “older brother”-he emphasizes it to make it clear who is the youngest- had already started in the world of golf and encouraged me to do it too. The first course where I started as director was in Granada, where I participated in its construction from the beginning, which is a very educational experience.
Luis: -I did agronomists, by family tradition, and I was always interested in the world of golf and everything related to it. In 1994 I took a course in golf course maintenance and a few years later I had the opportunity to join Alicante Golf as a green keeper. I left a great job as head of acquisitions in Malaga for the Siemens project for Amena and I took the plunge. In Alicante Golf I spent several more years as manager. From there I moved to El Bosque, for a very short time because Aloha called me. They were looking for a manager with a profile like mine and Don Angel de la Riva was kind enough to talk about me to Richard Katz, then president of Aloha. That’s how I came seven years ago and I am very happy here.
-Do you know of any other pair of brothers who run fields at such a high level as yours?
-Not so high and not so low,” Guillermo points out. I travel frequently in Europe and other parts of the world, but I’ve never, ever come across a case like this, and I investigate, hey, because I’m curious.
-Which of the two camps is the best,” I ask to prod a little.
-Man…says Luis ironically, no doubt San Roque…Maybe Aloha,” says Guillermo, even more ironic.
-And the better director of the two?
-I wouldn’t know,” Luis intervenes with irony.
-We are different profiles,” says Guillermo a little more seriously, “because my brother surely knows more about maintenance because he is an agricultural engineer, while in San Roque, although we have a members’ field, I also manage a commercial field, and in that aspect I am perhaps a little ahead.
-Different management profiles and very different fields as well…
-Yes, it is possible,” Luis says, “although we both have very good products that we know and we try to take care of and promote. My philosophy in this, and here you can see my agronomic vein, is that sowing generates harvests. That is, if you take care of the bases, you will have results. I also think -watch what nonsense, he adds with a smile- that the most important thing about a golf course is the course itself. In this sector, the only way to differentiate yourself is through quality, so if you take care of the basics, everything else consists of doing sensible things. There are many places -this is not the case of San Roque- where the course is given a secondary importance, and it should be the other way around… Then how it is organized, how it is marketed, that is another matter. If the product is bad, there is no possibility for it to prosper. Both we and San Roque are concerned that the product is better and better: quality and services are the key to everything.
– Together they could almost, almost make a lobby, an unbeatable team….
– We would be very complementary,” Luis continues. Guillermo has more commercial and possibly economic vision and my specialty might be something else. We have a perfect rapport,” Guillermo interjects, “and we help each other. If I have any doubts or problems, I consult my brother, and when I have an idea, I also tell him about it. More than a lobby, we could become a consultancy, because when we are together we don’t stop “solving problems and coming up with ideas”… and we are a bit far apart, but if we were closer we could put into practice initiatives that we believe would improve management. Ideas that can only be carried out with a high degree of trust…. And with my brother I have it, heh, heh.
– Shall we talk about the crisis or leave it?
– Of course in Aloha (Luis) the crisis has touched us very lightly, because we are a club of members and our members are not willing to sacrifice their passion and what keeps them alive and active. We live on the sidelines.
It’s affecting me a little more,” Guillermo points out, “because, although I have my members, I also have a second commercial field. In any case,” he continues, “I think that the crisis has helped the clubs to be properly sized and to avoid economic waste and lack of coherence in their management. As soon as the “numbers” come back, as it seems to be happening, we will be more efficient and competitive.
– Are you optimistic?
– Totally, totally,” Luis interjects.
– As Guillermo says, this crisis will help us learn from many past mistakes. When it passes, and it will pass as soon as we regain confidence and are willing to invest again in quality of life, we will be stronger.
– What should be done to increase the flow of visitors, if we need this to happen?
– Undoubtedly,” Guillermo points out, “we would have to provide service and quality to differentiate ourselves from other destinations. And in these times -Luis points out- when everything is becoming more difficult, we should not stop promoting. I go back to the sowing: we have to go on and on because not everything is ready, we have to consolidate the destination, train people…
– In the end we got serious. When you get together at home, at Christmas for example, do you talk about golf and tourism…?
– Well, the truth is that we do (Guillermo). Our job can only be understood by another manager, and you are a manager 24 hours a day. Having a friendly shoulder, and brother, to vent to is a great thing.
– And what do you think of this at home?
– They already know us, they know what we do and what our passion is. On the other hand, although we all get along very well in the management team and share experiences, ideas, etc., doing it with a brother always gives you a greater sense of trust (Luis). Doing it with a brother always gives you a greater sense of trust (Luis) and makes us both better,” concludes Guillermo.
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