The Guadalhorce Golf Club (Malaga) has undertaken a few months ago an extensive program of reforms that aim to substantially improve the course and the clubhouse. They have also launched a major campaign to attract new members by offering attractive incentives, both financially and in other aspects: sports, social, etc..
“We started the renovations,” says Salvador Álvarez, director of the club, “a little over a year ago, updating the irrigation system in particular, something fundamental in a course that celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.”
“As we do this,” he continues, “we carry out other necessary work so that we always have only two holes closed. And so as not to affect the game, we replace them with two others that we adapt to our par three course”.
“We have taken from there,” he continues, “some wonderful provisional holes, measured by the Federation so that official competitions can continue to be played. They are very fun holes and not at all easy, among other things because the greens are smaller. Depending on the moment, we can have two par fours, or a par four and a par three, or two par threes”.
“These in-depth works are scheduled to finish in 2017, because we are going little by little, without ever interrupting the game,” adds Salvador.
“And although the renovations are the priority work,” continues the course director, “we can’t abandon maintenance. We are paying a lot of attention to the greens, which are perfect”.
“A year and a bit ago we hired a new greekeeper as a consultant, Carlos Lima, and we are very satisfied with him. He has undertaken a medium-term project that is bearing fruit, and we are returning to having the greens that Guadalhorce always had,” he explains.
“In addition to the greens we are also touching the bunkers: drainage, sand, etc., improving them sensibly and unifying them, so that there is not one of their father and another of their mother. We are also going to reform the tees of the whole course. We will start in the next few months with the 10th and continue with the 1st. Our objective is to give them all more amplitude so that there will be more positions and variety of tees, since, with the forty-odd thousand games we have every year, we need them”.
-They have also made renovations in the clubhouse….
-Of course. We cannot abandon this clubhouse, which is probably the most emblematic in Spain. It is an 18th century farmhouse and maintaining it is complicated. We have made some basic reforms that were already necessary, such as moving the offices, making new toilets for players and the clubhouse, and a new store, which has looked very good, etc. We have also had to fix the original chapel that this manor house had. It has no defined use, but it is one more feature of this farmhouse.
We have also taken care of the catering, after the contract with the previous restaurant concessionaire was terminated. Now people are very satisfied and I can assure you that the food is very good, both the typical golfer’s menus and a la carte.
-In addition to the reforms, they have initiated a new commercial policy to attract new members…
-Our goal has always been to be a private club, of members, with the minimum possible green fees for visitors. To achieve this there are only two ways: either to raise the fees a lot or to have a large social mass. The crisis, the lack of generational renewal of members, etc. has meant that we don’t have enough members now.
That’s why we are trying to attract new members, to try to reach the number of members we had before, about 625. We are a very competitive club in terms of prices and benefits.
We are, on the other hand, what could be defined as a country club, tremendously familiar, where golf is one of the activities that can be practiced, in addition to many others.
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