Celebrating its second anniversary this summer is a golf club that was inaugurated in the midst of the pandemic and was the first 18-hole course in 10 years to open on the Costa del Sol. Azata Golf, located in Estepona municipality a short distance from the sea, has come through the worst stages of the pandemic with flying colours and is now experiencing a period of growth and consolidation.
Contributing to this success, among other factors, is the opening of its driving range, restaurant and Moon Masters Golf Academy, managed by brothers Kiko, Salva and Santi Luna. The first two are coaches of national teams, and the latter is a European Tour champion.
Clearly, not everything has been a bed of roses, but the managing director of Azata Golf, Agustín Alonso, says he is extremely satisfied with how things are going. "We opened at the worst time," he acknowledges, "and it has been very complicated due to the issue of restrictions, but I have to say that people are responding well and above all they like the course, which is very important.
“I pay particular attention to the people who return, who book again in the autumn and spring. People really like the course, although at first it seemed quite difficult. Bit by bit they started to appreciate it, they are now having a lot of fun, and they are even becoming members.”
In this regard, he notes that they already have 160 annual subscribers, “which is not bad at all”. Approximately half are Spanish and, among the foreigners, Swedish and English predominate, although there are Belgians, French and other nationalities.
The clubhouse opened eight months ago and both the shop and the restaurant have been extremely well received. “They are working quite well,” Agustín says. The restaurant is run by an Asturian restaurateur and offers "an exceptional quality/price ratio". This person is also a cook and has a beach bar in Estepona, “Como Pez en el Agua” (“Like a Fish in Water”). "We have very good quality food, and very popular prices: a club sandwich, for example, costs €10 and not €30 as at some other courses.”
The driving range opened last December and the Moon Masters Golf School began its journey a month later. The team is led by Kiko Luna and Fernando Galiano is a “resident” teacher. "Fernando offers excellent classes and, above all, he hooks you when it comes to playing golf, just like Kiko."
As for Kiko, he notes, “Apart from being the national coach for 25 years, he is a professional who knows a lot about technique and strategy – in short, a lot about golf – and the way he teaches is totally different from that of any academy. We look at swings, we look at players and their particular needs, we look at sequences; we don't look at swinging like Adam Scott or Tiger Woods."
The academy offers both private classes and six-monthly and annual courses. Those enrolled in the annual courses receive clinics and coaching every six weeks by Kiko and the entire Moon Masters team. "Santi Luna will also come – this is important news – to provide strategy, Sergio Céspedes to give putting lessons, and Óscar del Río, a psychologist for the Royal Spanish Golf Federation’s national teams, to offer a mental class.
“In the end we opted for Moon Masters,” he adds, “because it offers so much more than just an academy with a golf instructor. With Kiko and his team we cover all the aspects that make up a good golf learning process: technique, strategy, mental tactics, adaptation to the physical state of each person...”
As for Azata Golf’s evolution since opening in June 2020, and the response among players, Agustín says, "We have been gradually adding things to the golf course: first the buggies, then the restaurant, later the practice range, and what people like most is the service, the treatment we give them.
“I have a great team, and I always say this: the caddy masters, the guys in the shop, the marshalls, or player assistants as they say now, they are all very professional, always with a smile on their faces and always helping players, assisting them with everything they need so that they can enjoy a great experience.”
Focusing on the golf course itself, designed by Stirling & Martin, Agustín is especially proud of the greens. “Everyone tells us that they are spectacular, that they are the best on the Costa del Sol, and I always tell them the same thing: I don't want to say that they are the best greens on the Costa del Sol because there are exceptional courses here, like Valderrama and Sotogrande and Las Brisas, so comparisons are worthless. But it is true that our greens are very, very good; they have quite a few slopes and you have to know how to play them.
“And then there’s the course. The first time they tell us it’s very difficult, and that’s true. If you’re not familiar with a course, at first you don't know where to hit the ball. The second time they know where to play and have a little more fun, and the third time they tell me they want to become members.
“In terms of the relationship between quality and price when it comes to members, we are the best course on the Costa del Sol: €1,600 annual subscription. Here we provide members with a very good service, we organise a tournament – a great tournament – every month, and they fill up in 48 hours.”
Agustín is very proud of Azata Golf, referring to it as “my baby” because it has been with him for three years, since before the 18 holes came into the world. "I am watching it grow, I like to see it progress, and I would like to continue seeing it grow older.”
