It has been just over a year since Pablo Mansilla became the new president of the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation (RFGA). It was on December 30, 2016 when this economist by profession and golf player and referee by devotion took office.
In this interview he takes stock of his first year at the head of the organization, the first Spanish federation in number of fields and second in number of members. “I think the balance is positive,” he says. “We have worked hard, we have been settling things and changing what we considered necessary, and our objectives have become more and more ambitious. We started with a small team that we have been expanding little by little”.
“From the sporting point of view, he continues, “it has been a fantastic year, both in terms of professionals and amateurs. In the first case, we still have Miguel Ángel (Jiménez) in top form, Álvaro (Quirós) had a great victory last year, we have Scott entering the European Tour, and as for the girls, what can we say about the impressive Azahara, by revalidating her title in the Open de España Femenino and winning in Guadalmina”.
Referring to the professional tournaments played in the autonomous community, the president of the RFGA says that we are living “a new era of splendor, with the Andalucía Valderrama Masters, the Open de España Femenino, the Challenge de Andalucía…”.
As for Andalusian amateur golf “we can not complain: we have champions of Spain under 18 teams, runners-up of Spain absolute teams, two players of the six who won European championships are Andalusian: Victor Pastor and Angel Hidalgo, two great promises: Angel is going to represent Europe this year in the Europe-Asia Pacific, Victor champion of Europe university … we can not complain. And in children we got many runner-ups, in Spain, which we did in Sancti Petri”.
Another important issue in the RFGA’s activity concerns the younger players. “We are growing in golf in schools, every day a little more, and we are also growing in the Golf Joven promotional campaign we have had, thanks to the idea of Carlos Pitarch (president of the RFGA Promotion Committee) and above all to the support of Andalusian golf courses, which have reacted very well. The Junior Golf Program started in the summer and it was a great success and I am sure it will also be a great success during the rest of the year. We are going back to what used to happen when I was a child, and that is that children should play, if not for free, then almost for free. There are already 40 fields that are part of the Program”.
-Along with bringing golf to schools, the Junior Golf Program is a great initiative to get new fans and at the same time keep young people in the sport?
-In schools we have to teach what golf is, teach that it is a fun sport and that it can be practiced without any problem. But once you have taught the child to play golf, he has to have a place to practice it and that is why it is obviously fundamental to have the support of public schools, which we also have thanks to public entities such as the Junta de Andalucía with the Escuela del Toyo in Almería or La Cartuja in Seville or La Garza in Linares, but also with the support of private courses where public institutions do not enter and that is the great success of the Programa Golf Joven de Andalucía (Young Golf Program of Andalusia). We are the envy of the rest of Spain.
-Is there any reluctance in some schools to introduce golf?
-Less and less, although the false image of golf as an elitist sport still persists in some places. Fortunately that image is changing little by little. It also depends on the area in question, because it is not the same in an area where golf is a daily activity and whose benefits are seen throughout society as in another where there is little golf and the sport is not well known. Fortunately on the Costa del Sol golf is a widespread sport and there are already many schoolchildren who practice it, but in other areas of Andalusia we have to continue working to make it known more and more. We are managing to introduce golf in schools and we are also achieving something very important: that the player continues to play on the golf courses.
-What plans does the RFGA have for this year?
-As for professional tournaments, we will have again the Andalucía Costa del Sol Match Play 9, the Andalucía Alps, probably in Huelva, we are trying to close a final of the Euro Pro Tour, in Almería, we are closing the Open de España Femenino, and of course we have the Andalucía Valderrama Masters. As far as amateur competitions are concerned, we start the year with the first Spanish national scoring, we already have Julia Lopez and Alvaro Muller winning the national junior points, which shows that the Andalusian youth is very strong, we have Angel Hidalgo representing Europe as I said in the Europe-Asia Pacific Match, we are always among the favorites to win the Spanish team championships and this year will not be less.
As far as golf in schools is concerned, we are trying to close agreements to reach many more, and the truth is that the interest of the schools is growing every day. And in Golf Joven we will continue with Carlos Pitarch’s campaign. We are going to strengthen the Promotion Committee especially to ensure that the trend we talked about last year, that the negative trend of loss of licenses was coming to an end, I think it has definitely come to an end. Until we have the numbers in hand we cannot claim victory, but I believe that this year we will grow again, and we have to strengthen the Promotion Committee to grow even more.
-What is the current situation of commercial Andalusian golf? Is it living again a sweet moment?
-Like last year, golf courses are also now experiencing a great season. What we don’t know is where the growth limit is. The managers of those courses have to work very well, and they know how to do it, because we took advantage at the time of the drop in demand from competing destinations because of jihadism. This is disappearing and those destinations – Tunisia, Turkey, Morocco – are recovering tourists, offering above all very cheap prices. They play with lower prices; we have to play with quality because we are the destination with the highest quality and we have to continue to maintain it and convince the golfer that it is worth coming to the Costa del Sol and all Andalusia.
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