Peter Gustafsson is a quiet man, slow-spoken and calm in his manner. However, his brain is a cauldron of constantly boiling ideas, of good ideas in general. This Scandinavian professional golfer, who has lived on the Costa del Sol for many years, has played professionally in more than 80 countries and has won 11 international victories, as well as two second places on the European Tour.
His characteristic cap is one of the hallmarks of this Swedish golfer, who is now embarking on a new professional adventure, taking charge, through his firm PG Experience Golf, of the practice facilities at Atalaya Golf & Country Club.
For over 50 years, Atalaya Golf has been one of the leading golf clubs on the Costa del Sol, with two 18-hole courses set in beautiful natural surroundings. As part of its strategy to offer an unparalleled experience, the club has embarked on a total upgrade of its golf academy involving the development of a world-class practice facility following the agreement signed with PG Experience Golf.
PG Experience Golf has quickly built a reputation for offering the best golf trips, exclusive events at some of the world’s most prestigious golf courses and golf lessons.
The vision of the PG Golf & Sports Academy at Atalaya Golf is to offer the best facilities for players to train the different aspects of the game, all led by a team of multilingual and experienced professionals. The academy plans to introduce the latest ball tracking technology to support the professionals, as well as allowing players to analyze their own swing. It will also offer summer camps for juniors and group lessons.
Beyond golf, the academy’s plans include tennis courts, paddle tennis and paddle tennis courts. and yoga classes designed specifically for golfers. In addition, new catering facilities are under construction that will include areas to relax during practice sessions.
For Gustafsson, “this new project is an incredible opportunity to offer the best in golf instruction and practice in southern Spain. Working together with Atalaya, I am looking forward to sharing all my experience with club members and players from all over Europe”.
Andrés Sánchez, director of Atalaya Golf & Country Club is very satisfied with the agreement signed with Gustafsson. “We have always had very good practice facilities at Atalaya and now I am excited about this new agreement with PG Experience Golf that will allow us to take our services to the next level. With the attraction generated by the new academy we look forward to welcoming many new players and members to our two wonderful golf courses.”
Gustafsson explains why he is embarking on this new professional adventure: “I’ve been here since 1997 and in all these years it has been very difficult to find good practice fields for amateur players and also for professionals, for national teams… and when I found out that there was a possibility of managing these facilities I didn’t think twice”.
“And also,” he continues, “it’s a very good thing for our business with tournaments, events, golf trips, because I have the office here and I’m seeing golfers all the time. Also, with the career I have, I would like to make an academy for children and people without economic resources, to do something good here, and also make a kind of club within the academy for golfers who want to play tournaments and do different activities”.
Another of his projects is to create a paddle tennis club with half a dozen courts in the area where the parking lot is now located.
The Swedish pro points out that the driving range is open to all coaches, who can take their students for two hours with balls included at a very competitive price. “On the Costa del Sol,” he says, “there are many good coaches who don’t have facilities where they can teach their clients. Here we are going to give them all the facilities to make them feel comfortable. We are an open academy for all of them, both for those who live here and for those who come from abroad”.
“We are going to put artificial turf on the tee line,” he continues, “LED lights for night activities, improve the driving range area to make it more attractive, and we are renovating the kiosk to make a cafeteria”.
Gustafsson plans for the children’s classes at the academy to begin during the first quarter of 2021. “We are now structuring everything to start in January at full capacity,” he concludes.
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