In 2016 the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla changed its name to Real Club Sevilla Golf. Also that year the entity received the Plaque of Merit in Golf, an award granted by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation. Although its name has changed slightly, what has not changed over the years is the grandeur and spectacular nature of this Andalusian club, which in April 2004 had the great honor of hosting the World Golf Cup.
It was the English Paul Casey and Luke Donald who won that tournament for their country, in which Spain, with Sergio García and Miguel Ángel Jiménez, finished second, just one stroke behind England.
The magnificent course designed by José María Olazábal, twice champion of the Augusta Masters (1994 and 1999), has also been the setting for other major international tournaments, such as the 2008, 2010 and 2012 editions of the Spanish Open, won respectively by Peter Lawrie, Álvaro Quirós and Francesco Molinari. RC Sevilla Golf hosted another European Tour tournament, the 2009 Open de Andalucía, where Soren Kjeldsen won.
In 1992, the year of the Universal Exposition held in Seville, the child was born who, from the moment of his birth, was already showing signs of being a great champion. And not only because of the ‘father’ of the child, Olazábal, but also because of the splendid estate where he was born.
The course is a par 72 of 6,529 meters with a very balanced layout for players of any handicap and that allows to host any competition of the highest level both amateur and professional. The course occupies an area of 61 hectares with more than 10,000 trees that make up a demanding and very pleasant course.
The Real Club Sevilla golf course is a very extensive course characterized by wide fairways, sown with Bermuda 419, and undulating greens – upholstered with Agrostis Stolonifera A – very well protected by 90 bunkers and 9 lakes covering an area of more than three hectares.
The playing field stands out for its very high level of maintenance. Every autumn, the course is reseeded with Raygrass, which guarantees an impeccable presentation of the course throughout the year. Currently, RC Sevilla Golf is ranked fifth in the ranking of the best Spanish courses.
In addition to the splendid 18-hole layout, the Sevillian club has an unbeatable driving range of 120 meters wide by 260 meters long, also planted with Bermuda 419. Next to the driving range are the putting green and the chipping green, very wide and with slopes similar to those of the greens of the course.
Gonzalo Goy, the club’s Director of Operations, believes that RC Sevilla Golf has every reason to be among the great courses in Spain.
“I think it stands out among the great courses in Spain for several reasons. The first, and perhaps the most important, is the number of top-level championships we have hosted”, and he highlights in this respect the 2004 World Cup, “one of the most important golf events we have hosted in our country”, as well as the 2009 Andalusia Open and the three editions of the Spanish Open (2008, 2010 and 2012).
“Also,” he continues, “it is important to emphasize the level of maintenance of the golf course, prepared to host a major event throughout the year, maintaining excellent playing conditions.”
Another reason for the greatness of RC Sevilla Golf is “the great design of José María Olazábal, a course focused on top level competitions, which is a great test for all professional players, but where the average amataeur can enjoy depending on the tee bars where he plays, as it changes a lot its difficulty and becomes a very different course”.
Goy also emphasizes that “we are also fortunate to have an excellent human team, which provides exceptional service to our customers and members and adds a plus of quality to the ‘Real Club Sevilla Golf experience'”.
-Why shouldn’t someone who doesn’t know the course stop playing it?
-From the Real Club Sevilla Golf, we encourage all players who do not know it to come and visit us, not only to know one of the best golf courses in Spain, but also to visit one of the most beautiful cities of our magnificent country, which has a first class cultural and gastronomic offer, a perfect complement to our club.
-Which hole on the course would you highlight?
-It is difficult to have to choose just one with such a diverse variety of holes. Perhaps one aspect that stands out for many of the great professionals and amateurs who visit us is the ‘final test’ of our course, finishing with holes from 14 to 18 is a great added value.
But if I had to highlight a signature hole it would be the demanding 18th hole to finish the course. The drop of the drive is protected by a large lake on the left side and by two bunkers on the right. The lake bordering the green on the left and the bunkers on the right also make it difficult to hit the second shot to a moving green, a tense hole where you can make birdie by playing it very well or double bogey if you get a little off track. ■
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CHAMPIONSHIP DESIGNER
With his own design studio, José Maria Olazábal has been involved in golf course design for over 20 years and offers experience and expertise to the highest quality standards. Some of the 21 courses that bear his signature have hosted high-profile professional tournaments, for example, the World Cup, the Spanish Open and the Andalusian Open. at Real Club Sevilla Golf, the WGC World Championship at the Olazábal Course in Mission Hills, China, or the Open de Mallorca at Pula Golf.
The Basque player is undoubtedly one of the great Europeans in the history of golf. The most outstanding achievements of his career are his two majors (Masters 1994 and 1999), his 33 tournament victories worldwide and his outstanding performances in the Ryder Cup. In recognition of his contributions to golf, Olazábal was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2012, he captained the European team that won the Ryder Cup after a fabulous comeback on the final day (winning 8.5 of 12 singles matches and eventually prevailing 14.5 to 13.5) in what was known as the “Miracle at Medinah,” after the U.S. venue for that tournament.
Although most of his creations are located in Spain, Olazábal has also designed golf courses in distant latitudes such as China, Qatar, Maldives, Turkey, Greece and Italy.
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IN BRIEF
Open to visitors
RC Sevilla Golf is a private club but open to visiting golfers, with green fees ranging from 80 to 165 euros, depending on the season (there are three, the lowest being in July and August, and the highest, in September and from February 16 to June 30) and whether it is played from Monday to Friday or on weekends and holidays.
A very sporty club
Apart from the golf courses, the club has many other facilities for sports practice: nine tennis courts, twelve artificial grass paddle courts (two glazed and with bleachers), four swimming pools (one heated), two grass soccer fields, gym…
Sergio’s shipwreck
Spain, spurred on by 16,000 spectators in the field, was one stroke behind England on the last day of the World Cup, but on the 16th Sergio Garcia sent his tee shot into the water, and Miguel Angel Jimenez did not hit well from the tee either. In the end, Paul Casey and Luke Donald won by one stroke.
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