By Javier Reviriego, General Manager of Real Club Valderrama
Several weeks have passed since the Real Club Valderrama hosted the Open de España and we have had time to evaluate the tournament and draw conclusions. I think it is essential to understand how the success of an event of this nature should be measured. Many times, the interests of the “main players” (host club, sponsors, destination, Federation, European Tour, etc.) are not aligned, and that is why we must make a detailed analysis from several “angles” or points of view.
It is worth evaluating the organizational part (fan experience), the sporting part (spectacle), the impact on the media (especially digital), the attendance of the public, the image and presentation of the course, the famous television ratings and, of course, the prestige and reputation that this type of professional tournament brings to the club that hosts it and to the destination and country in which it is located. We can speak of great success when all these factors together have been positive and a “win-win” has been achieved for all parties involved. In general terms, I believe that all the objectives we set ourselves during the preparation of the Open have been met and this fact encourages us to continue working to ensure that we can host more top-level tournaments in the future.
For us, the most important thing as the host club was to present the course in excellent condition and to make it a great challenge for the pros. I think that, despite the few weeks we had to prepare, we more than achieved both objectives. During the tournament there was a lot of talk about the difficulty and the “set-up” of the course; Valderrama has always been a difficult course, in fact, I think it is the clear proof that a course does not have to measure 7,000 meters to be competitive and that the essence of the Robert Trent Jones course remains, therefore, unchanged over the years. It is a course that rewards strategy, the handling of the effects and above all precision, above other qualities such as punch. It can be said that it is a return to what golf has always been, a game of skill and dexterity. As a golf fan, I have to admit that I am not always amused to see how every week professional players tear up very long courses with winning scores of fifteen or twenty under par. Valderrama is different and will continue to be different.
We must not forget the enormous tourist impact that tournaments like this have on destinations such as Andalusia and specifically on the Costa del Sol. There is no better promotional vehicle for our region than to show the best players in Europe competing, with a radiant sun, in one of the best and most emblematic courses in the world. The television hours are priceless, especially when the audiences far exceed the average of most European Tour tournaments (perhaps “the Valderrama effect”). It is essential to communicate this aspect when talking about professional tournaments is the unfinished business of our sector, we must “shake” the image of elitist sport (that part of the press always insists on giving us) and communicate in a professional manner the direct and indirect wealth generated by our sport. There are countries and destinations that have perfectly understood the advantages of associating tourism promotion with the celebration of prestigious professional tournaments, and it is important that we in Spain do not lag behind. I know that the Spanish Federation is making an important effort and I know that the Andalusian Government is willing to support tournaments such as the Spanish Open to promote Andalusia internationally.
I also consider it fundamental to communicate the involvement with charitable causes of the different tournaments of the European Tour. The Americans are far ahead of us in this respect. They always take care to inform about the fundraising and charitable contribution of each tournament held on the PGA Tour. It is very clear to them that it significantly improves the image and prestige of their circuit. Let’s do the same in Europe, the relationship of the Real Club Valderrama Open de España with the Sergio García Foundation is a clear example; more than 60,000 € have been raised to fight against cancer and a great effort has been made to communicate it in the different media. It is a positive message that can only help to improve the image of our sector.
The new vision of the European Tour, led by its new CEO Keith Pelley, I believe that it will undoubtedly serve as an impulse for European countries and companies to host and sponsor professional tournaments. It is very difficult to compete with the PGA Tour, especially when the best European players spend most of the year in the United States. I am very confident that this will change in the coming years, Keith Pelley has set a number of goals including bringing the best tournaments to the best courses. I think this is absolutely the right strategy. If we want to attract new fans and sponsors, golf must be first and foremost a spectacle, and watching the best players compete on world-class courses certainly is.
The history of Valderrama has been forged by hosting prestigious tournaments, it is part of our model as a club and we will continue, therefore, working to attract the best players in the world to our course. For the moment, it is time to thank Sergio García, the different sponsors, the Spanish Federation and the European Tour for having made us enjoy a great Open de España.
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