A new generation of golf managers and directors is entering the industry. They bring, of course, freshness and new ideas, although they do not necessarily have to be better, but in a certain way different, much more influenced by new technologies and by another way of seeing things, especially with regard to the marketing and promotion of their courses. They are almost insultingly young and very, very well trained. Experience is a matter of time.
José Ramón Gómez, who has just turned twenty-eight, is one of them. He took over the management of Alhaurín Golf a few months ago.
He became interested in the world of golf almost as a child, and from the time he began his studies in tourism, his goal was to work in this sector. “When I finished my degree,” he says, “I took a golf course management course and shortly after finishing it I started working. First I was in Murcia, at the Polaris courses, where I spent about two years working in all the departments, which gave me great experience; and then I went to Mallarca, to Santa Ponsa Golf & Country Club, a club with two courses, one of them a members’ course, which is where I worked.”
From there he moved to Alhaurín Golf as director, “which has been a great challenge for me because it is my first job in the industry as a manager. It is a great responsibility and a great opportunity for me”.
-What did you find when you came to this field, how did you see it?
-It was in a complicated situation, but the new ownership wanted to give it a big change and improve it in all its aspects, and that is what we have proposed to do, working hand in hand with Golf en Red and Antonio Conde.
We have set ourselves a clear objective: to turn everything around, both in terms of marketing and internal operations. We have also, of course, set out to change the image of this course, which was one of Severiano Ballesteros’ first designs.
Alhaurín Golf is a course that challenges any player and we are determined to keep it as good as possible, as Seve would have wanted, and I think we are succeeding.
“In this sense,” adds José Ramón Gómez, “to take maximum care of maintenance we have hired Carlos Lima, one of the most prestigious greenkeepers on the Costa del Sol, as an external consultant, which is surely a guarantee of success for us.”
-Have you noticed the evolution of the field in the last few months?
-Very much so. I would say that the countryside is changing radically. Because of its orography, it needs a lot of work and dedication, and that is what we are doing.
Alhaurín Golf is a creation of Seve’s dating from 1993, one of his first designs, and here he left his way of understanding golf. He adapted perfectly to the terrain and made as few concessions as possible.
“On this course,” says its director, “we’re going to find all kinds of shots, you’re never going to hit two of the same ones on this course and they all have to be very well thought out, very meditated. Ballesteros left his “mark” here as a golfer, his identity. I will never tire of insisting on the challenge of playing at Alhaurín Golf and how much fun it can be. When you finish a round you always think about coming back to improve yourself, to correct any mistakes you may have made. Coming back to play it becomes a necessity”.
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