Two hundred golf course and golf club managers from all over Spain attended the IX Congress of their Association, which took place during three intense days on the 12th, 13th and 14th at Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort, in Valencia, where they carried out a busy program of interesting presentations, round tables, presentations of services and new products, networking, as well as meetings with collaborating companies.
Salvador Álvarez Escobar, president of the AEGG (Spanish Association of Golf Managers), inaugurated the IX Congress together with Luis Borho, director of the Valencian complex, and gave way to the first round table discussion. “I would like to thank them once again for having accepted our invitation, demonstrating that we must all go hand in hand if we want golf to continue to grow, not only as a sport but also as one of the main industries that generates so many jobs in many corners of our country, and to continue to act as a magnet for quality tourism. It is clear to all of us that the confluence of synergies between the different levels is what will help us to defend our values and for golf to be considered as it deserves and to occupy the place it deserves in our society”.
Representatives of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Golf Federation of the Valencian Community, the Spanish Association of Greenkeepers, the Spanish Association of Golf Courses, the Association of Golf Professionals of Spain and the Spanish Association of Golf Managers, discussed current issues such as “the aging of the golfing population, the excessive time per round of golf or the positioning of the courses between now and the next two or three years” following the guidelines of Manuel Lozano, manager of the AEGG and responsible for organizing the meeting, the excessive time per round of golf or the positioning of the courses in the next two or three years” following the guidelines of Manuel Lozano, manager of the AEGG and responsible for the organization of the meeting, who had asked each of the components of the round table to respond to the question with which the debate was enunciated: “What am I going to do for golf in Spain in 2019?”.
Five interesting presentations were part of the program of what has become an essential annual event for golf course managers, not only because of the topics to be discussed but also because of the curriculum of the speakers. Sports psychologist Óscar del Río, certified in Golf Psychology Coaching by the PGA of Europe and a specialist in the development of high-performance professional careers, spoke on “How to set your goals and action plan with confidence and without stress” applied to the day-to-day work of a manager.
David Gómez Agüera, director of Green Section of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, considered one of the most valued greenkeepers in Europe, shared with the attendees his vision on the tasks of awareness in public and private courses, and in the construction of public courses under the title: “Cost savings and sustainability towards a more natural maintenance of golf courses in Spain. Practical examples”.
The presentation by Francisco Monterde, a lawyer of the ICAV, with a degree in Law, a diploma in Labor Relations and a diploma in Advanced Studies in Labor and Social Security Law, as well as being a professor of the Master’s Degree in Law, dealt with “Good practices in the management of human capital in companies and sports clubs”.
Pedro Mateos, Customer Experience and Digital Transformation Director at Volkswagen Spain, extrapolated his experience gained with the car brand’s customers to the field of golf: “The Volkswagen customer experience. Turn the players on your golf course into your best fans”.
One of the most awaited and most interesting interventions was that of Alejandro Reyes, Golf Course Manager at Le Golf National, home of the French Open since 1991 and host of the last edition of the Ryder Cup. The man from Almeria has held this position since January 2013 and was responsible for the preparation of the course where the third sporting event in the world was held, which resulted in the overwhelming victory of the European team by 17½ – 10 ½. To carry out his task, Alejandro had the collaboration of 170 people in addition to eight companies involved in the maintenance work. His presentation on “Preparing a golf course for a high-level competition” was widely commented and applauded.
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