The first Valencian golfers played at the Manises aeroclub in the 50s and 60s. At the end of the 60’s they had problems to continue playing at the base and alternatives were sought. On April 26, 1969 the Escorpion Golf Club was constituted with the idea of playing on another golf course. The 12 founding members delegated the representation of the club to Enrique Puigmoltó, Viscount of Miranda and Jose Manuel Gómez-Trenor Fos.
While the ideal location was being chosen and the purchase of the land and the construction of the course were being carried out, an agreement was reached with the General Directorate of Tourism to be able to play on the Parador de El Saler golf course, until the Escorpión Golf Club had its own course. Six years later, in 1975, the current course was inaugurated in the Torre en Conill urbanization.
Ron Kirby, the course designer, was commissioned with a 27-hole project. However, Ibergolf was initially contracted to build the first 18 holes.
This course was known for having the particularity of being surrounded by orange trees. In its early years it hosted numerous amateur and professional tournaments at national and international level, such as the Spanish Professional Championship in 1979, the Spanish Open in 1980 or the Mediterranean Open Tour in 1995.
In the 80’s the orange trees were replaced by pine trees, which allowed the course to have the current landscape configuration, that is, wide fairways lined with masses of pine trees, which provide shade during the summer and security to the players in the adjacent fairways, as well as reducing the influence of the wind on the game.
At the end of the 70’s the club had about 400 members, which was insufficient to maintain the club with the ordinary fees, so there were frequent contributions to ensure the survival of the club. A few years later, the number of 2000 members was reached and the expansion of the course to 27 holes could begin to be considered to accommodate all members.
Finally, under the presidency of Juan Bover, the new course was built with a design by Alfonso Vidaor (Green Project) based on the initial Master Plan developed by Ron Kirby. In 2002 these works were completed and the course presented its current configuration with three nine-hole rounds: Masía Lagos and Nuevos, which are combined in pairs to give rise to the following three courses: Blue, Red and Yellow.
In 2005 the current golf offer was completed with the construction of 9 holes par three, where the members can improve their short game and the younger ones can develop their skills to be able to play the long course later on.
During the last 25 years the club has been developing the initial concept conceived by the founding members to be the family golf club par excellence for Valencians. The club has 2,600 members, of which 500 are under 18 years of age. In this sense, among its facilities it has more than 30,000 square meters dedicated to the youngest members, where there is a toy library, a youth club, a cafeteria, a playground, a grass soccer field, a practice court, a tennis court, two paddle tennis courts, a recreation area and a team of seven monitors every weekend.
Throughout the school year there is a three-level golf school with more than 250 students. In addition, during the Christmas, Easter and summer vacations, courses and activities are organized for the younger ones.
In order to commemorate the 50th anniversary, a series of initiatives have been carried out and the following events have been developed.
Among them, the youth party organized on June 8, in which 300 children participated, and the great social party organized on Saturday, June 29, in which 330 players participated in the golf competition and 450 members attended the 50th anniversary celebration dinner.
An institutional celebration is also planned for autumn, to which the Spanish Golf Federation will be invited, as well as the Valencian Federation, the main authorities, the corresponding clubs, the clubs of the province and other personalities of the sport and society.
On the other hand, photos, documents, press articles, reviews and testimonies have been collected to organize a photographic exhibition of the history of the club during this half century and also a series of videos that are very interesting to understand the evolution of the club.
Taking advantage of the reform of the dining area of the club, also have been placed some pictures of honor in which are collected the champions of the club, club presidents, honorary members, founding members, the main positions of the club, as well as some showcases with the most significant trophies and awards won since the founding of the club. Among which we can highlight the recent Plaque of Merit in Golf, awarded by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, for the trajectory of the club during these years, and the Award “Family Friendly Golf Club of the Year”, decided by the magazine Luxury Travel Guide, in recognition of the work of promoting golf and leisure in a family environment, both received in 2018.
The club’s director, Marcos Lería, a renowned professional in course management, talks about the past, present and future of Golf Escorpión.
-What has been the contribution of the Escorpión Golf Club to Spanish golf in these fifty years?
-The Escorpión Golf Club is the private social golf club par excellence of the Valencian Community thanks to the work developed since its foundation in 1969, and one of the most relevant at national level. It has 2600 members and has generated great players both at professional level, among which we can highlight Carlos del Moral, and amateur, where the list would be much longer. It has hosted two tournaments of the European Tour, Spanish Professional Championships, Spanish Championships in all amateur categories, the home of the Copa S.M. La Reina, hosts every year the Copa de la Comunidad Valenciana and has recently received the Plaque of Merit in Golf, awarded by the RFEG, from the hands of its president, Gonzaga Escauriaza. On another note, more than 200 students have passed through its golf school every year, so we can say that it has been a true generator of golfers in the Levante region.
-What aspects of the club would you highlight?
-Undoubtedly the luxury of the space, which is breathed as soon as you enter the club. Not in vain, the club has 27 holes plus a pitch & putt of 9 holes, as well as the family and social atmosphere that is perceived when visiting the facilities. putt of 9 holes, as well as the family and social atmosphere that is perceived when visiting the facilities, without forgetting the level of maintenance of the course, and the gastronomy, since we have a somewhat particular restoration, in which coexist a cafeteria service and service to the member, which includes the cafeteria of the cub, the cafeteria of the youth club, the swimming pool and the beach bar of the course, managed by the club, the swimming pool and the beach bar on the course, managed directly by the club and aimed at club members and their guests, with an external restaurant on the second floor, operated by a third party that opens its doors at noon from Tuesday to Sunday with a very different and attractive gastronomic offer, both for members and visitors. Another distinctive feature of the club is the facilities for the youngest members, where a team of seven monitors, every weekend, in an area of 30,000 square meters, is in charge of making social life pleasant for everyone. The quality of all services is exceptional, with a staff of around one hundred people attending to the needs of members.
-What challenges does the club face in the short and medium term?
-The most immediate priority is to continue improving the facilities to keep them up to date thanks to an ambitious general investment program of which the part that is considered a priority is implemented each year, in which sustainability plays an important role because respect for the environment must be present in every decision of this nature. This investment program includes the renovation and modernization of the golf course, the improvement of infrastructure, the renewal of the fleet of electric carts, the updating of the gymnasium and the expansion of the cafeteria of the youth club, among other interventions. It is also planned to introduce innovations in the Golf School, in order to achieve better athletes and a greater love of golf. The competition is great, and I am not referring to other courses, but to the way of life of young people, in which the audiovisual, the virtual, and the different ways of relating to their environment prevail, so that making golf attractive to them and coming to the club is increasingly complicated. Marketing and communication are another priority to which we are dedicating resources, just as we are dedicating resources to the development of the club. than to the training of our staff, in order to adapt to the highest demands of our partners.
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