Valderrama undertakes a major improvement plan for the golf course and training areas. The number 1 course in continental Europe will invest more than 3 million euros in a four-year plan to improve the quality of the course.
Valderrama Golf Club, venue of the Ryder Cup in 1997, two World Golf Championships and sixteen editions of the Volvo Masters, is currently investing heavily. Since 1988, Valderrama has always been included among the best courses in the world; its fairways and greens have always received unanimous praise from players and experts in the world of golf. However, the club’s Board of Directors has approved an investment plan to raise the level of the course and improve, if possible, its position among the best in the world.
The first investment in the plan was the complete renovation of the pumping equipment. A new pumping station, with the most advanced technology available on the market, was installed six months ago and is producing excellent results. The fairways and greens now have a much more consistent color thanks to the absence of dry or waterlogged areas. Apart from the visual effect and improved playing conditions, the new system has significantly reduced water and energy costs.
The second major investment in the course concerns the bunkers. All of them have been completely renovated, new drains have been built, liners have been installed and the sand has been changed. The new sand meets USGA specifications and was chosen after months of testing.
Unfinished business
“The bunkers have been a pending issue at Valderrama for years. We have rebuilt them following the strictest specifications and I can proudly say that finally the bunkers have the same level of quality as our greens and fairways,” says the general manager of Valderrama Golf Club, Javier Reviriego.
“We conducted numerous tests on our par 3 course with different types of sand,” he continues, “and we concluded that the one chosen finally meets our expectations in terms of quality, playing conditions and aesthetics. The level of the entire course has improved substantially thanks to this investment.”
However, this is only the first phase of the renovation project. Valderrama is currently working on improving many buggy paths and landscaping the course. Over the next three years many other actions will be undertaken: several greens and antegreenes will be renovated to be completely free of Poa-Annua, a feature that has always been one of the main assets of this course. “One of the hallmarks of Valderrama”, says Javier Reviriego, “is that the greens and fairways are free of weeds, and all areas that are slightly contaminated will be cleaned up and sodded with clean grass”.
In the immediate future, a new pitching and chipping area with several greens will be built next to the driving range. This new training area will be designed by a prestigious golf architect and will recreate the playing conditions of the course.
“We believe there is still room for improvement in the field,” says Javier Reviriego, “and our goal is not to be number one in continental Europe, as we are right now, but to be among the best in the world. Our members and visitors demand the highest quality, and we will do everything in our power to give it to them.”
Valderrama has recently been ranked 45th in the world and first in Europe by the publication “Golf Architecture Magazine”, in a ranking elaborated with the votes of the most prestigious golf course designers and architects in the world.
With a total investment of three million euros in the course, it does not seem unreasonable to think that a major tournament could soon be announced for Valderrama.
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