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If it is difficult to achieve success, it is even more so to maintain it. This requires a great material and human effort, a vision for the future and, above all else, not resting on your laurels. Spain\u2019s most renowned and prestigious golf course has never allowed itself to sway dreamily in the arms of Morpheus. On the contrary: it has always remained wide awake, aware of the fact that excellence is not achieved as the fruit of chance but rather as the fruit of hard work, done well. This is Royal Valderrama Club. <\/p>\n
his ongoing desire for self-improvement is highlighted by the recently finalised Valderrama renovation, which began in 2011 and has involved a multi-million euro investment. A major project that has enabled the legendary course to confirm its status among the best in the world rankings\u2026 From excellence to perfection, in order to remain \u2013 for many years more \u2013 the best layout in Europe. <\/p>\n
Valderrama thus concludes a significant reform process undertaken with its board of directors\u2019 resolute objective focused on the club remaining a premier standard-bearer in international golf.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo maintain our level and prestige,\u201d explains general manager Javier Reviriego, \u201cwe decided it was important to carry out a series of investments and outline a detailed plan. All the improvements have served to modernise and perfect the layout. We can now prepare for the next few years with the guarantee that we offer the highest quality standards.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"%5C%22images\/stories\/GolfCourses\/Valderrama30I1188.jpg%5C%22\")
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Renovation project initiated in 2011 now completed<\/p>\n
The modernisation plan involved an investment of more than three million euros, and improvements to various aspects of the course. In all cases, the common objective was to boost the level of excellence that has made Valderrama famous around the world. <\/p>\n
To that end, according to Reviriego, one key aspect of this important project was the renovation of all the bunkers on the course. Improvements have been made to the drainage and construction of each bunker, and new sand has been incorporated following a demanding selection process. <\/p>\n
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Irrigation System<\/p>\n
In this same way, the course\u2019s entire irrigation system has been renovated. As the general manager notes, until now Valderrama had been using a hydraulic system that was 30 years old and which caused many problems. The installation of a modern system has been a major step forward in improving efficiency, as it enables the club to optimize water consumption and energy use. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe new irrigation system at Valderrama is one of the most advanced in the world. We have software that controls 3,000 sprinklers on the course and which receives information from two weather stations and hundreds of sensors installed around the course. With this system, the club is making a strong commitment to environmental sustainability. The technology not only enables us to maintain the grass in optimum condition but also means we can optimize water consumption automatically according to the weather conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another key aspect of the remodeling project has been a renovation of all the tees. Without changing their position, all have been re-oriented and levelled, and a new grass variety, Agrostis, has been introduced which is the same as that used for the greens. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll the tees have the same constructive and visual quality as our greens. This is one feature of the course that makes us stand out, as there are very few in the world with these kinds of tees,\u201d says Royal Valderrama Club head greenkeeper Adolfo Ramos.<\/p>\n
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As for the greens and approach areas, several have been renovated with the aim of maintaining their purity and avoiding a proliferation of varieties such as Poa Annua. The renovation has consisted of removing the affected grass, completely burning the area of contaminated roots and laying new turf with a new sand foundation. <\/p>\n
Investments have also been made in improving the aesthetic and presentation of the course. This work has been highlighted by a pruning of more than 6,500 cork trees around the course and improvements to the buggy paths. According to Ramos, \u201cpruning our trees was essential in improving grass quality in the shaded areas; now they receive more light and we can maintain them in perfect condition. This has also considerably improved the visual aesthetic of the cork trees \u2013 they are cleaner and healthier than in previous years.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Practice Area<\/p>\n
The final part of the modernisation plan has involved the complete renovation of the practice areas. A special area extending over 8,000 square meters has been constructed, where players can practice all aspects of their short game (pitches up to 75 meters, bunker shots, chips, etc.), as it includes two greens and three bunkers. The whole practice area has also been renovated, with the construction of new tees and five greens with bunkers at different distances to re-create the conditions out on the actual course. Both areas have been designed by renowned US golf course architect Kyle Phillips. <\/p>\n
![](\"%5C%22images\/stories\/GolfCourses\/ValderramaDSC_9522.jpg%5C%22\")
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\u201cWe believe that carrying out all these projects has considerably raised the level of the course,\u201d says Reviriego, \u201cand we can compete on quality and maintenance with the best courses in the world. We are very satisfied with the work and will continue working towards remaining a reference point in the industry. We are extremely fortunate to have Adolfo Ramos, one of the finest greenkeepers in the world, and a well-trained, highly involved and motivated team who aim to surpass themselves every day. Without them and total support from our board of directors, it would be impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Renovation project initiated in 2011 now completed The modernisation plan involved an investment of more than three million euros, and improvements to various aspects of the course. In all cases, the common objective was to boost the level of excellence that has made Valderrama famous around the world. To that end, according to Reviriego, one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}