Costa del Sol Golf News » la quinta

Visit Benahavis… A Golfers Paradise

Golf News — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:54:35 +0000

I first came to Benahavis in 1994 and have now lived here for 10 years and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that Benahavis would add golf as a major attraction to its well known reputation for good restaurants and bars. The municipality now boasts 198 holes(!) and one of the prettiest driving ranges I have practised on has been built close to the heart of the village. To give a better appreciation of the scale of the municipality the courses of Benahavis are Los Arqueros, Atalaya Golf, Marbella Club Golf Resort, Monte Mayor, La Quinta, Golf Club Los Flamingos, La Zagaleta and El Higueral.
Where the municipality is going regarding golf was demonstrated by the successful hosting of the “PGA Benahavis Senior Masters 2009” at La Quinta which was broadcast to 52 countries worldwide.
I have always been amazed by the ability of the Spanish people to pick up a club and strike a ball effectively. That skill will be preserved with the children of Benahavis being encouraged by the town hall to take free twice weekly lessons with the local professional Manuel Araujo .
My family’s roots are golf with my grandfather founding the John Letters Company with a local blacksmith in 1918. In the future I hope to share a few memories and stories I have been told regarding golf and the making of clubs. It is indeed extraordinary that the more I read on the history of golf the more it seems there is not much we have not seen before.
Peter Letters

ED SAYS… Peter will be starting a regular column in the next issue of the Golf News.

First Class At La Quinta

Golf News — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:50:57 +0000

On our recent golfing group trip to the coast, we decided to visit a course which had been off our radar for a few years due to various negative comments , La Quinta Golf.
What a turn round ! We were treated like visitors to America from the moment we arrived. Our clubs were taken from our cars and placed on our buggies with the minimum of fuss, and whilst we waited we were invited to a coffee as our tee-time was being delayed for a few minutes due to the number of players.
We were also expertly informed about the condition of the course, and provided with a picnic as a small gesture of thanks from the club.We had a great day, and were in no rush to leave as we discussed our game at the excellent 19th hole Clubhouse.
Well Done to all the team at La Quinta. We are already looking forward to our next visit.

John Rankin, Stoke on Trent

Help for Haiti

Golf News — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:27:57 +0000

Estepona Golf Day A Great Success

Estepona Golf and Talk Radio Europe recently teamed up to create the “Tournament for Haiti” with their combined efforts having now raised over 12,500 Euro for the Christian Fellowship Charity.
It began with a short phone call between Rory Leader (President of Estepona Golf) and Maurice Bolland (MD of Talk Radio Europe) which led to the brainwave and the notion that they just had to help the disaster victims in Haiti in some small way. It took just 10 days to pull it all together. “In fact we had around 60 people standing by and could have sold out a much larger venue” said Maurice.
A big thank you goes out to all those involved and to the hundreds that had supported the event so well. The Golf tournament took place at Estepona Golf on the morning of the 5th of February at 9 am. 80 keen people braved the very poor weather conditions, including many celebrities from the world of show biz and sport to play 18 holes of golf. Stan Boardman, Kenny Lynch, Mike England and Dennis Taylor all turned out to join in the fun.
After battling the conditions all day the eventual winners emerged coming from the last group out. Dennis Taylor and Mike England scored a fantastic 44 points from the 2 ball better ball format.
Following a quick beer, shower and change it was off to the Gala Dinner venue at the beautiful La Quinta resort where guests were treated to a fantastic evening of food, wine and first class entertainment from singers including Wow Factor winners Christian Fa and Rebecca Tate, Stephen Lloyd-Morgan, The Gospel Choir, and comedy acts by Stan Boardman and Kenny Lynch.
Raffles, auctions and many pledges later saw Maurice reveal late in the evening that the events together had raised around 12,500 Euros -going directly to those that need it most in Haiti!
A great effort by all and it shows you what can be done when we share an important common goal and a caring humanitarian spirit!
Photos provided by Gary Edwards.

Harro Joins Team At Los Flamingos

Golf News — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:25:20 +0000

Harro Rijnders has recently been appointed as the director of the American Golf Academy and the Tramores Golf Club, both located in the fabulous Los Flamingos / Villa Padierna Golf Resort.
After work experiences in Holland, Belgium and Germany, Harro became the youngest head-professional in Holland at the age of 21, and in the same year he decided to extend his professional skills to the Costa del Golf.
After successfully assisting in the opening of the golf academies at La Quinta and Atalaya, Harro took up the challenge to direct the Monte Mayor Golf Club, a position he left after more than 8 years in charge to join this new and exciting project.
Very best wishes from the Costa del Sol Golf News.
For more information please email: info@americangolfacademy.es