Major revamp of Los Lagos – one of Robert Trent Jones’s finest designs

Following the previous remodelling of Los Olivos, Mijas Golf last year carried out a complete renovation of the Costa del Sol complex’s other course: Los Lagos

The two courses that comprise this stalwart club – both designed by legendary American architect Robert Trent Jones – were standard-bearers for Andalucian golf tourism for decades.

Now Mijas Golf is once again in superb condition and set to re-establish itself as one of Europe’s most popular golf resorts.

“As everyone knows,” says Mijas Golf manager Lorenzo Pérez Cortés, “Los Lagos is our flagship and, after 37 years, the course needed a complete renovation, which is what we have done.

“Our first priority with the renovation was to restore Robert Trent Jones’s magnificent design: to that end, we have reverted the course to a par-72. We have changed the 15th from a par-3 back to a par-5, its original format, and we have also modified the 16th, which now becomes a par-3, 142 metres more or less.

“The course has gained distance: from the yellow markers it’s now 300 metres longer, and water enters into play a lot more. We’ve brought the greens closer to the lakes and we now have an average of 11,000 square metres instead of the previous 7,000 square metres. Estimated driving distances, which before were between 200 and 220 metres, are now 250 metres…”

Adds Lorenzo Pérez Cortés, “We’ve decided not to create rough for a few years in order to facilitate play. The course maintains its open and spacious image: it is easy to play for golfers of any level, and to walk.

“We have tried to bring the course into line with new trends. Above all else, by focusing on the maintenance and ensuring we can take advantage of rainy days when the course is closed by installing top-level drainage. We have also finished the complete circuit of tracks for buggies, etc.”

-You have also completely changed the grass…

–Yes, we dug up the whole course, installed a new drainage system and then re-seeded.

As for irrigation, the course is totally Toro (US brand distributed in Spain by Riversa), and they convinced us we should install their innovative new control system Toro Lynx. We were the first to install this system in Spain, although it has been present in the US for just over a year. The system allows great savings in water: no part of the course becomes dry or receives too much water. I believe it’s the best irrigation control system available.

As far as the grass is concerned, on the advice of our greenkeeper, Fran Tirado, we chose the new hibryd Princess 77 bermuda, a grass that functions very well in the heat and requires 40 per cent less water. We seeded agrosti stolonifera 007 variety on the greens and foregreens. For the bunkers we carried out tests with marmolina (marble powder) but in the end opted for natural quarry sand cream colored.

–With both courses now remodelled, Mijas Golf is once again one of the premier golf resorts on the Costa del Sol...

–Historically, our golf complex has been very well known at a European level. We are aware that, in particular with Los Lagos, we needed to carry out a series of renovations. We’ve done that now and I’m convinced that Mijas Golf will once again retain the position it deserves in European golf. We have made a huge effort in that respect and we have a great product again: two magnificent Robert Trent Jones designs. In fact, we are still working on improvements to Los Lagos, changing the bunker sand and carrying out other work.