Located in San Roque municipality at the eastern end of Cádiz province, Spain’s most popular “public” course, La Cañada, has 1,100 members from 17 different countries: 300 from the nearby area (Guadiaro town, where the course is situated), a similar number from Algeciras and almost the same proportion from elsewhere in Spain.

This is the story of the village that wanted a golf course. Jaime Ortiz Patiño, honorary president of Valderrama, became interested, the municipality gave the land, Robert Trent Jones Sr. did the design and La Cañada was built. Over a decade later, with a lot of financial help from the First Tee programme and Jaime Ortiz Patiño, the second nine holes was opened, this time designed by Dave Thomas.

President Ángel Gutiérrez López says he is totally satisfied with how the club is functioning though, like everyone, he complains about the dreaded crisis.

- Nevertheless, La Cañada is the golf course with the highest number of rounds played on the Costa del Sol…

- No, we are the 18-hole course with the highest number of rounds played in Spain: between 65,000 and 75,000 a year. There might be fewer in 2012 (he was speaking before the end of the year).

- If that’s the case, it doesn’t seem as though the crisis has affected you too much…

- Wrong. The crisis affects us like anywhere else. In fact, the last year has not been good at all. Our revenue has fallen and the sale of green fees has decreased considerably. We get by thanks to foreign golfers.

- I don’t want to be pessimistic, but the increase in IVA (VAT) from eight to 21 per cent has been a big blow to us. For the first time we’ve had to charge members a green fee, albeit symbolical.

–¿Cuáles son las perspectivas de La Cañada para 2013?

–No quiero ser pesimista, pero el incremento del IVA del 8 al 21 por ciento ha sido un mazado para nosotros. Por primera vez hemos tenido que cobrar greenfee, aunque simbólico, a los socios.