It was the year the Vietnam War began, Winston Churchill and Stan Laurel (the thin half of the Laurel and Hardy comic duo) died, and Spain began to establish itself as an international tourist destination. In Marbella, it was also the year when a magnificent creation by the man considered to be Spain’s finest golf course architect, Javier Arana, opened for play. Rio Real was born in 1965, in a privileged natural setting on a gently sloping plot of land that extended to the sea. And just five minutes from the centre of this cosmopolitan city…
If its holes could speak… Rio Real Golf Club is one of Marbella’s historic courses. Since opening half a century ago, many famous people have enjoyed this stunningly beautiful course, from aristocrats to Hollywood stars. Actress Deborah Kerr and her husband, screenwriter Peter Viertel, lived in a house beside the golf course.
That era of glamour when Rio Real took its first steps has moved on to another less dazzling period, but it maintains its interest and fascination. Maybe now there aren’t so many Hollywood “monsters” – although Antonio Banderas has a villa just a few hundred kilometres from the club – or Arab sheiks as prevailed before but it is still true that Marbella remains one of Europe’s most attractive and high-end tourist destinations.
And, to enjoy a getaway or longer holiday with all luxury comforts in this Costa del Sol municipality, Rio Real is the perfect place.
Located just three kilometres from the city centre, the complex offers much more than a superb 72-hole course that drops gently to the beach in the middle of a natural setting brimming with lofty pine trees of various different species combined with attractive palm tress, lush shrubs and colourful borders. Walking along its meticulously maintained fairways and exquisitely manicured greens is a delight for all the senses, especially the view, with the brilliant azure of the Mediterranean as a backdrop.
Good sensations are a hallmark of the resort. Next to the course is a charming boutique hotel, opened in 2001 and exquisitely decorated by renowned home interiors architect Pasca Ortega. Offering impressive views over the 11th hole, the hotel comprises 30 spacious and elegant rooms and suites.
Lovers of fine dining will also find a magnificent restaurant at Rio Real. With its Mediterranean essence blended with refined taste, the restaurant is the ideal place to satisfy the most demanding palates. And all in an elegant and distinguished ambience with panoramic views over the golf course.
Featuring wood tones and the aroma of coffee, the Snack Bar is a welcoming refuge for those wanting to have a relaxing break, or a light lunch next to the course.
If the Rio Real course is a true haven of luxury for Spanish golf, its academy in no way lags behind, with its superb amenities run by Sergio de Céspedes. TPI-certified, coach of the Spanish Federation’s youth team, and son and grandson of golf pros, Sergio can capably guide those who are starting out in the sport as well as others wanting to fine-tune their games.
Advanced technology
The facilities include a practice range, 15 covered tee areas, three greens, a 1,000 square metre approach and putting area with a green and two practice bunkers, a 500 square metre putting green, a practice green with technical support equipment for putting, and a 50 square metre academy classroom with two analysis systems (Video Gasp System and 3D Biomechanical Analysis), plasma screen and Explanair golf training aid.
The teaching equipment, which monitors ball flight and swing dimensions, includes a Digital Putt Analysis System, which analyses 11 different positions and has 10 working tools… lineal, angular, circular, colour, etc.; and 3D Biomechanical Analysis, with which movements are captured by optic sensors. Once a movement is recorded, the swing can be visualised from any angle, and the equipment has more than 40 working tools… centre of gravity, flight path, numbered weight distribution values, angle of the knee, back and head, rotation angle of the shoulders, hips, knees, speed of the shoulders, hips, clubs. It can also draw lines in 3D and using the Video Grasp System and in addition uses Explanair equipment and training aids, putting guides and Rittmeiser.
When not enjoying the golf, hotel, pool or restaurant, a visit to the hotel’s wellness centre is obligatory. After a round of golf, nothing better than a therapeutic massage for the back, neck and arms to reach a complete state of wellness and relaxation; a facial massage after being out on the course all day, to restore the face’s hydration and glow; or a revitalising exfoliation to oxygenate the skin.
For those who are more active, the resort has padel and tennis courts, with instructors for both sports.
The Rio Real complex offers attractive accommodation and golf packages adapted for all tastes (information at: www.rioreal.com), and the opportunity of booking organised excursions to Ronda, Granada and other places of great touristic interest.
In short, there are many options at Rio Real – a small paradise that people can enjoy with all their senses.
The Beginnings
Rio Real’s history is linked to the early days of Hotel Los Monteros. Salamanca businessman Ignacio Coca opened the hotel in 1962 and a short time later commissioned Javier Arana to design the golf course, which opened in 1965. In fact, people of an older age refer to it as the “Los Monteros course”.
Arana, who a few years earlier had designed the first course at Guadalmina, became so closely involved with the project that he decided to live in Marbella and follow the construction work first-hand. “He put all his interest and knowledge at the service of the course,” notes current manager Luis Navarro, who refers to the Bilbao designer as “the best Spain has ever had”.
In 1983, Luis Figuerola, the Count of Quintanilla, purchased the golf course and surrounding land, and the property became separated from Los Monteros Hotel. Several improvements were carried out on the course and years later, in 2001, Rio Real Hotel was opened, connected to the golf amenities.
Right at the start, the club signed up Spain’s leading professional golfer at the time, Ángel de Miguel, who had been the top individual at the 1958 World Cup, won a dozen international tournaments, including three Spanish Opens and three Portuguese Opens, and was a six-time national Spanish professional champion – a record that remains today. He stayed at Rio Real until his retirement.
In 1967, the course hosted the Spanish Professionals Championship, but it wasn’t won by Ángel de Miguel but rather his brother, Sebastián. In 2009, the course was the venue for the European Mid-Amateur Championship for over-35s.
Another key person in the history of the club is Juan Cantos, manager until a year ago, when he retired. He spent his whole professional life at Rio real, beginning as a caddy.
New Initiatives
The club is preparing properly for its 50th anniversary, with major investments in the renewal of maintenance equipment and the buggy fleet. The LPG-powered buggies have been replaced with 50 top-category electric vehicles.
Thanks to a series of improvements carried out at the course, golfers can now not only travel on the specific paths designated for buggies but also on the fairways. In addition to making play more enjoyable, this innovation has also greatly improved the pace of play.
As for the actual playing surface, apart from meticulous regular maintenance, the sand in all the bunkers has recently been replaced.
Another change has been made to the tee markers, with the traditional colour-coded markers replaced with numbered ones. “We created four tee areas and have eliminated the colour codes, the same as at Las Brisas and the Spanish federation’s National Golf Centre,” says Navarro.
“All the tee areas are now assessed and valid for both men’s and women’s play, so the traditional colours which indicated that a woman should tee off from the red markers now don’t apply. Women can play from the back or front markers, and anyone can do the same.”
This is more appealing for players for a variety of reasons, he adds, among others because they can “play a different course each time, and the hazards enter into play in a distinctive way, depending on the tee you choose – it’s a lot more versatile.”
The Spanish federation recommends that you choose the tee in accordance with the distance of the drive. The numbers that appear on the tees correspond to the course’s hundreds of metres according to this position. For example, for a layout of 6,500 metres the tee will have the number 65. For a tee further ahead, the distance might be 6,200 metres, reflected in a tee with the number 62, and so on and so forth successively.
One of the most interesting projects that Rio Real is currently working on is a luxurious beach club with a pool on the beach, next to the fourth green and Trocadero Arena. This will complete the amenities at the resort, with a golf course, hotel, tennis and padel tennis courts, a wellness centre and finally a beach club – due to be opened in spring 2016.
Competitions
Apart from the usual tournaments held every year, for its 50th anniversary the club applied with the Spanish and Andalucian federations (RFEG and RFGA) to host a series of special events.
For 3 and 4 February, a leg of the Gecko Pro Tour is scheduled. On 3 and 4 June the final of the RFGA Women’s Circuit will be played. On 20 and 21 June, the Spanish Adapted Golf Championship, “something we are really excited about because we believe it’s a really lovely competition and we want to support it”, says Navarro. On 1 and 2 July, the RFGA Men’s and Women’s Doubles Championships will be held, and from 3 to 5 July the Andalucian Men’s Championship, to be played over three rounds so it is a valid event for the world ranking. On 21 and 22 November, Rio Real will be the venue for the Spanish Mixed Pairs Championship, and on 19 and 20 December the RFGA Over-35s Championship. At the end of December, the club will host the final of the Miguel Ángel Jiménez Circuit for youngsters (“benjamines”) and boys and girls, with the date set according to Jimenéz’s competition schedule.
