Inaugurated in 2001, Santa Clara in Marbella quickly gained well-deserved fame for the quality of its amenities, elevating the club into a privileged position among golf courses on the Costa del Sol. Its design, exquisite maintenance, superb location, top installations (which include a magnificent practice range and a majestic clubhouse) and client service are just some of the keys to its success.

General manager Ignacio Apolinario says the club is going through an excellent period at the moment and looking forward to an even brighter future.

 

What is it that distinguishes Santa Clara from other golf courses on the Costa del Sol?

Santa Clara has earned well-deserved recognition for having the best-maintained greens. That by itself is one good reason for coming here, Second, the location of the course is important: we’re in a privileged setting just a few hundred metres from the sea and five minutes from Marbella centre. And finally... the service and quality we offer golfers. All Santa Clara’s clients value in a positive way the effort we make, and that’s why they return year after year – which indicates that they are happy and satisfied with the experience they enjoy here.

 

Can you briefly describe for us the main features of the course?

It’s a parkland par-71, designed by Enrique Canales, highlighted by the fact it has no rough and is extremely enjoyable to play. Golfers like to score birdies and pars, and that’s our objective. If you make the course difficult, players become frustrated and in the end don’t enjoy it. The important thing is for the course to be in very good condition. Obviously maintenance is essential, as well as offering the best relationship between quality and price to ensure the course is a success. At Santa Clara we have always been committed to quality, and I invite people to come and get to know us first-hand because the course is in superb condition.

 

How is the year proceeding for Santa Clara and what are the prospects?

The prospects for this year are truly very good. Spring has been very good, autumn is going to be very good, and any doubt is, as always, centred on summer (the low season on the Costa del Sol). That’s why we are launching special offers, both twilight and early bird, to try to attract Spanish tourists, who predominate during this time of the year. In summer once again we’ll have the Gold Cup week of competitions, which this year will be supported by Titleist. That means we’ll have some great prizes, and I believe that will attract golfers.

 

During summer most of the golfers playing at Santa Clara are Spanish, but what nationalities predominate at other times of the year?

Historically, they have been British, Irish, within the UK market, but lately, after the crisis, things have been changing and now we welcome more Germans and golfers from the Nordic countries. I believe the effort being made by the Costa del Sol Patronato de Turismo (Tourism Promotion Board) to attract new markets is important. We are talking about such emerging markets as the Czech Republic, and it’s also important to look at the less traditional markets. Fortunately, the British are recovering from the recession, the crisis, and the exchange rate for the pound is favourable, which is encouraging them to return – and this is noticeable on the Costa del Sol. All the courses are growing and overcoming the crisis a little.

 

Apart from green fees, do you offer any kind of season ticket to play Santa Clara on a regular basis?

Yes, we have a very successful monthly season ticket, with or without buggy, and another for 15 days. There are also packages of 10 or 20 green fees, and we are developing online bookings quite a lot. I believe the future is in online bookings, and Santa Clara has made a major effort in this respect. Last year we introduced Yield Management as a formula for online bookings, and it really has been a wake-up call, because we’ve increased both the number of bookings and the revenue. Yield Management is the system used by airlines and hotels, with the price rising or falling in accordance with flight or hotel occupancy. This enables us to compartmentalise tee times at different times and, depending on the numbers at a certain time, the price varies, with discounts of up to 20 per cent – which is extremely interesting. We are encouraging a situation in which the earlier you book, the bigger the discount.

 

How do you see the general situation on the Costa del Sol, Europe’s premier golf tourism destination? Are you noticing a palpable recovery?

It’s recovering. We are seeing very positive occupancy rates on a general tourism level. It’s also true that we are benefiting from problems in the Middle East and Near East due to Jihadism, and I believe that in this favourable situation we have to remain committed to offering quality and good service, and not make the same mistakes as in 2001, when we increased prices thinking it was the goose that laid the golden eggs – and in the end damaged the destination.

In any event, I’m still on my crusade against 21 per cent IVA (VAT). I believe that the benefits obtained by the state in collecting this tax do not compensate the destruction of jobs at golf clubs caused by the increase. Golf was a dynamic sector, which created jobs, and this government, unfortunately, has wrecked it by raising IVA from eight to 21 per cent.