Francisco de Lancastre – Golf Director at Finca Cortesín: "The course will be in the best condition in its history for the Solheim Cup”

A few weeks before the most important golf tournament since the Ryder Cup at Valderrama in 1997 is held on the Costa del Sol, at Finca Cortesín, all is set to welcome the Solheim Cup. The course is in the best condition in its history, planning for the required infrastructure is in place… In short, everything is in order to host the best tournament possible and to ensure that the 2023 Solheim Cup is memorable – as was the 1997 Ryder Cup.

Golf director Francisco de Lancastre explains how they have prepared for this huge event.

What has been done at the course to prepare for the event – what renovations or changes?

We are fortunate to have a course that is always at the highest level of maintenance and we have not had to adapt much for this event. But we have undertaken several initiatives, more in terms of landscaping than anything else, especially to create better visibility for spectators at the tournament.

We have also made some improvements to the irrigation system, and the biggest change has been a modification of the routing for the tournament from hole one to six. Our current fourth hole will be the first for the competition, a short par-4, with water on the left, which allows players to reach the green with a good tee shot. It is one of our iconic holes. On that tee we have created a completely new and large platform to accommodate everything that a Solheim Cup first tee requires.

Throughout the rest of the course we have made improvements to the bunkers, sprinklers and other tee areas, all of which we had already envisaged in our five-year improvement plan, but which we have brought forward for the Solheim Cup.

Are the players going to find the course in the best condition in its history?

Yes, it has actually been continuous work over many years during which Ignacio Soto, our director of agronomy, has been closely involved.

Right now we are at a very high level of maintenance, but for an event like the Solheim Cup there will always be an extra one percent to maintain the course impeccably.

We need, as always, a little help from the weather, but I can assure you that the course will be fantastic.

We are sure the players will find an incomparable course, but what about the spectators, what will they find when they arrive at Finca Cortesín?

The spectators will also find the best possible scenario, although that is a matter that depends more on the event’s organisers. They will have specific areas and stands that will have fantastic visibility.

The first six holes, especially the first tee, will be ideal places to follow the tournament. Between holes three and four there will be a very large platform that provides visibility to several greens in that area. The 11th hole, which will be played as a par-4 to facilitate the movement of spectators, will also have a large area for the public, as will the 16th and 17th, where 80 per cent of the matches are expected to finish.

So there will be large stands near the tee areas and greens?

Yes, like on the first tee, where there will be a grandstand in the form of an amphitheatre for more than 1,200 spectators. We will also have a very large "village" area, with merchandise, food, beverages, etc., which will be the centrepìece of the event and will be located in an extensive open plot near the ninth hole.

Finca Cortesín has already hosted major tournaments, especially the Volvo World Match Play. What are the main differences between that tournament and this one?

The big difference is that the Solheim Cup has become a global event. It's an event with a significant international impact. The match play also had that – as it was a competition that attracted the best players in the world to Finca Cortesín – but the Solheim Cup has become, like the Ryder Cup, an event that transcends that impact and reaches all parts of the world.

The number of spectators will be one of the biggest changes for us, more than 20,000 a day, which makes quite a big difference. And then, as we are at a peak moment in world golf, especially in women's golf, I think it will have even more worldwide exposure.

Will the spectators have parking facilities, access...? How will they get here?

The facilities will be the normal ones for events of this magnitude: large parking lots will be set up nearby – for which we have been able to count on the support of nearby town councils – and from there spectators will be brought by bus. Also, the tournament organisers are providing numerous means of transport from areas that can generate a greater influx of people, such as Marbella, Estepona, etc. It will not be necessary to travel here by car, park and then take a shuttle bus.

What global impact do you foresee this event having?

The world's major television networks will be here, such as Sky TV, BBC, CNN, etc., and they will broadcast live images to more than 150 million viewers around the world. A further 500 million will be able to watch the tournament pre-recorded. So the impact, both for Finca Cortesín and for the destination – Spain, Andalucía, the Costa del Sol – will be incredible and an exceptional opportunity to reach so many people.