Located in the southern-most area of the Iberian Peninsula, between Jerez and Marbella and close to Gibraltar, is one of Europe’s most exclusive resorts: The San Roque Club.
Together with Royal Valderrama and Royal Sotogrande, the club forms a golden triangle of Spanish golf: a relatively small area – they are just five minutes from each other – that is home to three of the finest courses in Spain.
The resort’s two layouts, just as challenging as they are attractive, were designed by leading architects: Dave Thomas, the Old Course; and Perry Dye with Seve Ballesteros, the New Course. The two course are quite distinctive, with different features which – combined together – create an exceptional golfing complex.
Sitting in the heart of this magnificent former country estate – which once belonged to the Domecq family – is a stately mansion that was the home of the famous Spanish dynasty. Now it serves as the resort’s clubhouse, clearly providing the most long-established ancestry in the area.
Built in a classic, solid Andalucian style, it is both elegant and functional and cosy, fulfilling all the requirements of a modern clubhouse while retaining the ambience and original style of the old mansion.
All essential club services are, of course, located within its walls… bars, restaurants, changing rooms, pro shop, etc. In fact, the shop has recently undergone a major refurbishment, without altering the building itself or the architectural style. The renovation was based on the décor and a redistribution of the interior area to modernise and adapt it to the needs of a modern golf club.
The aim – ultimately successful – was to give it a Japanese “feel”, a style in tune with the home country of its owners. Black is the predominant colour, giving it a sense of elegance and contrasting with the main colours of the old mansion.
The refurbishment of the shop – like many others in the industry – was undertaken by Holiday Golf; in this case highlighted by notable differences compared with other projects carried out by the company. The display areas, especially, were expanded to make the products (apparel, footwear, balls, accessories, etc.) more visible and well-ordered and to streamline the distribution to improve the speed and convenience of purchases.
One of the club’s desires, which was fully respected in the “new shop”, was to retain an exclusive area for members where they are offered a specialised order service and they can even arrange for polo shirts to be embroidered with their names and the club logo. This initiative was in deference to members, with the aim of improving even more the service offered by the resort.
