A magnificent gala dinner at the Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús in Marbella provided an appropriately grand climax to the 12th Andalucía Golf Challenge-Destination Dominican Republic PGA Ocean's 4 Bahía Príncipe Circuit. Organised by Andalucía Golf/España Golf magazine, the popular amateur circuit concluded with the final at the superb La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links course.

The winners of five trips to the Dominican Caribbean are José Ugía González (scratch champion), Timo van T Zelfde (category one winner), Roberto Ramiro Abril (category two winner), Elías Plaza López-Berges (second in category one) and José Luis Rodríguez Rodríguez (second in category two). At the end of October, the five winners will enjoy a golf holiday in the Dominican Republic that includes flights to Santo Domingo, accommodation ( seven nights) at the 5* Bahía Príncipe Luxury Bouganville hotel on an all-inclusive basis, and golf at three of the finest and most spectacular courses in the Caribbean: PGA Ocean's 4, Teeth of the Dog and Punta Espada

It so happens that two of the winners, José Ugía and José Luis Rodríguez, will be repeating the Andalucía Golf Challenge Caribbean experience, as they had also won the top prizes in the 2019 edition (Rodríguez) and in 2021 (Ugía). In both cases, the destination was Riviera Maya, staying on that occasion at the Bahía Príncipe hotels and playing the PGA Riviera Maya, Mayakobá El Camaleón and Playa Paraíso courses.

The final at the magnificently renovated and recently reopened La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links course brought together one hundred players, who qualified after winning one of the circuit’s tournament legs or by obtaining a place from the Benahavís Ranking, compiled throughout the season and based on results in the tournaments they played. 

The final was highlighted by a great atmosphere, a wonderfully sunny day, and a top-quality course  in an extraordinary condition for play. On their way to the 10th hole, the players enjoyed a superb refreshment snack served by Delicias Gourmet Group and consisting of a wide variety of drinks, excellent Guijuelo ham and haute cuisine tapas. Gabriel Moncada, owner and general manager of the company, and Pablo Arroyo, director of Restaurants and Events, were in charge of supervising this perfectly-run catering service.

(PHOTO GALLERY AT THE END OF THIS TOURNAMENT REPORT) 

A few hours after the competition, a sensational gala dinner was held at the 5-star Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús, preceded by a delicious cocktail reception served with great professionalism in one of the hotel's beautiful terraced restaurants, next to the promenade and just a few metres from the sea.

More than 150 people attended the dinner, including, in addition to the finalists and their companions, several golf course directors, the regional government’s provincial delegate for tourism, sport and culture, Gemma del Corral, Marbella Town Hall’s councillor for sport and CEO of public utilities company Acosol, Manuel Cardeña, and director of the host hotel, Ramón Pons.

The winners of the five trips to the Caribbean were announced at the end of the dinner and after the draw for a special prize provided by one of the circuit's sponsors, ThirdHome, of a stay for four people at a luxury resort in Mexico, and the presentation of a CaddyTalk Minimi Rangefinder to the winner of the closest to the pin prize (José Ugía González).

During their respective speeches, both Manuel Cardeña and Gemma del Corral emphasised the key relevance of the Andalucía Golf Challenge Circuit and the importance of golf as a first-class tourism resource on the Costa del Sol and throughout Andalucía.

This open amateur golf circuit is one of the most important in Spain, both for the number of events played (almost thirty) and for the quality of the courses where they are held, including clubs of the category of Royal Valderrama, Finca Cortesín, Royal Sotogrande, Aloha and Royal Sevilla Golf, to name just a few. The circuit’s ongoing success is highlighted by the fact that, for the vast majority of tournaments, places are sold out well in advance.

The Circuit was sponsored by ThirdHome.com, MyHedgeFund.club, Turismo Costa del Sol, Benahavís Town Hall, Sanitas, Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús, PGA Ocean’s 4 Bahía Príncipe, Bahía Príncipe Golf and Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts, and the main collaborators were D.O. Somontano, Holiday Golf Estates, Fairway+blue and Ideaterrazas. Andalucía Golf/España Golf was the Circuit's official media outlet.

 

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SPONSORS

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BAHÍA PRÍNCIPE

Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts is a hotel chain owned by Grupo Piñero, a prestigious Spanish family group that has interests throughout the high-end holiday industry network. Managed entirely by the Piñero family, the company has 27 hotels with more than 14,000 rooms, and is grouped under four categories: Bahía Príncipe Sunlight, Bahía Príncipe Grand, Bahía Príncipe Luxury and Bahía Príncipe Fantasia. The hotel chain has a presence in the most attractive locations in the Dominican Republic, Mexico), Jamaica and Spain.


MYHEDGEFUND.CLUB

Make investments yourself, like the best professionals, and obtain 10% a year by trading only once a month – and without having to follow markets on a daily basis. You will be able to achieve a return of 10% per year while minimising and maintaining risk under control. And do you know what is the best of all? We will send you the monthly signal indication and all you will need to do is copy it, dedicating just 15 minutes of your time each month.


THIRDHOME

ThirdHome is a luxury travel and residential club that offers members different experiences when travelling around the world. What used to be a luxury property exchange club has now become the only membership space where a group of owners and lovers of adventure and luxury travel can enjoy exclusive experiences. ThirdHome Exchange invites second home owners to join its exclusive community, where they will be able to share the same passion for luxury travel. ThirdHome Rentals allows owners to list their homes safely and rent with complete confidence. ThirdHome Adventures offers amazing world travel experiences designed exclusively for members.


COSTA DEL SOL TOURISM

Costa del Sol Tourism and Planning is a public-owned company operating under the auspices of the Málaga provincial government (Diputación) and whose main objective is to promote the province as a tourist destination and to support economic growth, by designing and undertaking projects at the service of private companies and public entities. It is dedicated to providing professional consultancy, advice and services in the following areas: tourist and business development, tourist and territorial planning, new technologies and modernisation of the tourism industry, and tourism marketing. It is a technical instrument set up for departments of the Diputación and municipalities, municipal authorities, associations and other public or private organisations associated with the development of Málaga province.


BENAHAVÍS

Benahavís is a town with a rich Andalucian flavour, highlighted by narrow white streets, typically Arab, most of which lead to sunny squares. It is a welcoming town where you can enjoy nature and luxury developments, carefully integrated into the natural landscape and enveloped by golf courses meandering around the slopes of the Serranía de Ronda mountain range. Founded by the Arabs, under the protection of a 10th century fortress, Benahavís today is a perfect combination of tradition and modernity – a charming town that offers endless possibilities as a first-class tourist destination.


GRAN HOTEL GUADALPÍN BANÚS

This five-star, frontline beach resort is located in the Nueva Andalucía (Marbella) area, just a 15-minute walk from the famous Puerto Banús marina. Offering tailor-made golf packs, Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús and CostaSol Deluxe can organise your golf getaway so you don't have to worry about anything. Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús is recognised as an elite and cosmopolitan option for those who are looking for the best hotels in Marbella. Only six kilometres separate it from Marbella’s town centre, highlighted by its charming Old Town with cobble-stoned streets and ancient churches – a wonderful place to visit.


SANITAS

Sanitas was founded in 1954 and, after more than 60 years of experience, it has become the leading health and wellness company in Spain. Currently, Sanitas offers products and services adapted to the real-life health needs of people at all stages of their lives, integrated within a single health model that includes health insurance, health and dental care, and care for the elderly. Since 1989 Sanitas has been part of Bupa, a leading international health company that serves more than 16.5 million clients with health insurance, 10.6 million for medical care and 33,100 in nursing homes.

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COLLABORATORS

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