Finca Cortesin, the 2023 Solheim Cup venue, has further demonstrated strong commitment and performance in sustainability by being awarded the GEO Certified label for sustainable golf.

Since opening in 2006, the venue has developed world-class facilities and a championship golf course that complement the area’s local culture, landscape and ecology. Spanning over 240 hectares, Finca Cortesin continues to place great emphasis on the preservation of its property through sustainable turfgrass management.

Employing a combination of cultural and mechanical practices, the resort maintains impeccably healthy and resilient playing surfaces, capable of withstanding droughts and diseases, having installed Bermuda grass on the greens in 2016. This has since helped the resort to reduce on-course water consumption by 30 per cent.

Pioneering water management practices have also become a hallmark of Finca Cortesin’s commitment to environmental stewardship. By using 100 per cent recycled water from the nearby village of Manilva, the resort was awarded Acosol’s seal of quality for recycled water management in May 2022, making it the first golf course in Spain to receive this accolade.

Finca Cortesin. Supplied

Vicente Rubio, President of Finca Cortesin, added: “Our GEO Certification stands as a resounding testament to Finca Cortesin’s unwavering commitment to sustainability. At every step, our resort prioritises the preservation of the environment and the well-being of our planet. We approach each decision with a profound respect for nature, recognising that our actions today shape the future of our ecosystem. Our dedication to sustainability permeates every aspect of our operations, from naturalisation efforts that foster native habitats to meticulous turfgrass management practices that prioritise water conservation.”

The Solheim Cup will be hosted in Spain for the first time in its history.

Suzann Petersen, European Solheim Cup Team Captain, and a Sustainable Golf Champion, reinforced the significance of this to the event and to golf in general: “It is so important that golf’s major venues and events are at the forefront of efforts to reduce negative impacts and maximise positives for the environment and communities. Personally, I recognise the role golfers and golfing events play so to see Finca Cortesin being recognised at the forefront of action and providing solutions to these, and other related issues is the right thing to do, very encouraging and setting a great example for other future Solheim Cup venues.”

Finca Cortesin. Supplied

Beyond the golf course, Finca Cortesin has established a range of exciting initiatives including the creation of beehives to support vital pollination. Furthermore, Finca Cortesin also recognises its role and responsibility in supporting the local community, extending a significant programme of social benefits above and beyond the valuable, skilled employment the facility provides.

Notable collaborations include partnerships with Malaga University, providing educational programmes, and internships for unemployed individuals through a relationship with City Hall. Additionally, the resort actively supports organisations like Katrama, dedicated to raising funds for Saharan children living in Casares.

The post Finca Cortesin flies flag for sustainability in Spain ahead of Solheim Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Catch up with Cameron Smith as LIV Golf heads for its two big showdowns in Bangkok and Jeddah as the Australian looks to chase down Individual Championship leader Dustin Johnson in Thailand and Saudi Arabia. The inaugural season reaches its climax ahead of the Team Championship finale at Trump National Doral, Miami.

All this and much more in the October 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

Also featured is GDME’s trip to the new Club Med Magna Marbella resort in Spain, plus Viya Golf’s plans for its new Abu Dhabi clubs, Luxury Carts and how to get the best out of your wedges. Pro golfers Alex Riggs, Tom Ogilvie and Conor Thornton keep you right on the fairways, while Oktoberfest also returns!

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

See below for the third issue of the Arabic edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The post Get the October 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here in both English and Arabic today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Set amid the 70-plus courses in the Area, Atalaya has something for everyone, with the traditional Old Course dating back to 1968, while the New Course was added in 1990. 

Atalaya’s Old Course is held in the highest regard among local golfers and international professionals, with wide fairways allowing generous views of the surrounding mountains and Mediterranean Sea. While the fairways are kind, the glass-like elevated greens on both 18s are a real challenge, with contours posing more than a few problems for even the most accomplished putters. The courses are also open for walks, where visitors can admire the various flora and fauna — including the year-round flowers and the famous swans. Atalaya also boasts a cutting-edge driving range and a PG Golf Academy to help get those youngsters into the game.

A WEEK IN IRELAND SERIES
DAY 1: The K Club
DAY 2: Lahinch
DAY 3: Dromoland Castle
DAY 4: Mount Juliet Estate
DAY 5: Druids Heath

BE AT 1 SERIES
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Tame the 7th, stroke index 1, at Dubai Hills Golf Club
Tame the 12th, stroke index 1, at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
Tame the 13th, stroke index 1, at Al Zorah Golf Club
Tame the 10th, stroke index 1, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Arabian Ranches Golf Club

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So even the world Nos. 3 and 14 did not expect to light up La Reserva Club in Cadiz in such spectacular fashion.

Younger sister Nelly was first to hit the front of the pack — sitting seven-under with four to play and one stroke ahead of Belgium’s Manon de Roey. However, a double-bogey seven on the sixth — her 15th — stalled that progress and she had to settle for a five-under 67.

Nelly Korda at the Aramco Team Series — Sotogrande. LET

Enter Jessica.
The 29-year-old had an afternoon start and simply carved her way through the field with a course-record 11-under-par 61.

The American went on an amazing scoring spree as she made no fewer than three eagles in smashing the ladies’ course record – and equalling the all-time low round on the LET.

She raced to seven-under inside seven holes with the help of eagles at the par-5 second and sixth holes. The birdies were flowing, too, and the only time she ever came under serious pressure was on the eighth where she visited the water off the tee. But Korda escaped with a bogey before normal service was resumed on the back nine as she collected further gains at the 10th, 11th and 13th.

To cap a stunning round she made a third eagle, rolling home a 15-foot putt at the 16th before closing out with pars to beat the previous course best by four shots.

It equalled the lowest 18-hole score of Korda’s professional career and she as a more-than-comfortable overnight lead of five strokes from De Roey and Pia Babnik.

MORE: Korda sisters ready for Aramco Team Series challenge

The Korda quartet, featuring Tereza Melecka, Noora Komulainen and amateur Malcolm Borwick, also lead the team event on 19-under-par.

“It was an awesome round.’ Jessica said. “These rounds are spectacular — you cherish every single one that you have. Just when things go right, they go right. I’ve never made three eagles in a round, so I’m definitely going to remember this one.

“We had a great vibe in the group and so I was really relaxed. It’s probably the first round in about three weeks that wasn’t 20mph winds. That was really nice, just to be able to settle into the golf course. I was just keeping it in play and giving myself opportunities and converting a lot of those. For the last month, I think I just haven’t really been converting any putts and the floodgates opened today.”

Korda was actually suffering with a sore throat during her first-round blitz but joked: “If I was feeling physically good, who knows what would’ve happened — probably over par!”

De Roey and Babnik underlined that they are Aramco Team Series specialists with strong opening-day displays. De Roey, 30, clinched her first LET title when she won the Aramco Team Series — Bangkok in May and is in contention again after packing seven birdies into her first round.

The Belgian star said: “I just love Aramco events. When you play good as a team — if people support you — it pumps my game as well. I am very happy with my round today. I had a lot of birdies. I couldn’t wish for a better start for the first day.”

Babnik, who won the ATS in Jeddah last November, kept a flawless card in mounting a strong start to the tournament. The Slovenian, 18, said: “I hit many good shots. I’m really happy with my putting today because I made some long putts. Everything came together.”

Nelly and France’s Pauline Roussin are at five-under, while Ana Palaez heads the home challenge after a solid 68.

The competition was hot in the team event with Jessica’s quartet hold a slender lead at 19-under-par. Teams De Roey and Roussin are a stroke back on 18-under-par.

Starring in the Roussin team was 14-year-old Ana Luisa Hernandez. The Madrid teenager, receiving eight strokes, made a pair of twos — one for a net eagle — to really impress her captain.

Roussin said: “Ana played amazing. She hit it far for her age and her size and she had a good short game, very good putting. She helped us out a lot.”

Hernandez added: “It was a really good experience, definitely something I’m never going to forget – I had a great time.”

There is a new format this year for the Aramco Team Series, which launched in 2021. For this season, the teams will compete over only 36 holes — the Thursday and Friday of the tournament — with $500,000 prize-money being split between the lowest scoring fourballs.

Saturday’s final day of play will see only the lowest scoring 60 players and ties from the opening two days return to the course to battle it out for a share of another $500,000, this time in individual earnings.

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The post Ladies European Tour: Jessica Korda smashes La Reserva course record at Aramco Team Series Sotogrande appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The ceremonial tee shot was enough of a moment to mark the 50th anniversary of the European Tour.

Antonio Garrido sucked up the emotions to seal the occasion. But what was to come made the spectacle all the more fitting.

Following Pablo Larrazabal’s heroics last time out, it was another Spaniard who triumphed as the DP World Tour made its return to ‘home’ turf in Europe. This time around, it was a man from Dubai — the new ‘home’ of the DP World Tour — who was flying the red and gold of Spain on the most momentous of weekends in European golf.

And it was an epic showdown fitting the most memorable battles down the years. Adri Arnaus was the toast of Catalunya and Dubai as he held off Oliver Bekker over six extra holes at PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness, in Girona, to take top spot in the $2 million event.

Arnaus, who has set up home in the UAE these days, was right at home to emulate the likes of Seve Ballasteros, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Jose Maria Olazabal and Larrazabal himself to etch his name in history.

You had to feel sorry for Bekker, who fought tooth and nail but came up just short of his biggest pay day.

But all the headlines will be about Arnaus, who clawed back a seven-shot deficit at the turn on day four.

It looked like a two-way tussle beteween Bekker and Laurie Canter before Arnaus caught fire.

A back nine of 31 with the help of an eagle on the 12th set the target at 11-under and an anxious wait ensued as the Spaniard watched Bekker and Canter finish off their rounds.

A three-putt from the South African on the 16th made it a tie as he signed for a 72 while Canter faded, and Arnaus was heading to a third DP World Tour play-off in seven months after defeats at the 2021 Open de Espana and March’s MyGolfLife Open.

Arnaus kept warm on the practice greens and it paid off, eventually.

What it means to win your first Tour title ?@AdriArnaus | #CatalunyaChampionship pic.twitter.com/hpoAhtDPUS

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 1, 2022

Five trips back up the last produced reasonably stress-free pars all-round but when they moved to the 17th for the sixth extra hole, Bekker missed the green and could not get up and down, allowing Arnaus to take the title with a par after putting his approach to six feet.

Canter finished two shots out of the play-off alongside fellow Englishman Richard McEvoy and Pole Adrian Meronk, with South African Hennie du Plessis and Italy’s Edoardo Molinari at eight-under.

Arnaus came into the week with five runner-up finishes on Tour – two of them on home soil – but now has a win in his 84th start and makes it back-to-back Spanish victories for the first time since 2017 after Larrazabal’s triumph at last week’s ISPS Handa Championship.

Arnaus also moves up to sixth on the DP World Tour Rankings and could move into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.

“It’s a dream come true,” Arnaus said 50 years after Garrido’s initial success. “I’ve been looking for this one for a while. To be able to come through here, where I practice in the summers, they take care of me so well. I know the course quite well. I’ve been able to play some really good golf and to do it here is special.

“Sometimes I cheer them on (the spectators), sometimes they cheer me on. It’s a win that we all share together because I’m sure I would not be standing here without them, without my team.

It was a torrid time as he waited for Bekker to finish.

“It was a long wait (for the play-off),” Arnaus added. “I just tried to put a number, hopefully double digits, and I was able to do that. After that it helped a bit (to wait). I was totally calm going into the play-off. Sometimes I have felt a bit rushed in play-offs. This time I felt easy and I tried to play as if it was a play-off. It was good to come out with that mindset, a fresh start.

“It was great, a little bit of a relief. I’ve been chasing this one for a while and I’ve been able to come through here, in my home, with my friends and family watching.

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The post 50 years on DP World Tour: Adri Arnaus makes it a moment to savour for Spain and the UAE appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Following three successful editions of the Final Stage at Infinitum, the resort in Spain’s Catalonia region will play host to the Qualifying School finale for the next three years following an extended agreement with the DP World Tour.

Hopefuls from across the globe will be given the opportunity to compete for a spot on the DP World Tour in 2023, through the three stages of Q-School, which will break new ground in 2022 by visiting Australia for the first time with a visit to Rosebud Country Club in Victoria, while five further new venues in Europe have been added to the schedule.

Rosebud Country Club, Portugal’s Montado Hotel & Golf Resort and Denmark’s Lyngbygaard Golf will all make their long-awaited debuts in 2022 after Q-School was cancelled in the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Benjamin Poke and Rasmus Hojgaard both secured DP World Tour cards the last Q-School was held in 2019

English venue Mottram Hall and Haugschlag, in Austria, will also make their debuts in 2022, while Emporda Golf, in Spain, has also been added to the schedule for the first time since hosting Final Stage in 2003, 2002 and 2000.

The DP World Tour Qualifying School will visit 14 venues from August to November and gives players — professional and amateur — the opportunity to earn their place on Europe’s top tier for the 2023 season.

The five venues making their debuts will all act as First Stage hosts.

Mike Stewart, DP World Tour Qualifying School Director, said: “We are delighted to welcome all six new venues to the DP World Tour Qualifying School family.

“Each and every venue on our Schedule is worthy of hosting the Qualifying School and will provide our players with the true test they need to prove they have what it takes to capture a DP World Tour card for the 2023 season.

“As a global Tour, we are thrilled to be able to host a First Stage event in Australia at Rosebud Country Club. DP World Tour Qualifying School gives an opportunity to professionals and amateurs alike to achieve their dream of earning a DP World Tour card and to extend the opportunity to players in the Asia-Pacific region is an exciting development.

“We are looking forward to returning to Infinitum, with whom we have enjoyed a long and successful partnership, for at least the next three years and we are excited to experience the improvements they have made to both the golf courses and the venue as they enter this new chapter.”

The three-stage competition culminates at Infinitum from November 11-16, where 156 players will compete over six rounds in a bid to fulfil their DP World Tour dreams.

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The post DP World Tour Qualifying School returns for first time in three years appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Spaniard burst on to the scene in 2008, bouncing around the fairways with a grin on his face and claiming the Open de France in his maiden season on the European Tour and winning Rookie of the Year. He has been a mainstay ever since, turning heads once again right here in the UAE when he claimed the 2014 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, holding off the might of Phil Mickelson and Rory McIroy to triumph.

He may be older and wiser now at 38, but that grin is still there as he looks to add the ISPS Handa Championship to his haul of titles this week in his home country of Spain.

The Spaniard has been in excellent form this year, winning his sixth DP World Tour title at the MyGolfLife Open in South Africa in March and followed that up with a T-5 at the Qatar Masters before a well-deserved three-week break.

Fully refreshed, Larrazabal is now ready to pick up where he left off during a four-week stretch in Europe, beginning with back-to-back events in Spain.

“I am ready to go,” he said ahead of the ISPS Handa’s debut on the DP World Tour. “I have been playing great, been practising great at home. There is nothing wrong with three weeks at home. To keep the momentum, you have to keep working and keep the routines going. That is all about preparation.”

After a disappointing 2021 campaign dropped him way down the OWGR standings, Larrazabal has certainly recaptured that form that made him the darling of the crowds over the past decade, climbing back up to No. 109 in the world (he was once as high as 53) and that familiar bounce has returned.

“As a professional golfer you have to realise that you are an entertainer,” he told DP World Tour. “You are a sportsman but mostly we are entertainers. The first year to 16 months of golf during the Covid-19 pandemic were tough. As I said to you, I am an entertainer of people, and we were not doing that. We played 16 months with no crowds and that didn’t help my golf, my attitude at all. To play for money is not the way I play golf nowadays.”

The Tour is back ?

It's #ISPSHandaChampionship week.

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 20, 2022

Now, despite growing up in nearby Barcelona, the 38-year-old is set for his first competitive round at Infinitum’s Lakes Course — venue of this week’s event.

“Today is my first nine holes out here,” he said after a debut practice on the course. “I came here four years ago to see a couple of friends on the last day of the Final Stage at Qualifying School. Those are my only two days at this course. But after nine holes you realise how good this golf course is and the conditions are brilliant. Hopefully the rain stays away from here so that we can see how good the work is of the groundsmen.”

Water is an undeniable feature of this week’s course in Tarragona, but that is not something that is set to faze Larrazabal.

“There are a lot of lakes, but you guys know me,” he said, that trademark grin creeping into view once again. “I have been on tour for 15 years; I didn’t come here for holidays and to make business you have to make birdies. Birdies are going to bring you trophies. That is why we came and that is how I play golf.”

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The post Home hope Pablo Larrazabal excited to entertain at ISPS Handa Championship in Spain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
The DP World Tour gets rolling again with a double-header in Spain, beginning on Thursday with the ISPS Handa Championship in Tarragona. While East Asia has continued to suffer a lack of golf events due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, Spain — in this case — is definitely the beneficiary.

The latest addition to the calendar will be held at Infinitum Golf and was created to plug the gap created by the pandemic-enforced postponement of the tournament with the same name in Japan. It precedes the Catalunya Championship in Girona, which is another one-off event replacing the Volvo China Open.

So after a few weeks off and a jaunt to the Masters at Augusta National for the top players on the DP World Tour, it is a timely return to Spain to mark the 50th anniversary of the tour back where it all began.

The European Tour, as it was then known, started with the 1972 Spanish Open at Club Golf de Pals in Girona, where home stars Antonio Garrido and a certain Seve Ballesteros began the revolution of European golf.

Just like that first Spanish Open, the 2022 Catalunya Championship will also be held in Girona at the PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness and help uphold a tradition that has seen Spain become a mainstay on the tour and a production line for some of the world’s best golfers.

But first up is the ISPS Handa Championship in Tarragona, where a whole host of stars will be chasing the $2 million purse and looking to be the first to get their name engraved on the inaugural trophy.

With no defending champion, it will be tough to select the favourites, but the likes of high-flying Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen will be leading a pack of homegrown talents in the shape of Dubai-based pair Adrian Otaegui and Adri Arnaus, Pablo Larrazabal — who already has a win on tour this season in South Africa — Jorge Campillo, Nacho Elvira and Alejandro Canizares.

Bernd Wiesberger

A host of champions on tour heading to Spain be familiar to Middle East golf fans. Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, who claimed his maiden professional title at the recent Qatar Masters, will join Ras Al Khaimah’s two champions on the UAE Swing, Ryan Fox and Nicolai Hojgaard.

The Dane will liven up the party alongside twin brother Rasmus, and leading DP World Tour players also in the line-up include the likes of Alexander Bjork, Jamie Donaldson, Laurie Canter, James Morrison, Andy Sullivan, Matthew Jordan, Joost Luiten, Chris Paisley, Ross Fisher and Soren Kjeldsen.

Larrazabal, who won his sixth DP World Tour title at the MyGolfLife Open in March, will certainly be one to watch, while Ferguson will fancy his chances now he has a taste for victory after some near-misses.

The Infinitum Resort in Tarragona has been home to the final stage of DP World Tour Q School in recent years and that could help Canizares, who has a first and third over the Lakes Course in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

From the big guns, former Ryder Cup player and world No. 78 Wiesberger will be keen to get his season on track after no top-10 finishes from his five starts this season.

The Hojgaard twins can be unpredictable, but both have DP World Tour titles in the bag and will certainly produce fireworks. You can expect to see at least one of their names on the leaderboard at some point.

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The post DP World Tour heads back to where it all began in Spain for 50th Anniversary celebrations appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Roughly halfway is the party town of Marbella, while nearer the ever-present monolithic limestone promontory that is the Rock of Gibraltar can be found such gems as La Reserva de Sotogrande and nearby Valderrama, where Seve Ballesteros’ Europeans beat Tom Kite’s Americans 14½-13½ in the 1997 Ryder Cup.

But we’re here to challenge the status quo by alerting you to a stunning alternative. The Costa Daurada is one of the most exciting, and relatively undiscovered, golfing destinations in Spain.

The centrepiece of the northern region’s seven courses is Lumine Mediterránea Beach & Golf Club, a Troon Golf-managed sanctuary just 40 minutes south of Barcelona (and a stone’s throw from the local Reus airport).

Near the historic town of Tarragona and seaside port of Cambrils, Lumine offers 45 holes of golf that promises to test players of all abilities.

The flagship is the Greg Norman-designed ‘Lakes’ course. Opened in 2008 with a Sergio Garcia Pro-Am, the Great White Shark’s fins are all over this challenging, technical test, which unfolds over the network of water hazards winding around the Sèquia Major wetlands.

Lumine’s second championship course, ‘The Hills’, is topographically very different to its sister course. Designed by Spanish architect Alfonso Vidaor, this undulating layout weaves its way through picturesque pine woodlands, olive groves, natural quarries and rocky outcrops, and places a premium on shot shaping and course management. Perhaps the greatest reward for choosing this course (why play one when you can play all three over and over) are the spectacular Mediterranean Sea vistas.

Completing the golfing experience at Lumine is another Norman design, the nine-hole ‘Ruins’, which takes its name from the traces of Roman archaeology that form some of the defining features of the layout.

Lumine’s reputation as one of Europe’s premier golfing destinations has been enhanced with its selection as one of the venues for the second stage of European Tour Qualifying School for four consecutive years (it is locked in for Nov. 11-16 this year). It will also host the PGA of Europe’s prestigious annual fourball event (Feb.12-15) a week after the Costa Daurada International Pro-Am (Feb. 8-11). The resort previously welcomed the 16th edition of golf’s premier travel show, the International Golf Travel Market.

Lumine Golf Club’s Golf School caters to groups of beginners to more advanced players while off the course, the menu at Lumine Restaurant epitomises Mediterranean cuisine and has some truly memorable seafood dishes. The Hoyo 19 restaurant offers a daily menu in a “privileged position” while the Lumine Beach Club offers infinity and sea-water pools and the perfect venue to enjoy the local nightlife.

Lumine belongs to La Caixa Bank. The complex fulfils all environmental criteria for responsible water management and conservation of fauna and flora. As a result, Lumine Golf Club was the first course in Spain to be awarded the ‘Gold Signature Certificate Sanctuary’ by Audubon International. We suspect your first visit to Lumine won’t be your last, especially given the ease of access from the main hub of Barcelona, which makes day trips to the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region and it’s world-famous art and architecture an option on those non-golf days.

Stay & Play Offers
• Autumn Offer | 5 nights | €499
5 nights sharing a double room at Hotel Regente Aragón – Bed and breakfast – Unlimited Greenfees over 4 days at Lumine Golf Club included – Unlimited balls in driving range.
• Winter Offer | 3 nights | €290
3 nights sharing a double room in 4 * Hotel – Bed and breakfast – Unlimited Greenfees over 3 days at Lumine Golf Club included – Unlimited balls in driving range.

www.lumine.com

The post Travel Guide 2018: Lumine Mediterránea Beach Club & Golf Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.