Zagaleta New Course was designed in 2005 with great attention to detail by Gaunt & Marnoch, who created a recreational space that blends with nature in an 18-hole round with beautiful hazards and doglegs. The wildlife in this part of the estate, where you can spot both red deer and fallow deer, together with impressive views, gives a unique experience.
Tatiana Morató is Golf Operations Manager at Zagaleta New Course, one of the two golf courses within the private estate. We talk to her about the new marketing policy at the New Course, which for the first time is allowing outside players to book a round.
What is your position and what are your day-to-day responsibilities?
I am the Golf Operations Manager at Zagaleta New Course and my main responsibilities are its management and marketing. Currently we are really focused on the latter given its recent opening to external customers.
Zagaleta Country Club is a private club for members and their guests with two courses, the Old Course and the New Course. Is there going to be a new marketing policy for the courses from now on?
Until March this year both golf courses were private and for the exclusive use of the members and their guests. Zagaleta Old Course continues with the same privacy policy and it is the Zagaleta New Course which is now offering those golfers who wish to visit us the opportunity to discover our club in a discreet way. Tee-off times are every 15 minutes, although only for three hours a day and with a limited number of days per year. This means we can maintain that exclusivity and space, which has always been a feature of Zagaleta Country Club.
Customers can make their reservation through our website www.zagaletagolf.com or through specialist tour operators. And those guests staying in luxury hotels in the area will also have access.
In order to offer outstanding service to our visitors, towards the end of 2020 we carried out a major overhaul of our facilities. In addition to some improvements to the golf course, we have also seen through a significant redesign of the Club House, adapting the golf shop, reception and changing rooms, as well as our restaurant, Arbonauta by Delicias Gourmet Group, to the needs of these new customers. And finally, we have launched a new Golf Academy directed by Antonio Aguilera in the practice area, offering the latest in golf technology and equipment to his students.
Zagaleta is a successful brand and has become one of the most exclusive residential communities in Europe. How is privacy going to coexist with opening up bookings to outside players?
It is one of the most important considerations for us, without a doubt. For that reason, all players will have their identity confirmed when entering our facilities and can always be located through a GPS system. That way we can guarantee maximum security and privacy for our owners. All visitors will have the entry conditions and our course rules and regulations explained to them ahead of us welcoming them here.
What is the profile of customers visiting La Zagaleta?
They are quite unique customers – nature lovers, in search of peace and privacy and, for the most part, from the United Kingdom, Germany and northern Europe. In recent years we have detected two interesting changes in this profile. Firstly, the increase in customers of Russian origin and secondly, the recent arrival of a younger clientele. In fact, the refurbishment of the Zagaleta New Course Club House has been carried out to meet the new needs of those customers, by adapting the building layout and extending the range of cuisine on offer in the Arbonauta restaurant.
As a golfer, how would you describe Zagaleta New Course?
A very good question…I have played most of the golf courses on the Costa del Sol, as well as a large number of courses in and outside Spain, but without a doubt, Zagaleta New Course is one of the golf courses that has impressed me the most. It is a course with a carefully thought-out design and perfectly laid out between valleys. It is not a long course (5,159m from the yellow tee), although its narrow fairways and fast running greens make it a challenge for the medium handicap player. The views from the 5th and 6th tees and the second shot on hole 7, along with the fauna in this part of the estate, where you can see red and fallow deer and beautiful butterflies, are amazing.
It is a design that does not fail to make an impression on you. Not forgetting the spectacular quality of its upkeep which, along with the exquisite service offered to the customer, makes for a unique experience.