The Almenara Golf refurbishment set out to make improvements to the course that Dave Thomas designed in 1997 and bring it up to the standards demanded by today’s visitors to Sotogrande, going hand in hand with the new SO/ Sotogrande hotel project, a five-star Gran Lujo category hotel. Moreover, the aim was to create a friendlier course for the average player – which is the typical profile playing at Almenara Golf – and raise quality, maintenance and service standards.
Manuel Piñero has spent a lifetime dedicated to golf and, now retired from top-level competition, he is ambassador for La Reserva Club Sotogrande, an activity he combines with his work as golf course designer at Target Ingenieros, a company he co-founded. Piñero, together with the Almenara team, has been in charge of carrying out the project. Completed in July 2021, it has only received positive feedback.
Its three loops, Pinos (Pines), Lagos (Lakes) and Alcornoques (Cork Oaks), are now all a great playing experience, thanks to repairs to parts of the buggy paths, improvement on the fringes of the greens and surrounding areas, as well as the removal and reshaping of bunkers, which, together with a huge job cutting back trees, have created a course with wider fairways.
Golfers can play the new, improved course – as well as enjoy a drink or a delicious meal after their round in the new Social Club restaurant – while taking in the stunning views.
Those who love golf and are looking for new experiences around their favourite sport have the opportunity until the end of the year to become a member of Almenara Sotogrande Golf Club. The membership package goes beyond simply belonging to a golf club by offering members a family feel unique in Sotogrande, and with exclusive access to green fees with buggy, use of the club storage room and discounts in the restaurant and proshop.