There are especially interesting destinations for golf lovers and Benahavis is one of them. The municipality is located between Marbella and Estepona, in the middle of the Costa del Sol and surrounded by exuberant nature in the mountain of Sierra Blanca.
Benahavís is the municipality with the third largest number of golf courses on the Costa del Sol, after Mijas and Marbella. Tell us, what is the offer for golfers?
Very varied and attractive, with courses and layouts for all types of golfers, each with its own peculiarity. We currently have around 11 golf courses and this great offer makes us one of the top destinations in the province.
Give us a profile of the typical player who visits Benahavís.
It is difficult to define the profile of the typical player as we have a wide range. We receive both professional and amateur players, national and international. Not forgetting the residents or those who visit us seasonally, as well as the tourist who visit us at different times of the year.
Benahavís has a municipal golf school. Who can attend?
Our school is for registered residents, although in some cases non-residents are admitted if there are places available. The golf academy is one of the projects that gives us most satisfaction because golf is very popular and is a breeding ground for young talent.
What levels of players do you welcome at the golf school?
All levels are welcome; we have from children to seniors or retired players. The main requirement is a desire to learn and practice a sport as satisfying as golf.
Earlier you spoke about new talents. How important is the golf school in this?
Our school is the cradle where talent is discovered, worked on and developed. Great golfers have emerged from here, who are also taken on by American universities to receive scholarships for their university studies and to develop their sporting potential to the maximum.
It is worth mentioning Julia López, a scholarship holder at the University of Mississippi, who has reached number one on the World Amateur Golf Ranking and now is working to turn professional, or the most recent, María Purroy, signed up by Utah Tech University and who has just started her career with excellent results.
Last year one of the most important milestones for golf on the Costa del Sol took place with the celebration of the Solheim Cup and Junior Solheim Cup. The latter was hosted by one of the municipality’s courses, the Old Course of La Zagaleta. In terms of reputation and image, what has it meant for the municipality?
Whenever we hold an event, we always carry out an impact report beforehand to find out what level of exposure our brand is going to get. Benahavís is a discreet residential tourism destination, attracting visitors from all backgrounds, but linked to wellbeing and high status.
The image and reputation of our municipality has been reinforced by being present at an event of this magnitude. We knew beforehand that it was going to be a great showcase at national and international level, but when we received the data, it exceeded our expectations. We reached an estimated global audience of 461 million people through television broadcasts around the world and attracted more than 80,000 spectators during the events.
As head of sports, what are the new challenges facing Benahavís?
The area of sport means a lot of work, a lot of effort and above all a lot of enthusiasm. The project involves continuing to promote sport in our municipality, both for young and old, and to improve the quality of the sports schools and facilities.