Mar Menor Golf Resort is the flagship of the three courses that UGOLF Iberia manages in the Region of Murcia and one of the most played in the area. The course has the distinction of been designed by both Dave Thomas and Jack Nicklaus and it is impressive to see the effort made by the two designers to integrate two designs into one, without them looking out of place next to each other.
UGOLF has designed a new course maintenance plan at Mar Menor to meet the standards required of a top-class resort. Its five-star Caleia Mar Menor Golf & Spa, right next to the course, completes the picture of excellence with 64 rustic Mediterranean-style rooms and The Residences apartments, a further perfect accommodation option for a family holiday, a trip with friends or a golfing short break or long stay.
UGOLF Iberia had big plans when it took over the management of Mar Menor Golf Resort, Saurines de la Torre and Hacienda del Álamo Golf Resort in 2019, forming a team to lead the project, bringing in Eduardo Ruiz as area director and, later, Luke Murphy as sales director. Joining them for this interview is Pablo Albendea, director of the Caleia Mar Menor Golf & Spa Resort as a key partner in the success of one of the most popular golf resorts in the Region of Murcia.
Eduardo Ruiz, UGOLF Area Director
Tell us about some of the improvements that have been made at Mar Menor over recent months?
Since taking over the management of Mar Menor, each season we have improved specific elements of the course that had deteriorated or simply become outdated, and we have also had to deal with three episodes of those severe so-called ‘Dana’ storms in the last few seasons. So, we started with improvements to all the bunkers on the course, building them up from scratch following USGA recommendations.
We improved seven waste areas of the course, returning them to the appearance they had when they were designed by Nicklaus and Dave Thomas, we changed all the nets on the course that were in poor condition, we put new furniture on the course and in the driving range and we improved the playability of several holes on the round, as well as the pro shop. Thanks to these and other minor changes, we have achieved the highest turnover since opening for Mar Menor and its other two sister courses.
What plans do you have at UGOLF for the future of Mar Menor?
Our plan for Mar Menor is to keep it among the most played courses in the region – it is one of the courses with more repeat golfers for good reason. The service and the constant improvement of the facilities are our main weapon against letting slip what has been achieved to date.
The packages with Saurines de la Torre and Hacienda del Álamo Golf Resort, which we also manage in the region and which are less than 25 minutes’ drive from each other, mean our product is highly sought-after in our target markets.
Talking about the packages covering all three courses managed by you in Murcia, tell us about the differences between them.
UGOLF is the leader in golf course management in Europe and its subsidiary, UGOLF Iberia, which I am Area Director of, has managed Mar Menor Golf Resort, Saurines de la Torre and Hacienda del Álamo Golf Resort since 2019.
They are three parkland courses but with fundamental differences between them; Saurines and Hacienda del Álamo share some of the essence of a desert-parkland style, but only at first glance. When you play both courses you realise that Hacienda del Álamo was designed to host major events, while Saurines is based on aesthetics and is arguably one of the European desert courses most akin to Arizona, a jewel of the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula and an exceptional Jack Nicklaus design. Mar Menor is the flagship of the three and, as I mentioned, is one of the most visited courses in the region with the distinction of having been designed by Dave Thomas and Jack Nicklaus. It is incredible to see the work that the two designers did to integrate two designs in one, without making them look out of place next to each other. It is a parkland resort in its purest form without a doubt.
At first we felt that the distance between the courses would hold us back when we came to market them, but what we thought was our weakness turned out to be our strength. They are completely different rounds and this is exactly what our audience is looking for right now in the region. The players want to move about, but above all they want to play different concepts of course. At UGOLF this is our main weapon, along with our passion for constantly improving our service.
Luke Murphy, Sales Director at UGOLF
What is UGOLF’s sales and marketing strategy?
We have been working on building new relationships with European golf tour operators for a long time. Since October last year we have seen more golfers travelling again after the pandemic, especially in the months of October and November, when we did the best numbers, and we expect this trend to continue throughout 2022.
We’ve had quite a few groups of professionals in the spring from the UK and Ireland and the forecast is very good for the autumn.
After the tourism trade dried up during the pandemic, how is the promotion going of the UGOLF courses that you are responsible for?
After two years of Covid-19, it has been great to travel again and visit our clients in the UK, Denmark and Finland.
We will be at the IAGTO Trophy in Cadiz from 23rd to 26th May to meet with new clients as well as with operators we have known for many years. This is a very important event for us and the timing is perfect to talk about activity for the end of year before the peak sales window starts.
We hope to put the whole pandemic issue behind us and that the numbers we are seeing on the golf courses will continue for the next few years. With this in mind, we have improved customer service by increasing the number of staff in the reservations team.
Pablo Albendea, Director of the Caleia Mar Menor Golf & Spa Resort Hotel.
What improvements and projects are planned for the 2022/2023 golf season?
In 2021 we carried out improvements to The Residences Mar Menor apartments, which are part of the hotel, by replacing furniture, kitchenware and equipment. Next season we plan to start renovating the hotel rooms, as well as other facilities such as the gym, spa and meeting rooms.
In terms of catering, the food and beverage offer has been completely refreshed in all points of sale and from June we will be offering a delivery service to guests in The Residences apartments. In addition, in April we took over the bar at the Saurines Golf clubhouse and now offer customers there a bar service throughout the day.
Another new feature for the 2022/2023 season is the launch of the Guest Golf Service, which will bring a better and more responsive service to all our golf customers, providing them with assistance and advice from the moment they arrive at Caleia Mar Menor. This means that any changes they need to make to their plans during their stay – whether to do with golf or hotel services – can immediately be looked after.
What is your forecast and expectations for the Golf sector at Caleia Mar Menor for the coming months?
After the outgoing season ended last month – when we recovered a big part of our 2019 occupancy levels – the outlook for this coming season is pretty promising; proof of that is the high volume of confirmed bookings we already have.
That is why we are busy at the moment adding more booking staff who are specialists in the golf sector to provide a service to groups both at Caleia Mar Menor and the other hotels operated by the Senator Hotels & Resorts group across the Costa del Sol and Cadiz province.