The management of Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, home of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía 2023, show day by day their full commitment to environmental conservation and the responsible use of natural resources, especially water. This focus can be seen in all maintenance work, seeking excellence in the state of the grass through sustainable and respectful practices so the golf course can offer its impeccable presentation to players and spectators in this DP World Tour event to be held from October 19-22.

The recent course restoration, carried out between 2015 and 2018, laid the foundations for a much more efficient and sustainable maintenance management.

"We used certified 419 Bermuda on tees, fairways and rough, a warm-weather variety that needs less water, and reduced the turf area by 1.9 percent (10,150 m2). In addition, we installed 37 kilometers of drains that channel water to the lakes, making the most of rainwater. This drainage network, together with the 75 tons of silica sand used throughout the field, helps to keep the bermudagrass in good condition in winter, thus avoiding reseeding, which requires a lot of water," explains Patrick Allende, golf course manager.

Efficient irrigation is another key element of maintenance. The course is irrigated with reclaimed water from the Sotogrande urbanization's wastewater treatment plant, thus achieving complete water reuse and avoiding the disposal of such a precious resource into the sea.

"We have a modern irrigation system with 2,245 individually managed sprinklers and a state-of-the-art program that allows a very efficient water usage. We use daily humidity sensors and a weather station to determine the water needs of the course with great precision," Allende adds.

The complex irrigation network is combined with a fertigation system that allows the field to be fertilized through water. "With this tool we achieve very high levels of optimization in the use of fertilizers," says the golf course manager.

The environmental impact study carried out for the restoration of the golf course quantified a 20% saving in water consumption as a result of these measures. In addition, other parameters such as CO₂ emissions, non-hazardous waste generation and noise emissions were reduced by 25 %.

Moreover, the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande is immersed in an ambitious program to install solar panels to produce energy and gradually replace the traditional machinery with electric machinery that can operate with the energy generated at the club.

The environmental commitment of Real Club de Golf Sotogrande is accredited with the GEO certification, the most prestigious and demanding certification in Europe specifically for golf courses. The GEO (Golf Environment Organization) guarantees that the maintenance works of the course and all the club's facilities are carried out with environmental responsibility and the goal of improving the natural environment and guaranteeing its future development.

All these factors guarantee an exemplary maintenance, and the impeccable presentation of the golf course attests to the success of the measures implemented. Those visiting the club to enjoy the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters will be able to check this out, and to do so they can already purchase tickets at the event website.

The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, an event in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai made possible by the essential contribution of the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by the EU and was declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain.

Late in his career, Robert Trent Jones was proud to say that the sun did not set on his courses, since the legendary British-born American designer left his signature on courses in 35 countries around the world. This phrase, heir to the sentence defining the empire forged by Charles I and Philip II, only began to make sense precisely in Spain, in a Real Club de Golf Sotogrande that was his first European course. Excellence, quality, and a privileged environment make this design its best letter of introduction, a course that players and fans alike will be able to enjoy from October 19-22 at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.

The perfect integration of the course among dunes and cork trees, the variety offered by its holes and the demanding layout have served to test the best players, both in the historic Sotogrande Cup with the best European amateurs (many of them with successful professional careers later) and in the elite tournaments hosted by the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.

"Robert Trent Jones' design was a great novelty in European golf, since it was the first seeded with Bermuda 419 and equipped with automatic irrigation. The best players loved it from the start for its ample tees, wide fairways, white bunkers with spectacular shapes, fast, large greens, and lakes that affected up to seven holes. It was and still is an excellent test of golf where players of all levels have fun," says golf course manager Patrick Allende.

Passing the test of time, this course, that is about to reach its 60^th anniversary, maintains its vigour thanks to the painstaking work of the greenkeeping team led by Patrick Allende and the remodeling carried out during 2015 and 2017 by architect Roger Rulewich, a close collaborator of Robert Trent Jones, and David Fleury, with the essential supervision of Allende. The recovery of the bermuda on tees, fairways and roughs, and the Agrostis A4 on the greens is perhaps the most striking aspect of a deep restoration work, although it reached many other areas so that the spirit of the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande devised by Robert Trent Jones remains more alive than ever.

"The greens had lost an important part of their surface, and it was necessary to restore them to give the course back its original character.  The restoration was carried out with great fidelity to the original design; in fact, the hand drawings made by Jones were taken as a reference", Allende points out.

"The greens were made following the latest USGA construction specifications and was one of the first courses in Europe to install the “sub air” drainage air extraction system. In addition, 37 kilometers of drains were constructed throughout the course and 75,000 tons of silica sand were used, allowing us to carry out much more efficient and environmentally sustainable maintenance," Allende finally adds.

DP World Tour’s best golfers will have the opportunity to emulate the achievements at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande of players such as Rory McIlroy, José María Olazábal, Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington or Francesco Molinari, all champions at the San Roque club. The ninth edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters will serve to crown another great champion who will undoubtedly feel the pride of joining such an illustrious list of golfers in the jewel designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in the heart of Sotogrande.

The stellar field, the attractiveness of the new venue and the location in the schedule, in the decisive stage of the Race to Dubai, will be unbeatable assets to turn the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters into a unique spectacle, ideal for all audiences. Tickets are already available with preferential rates for federated golfers and free entry for children aged twelve and under, and can be bought at the event website.

The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, an event in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai made possible by the essential contribution of the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by the EU and was declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain.

The ninth edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, DP World Tour event that will take place from October 19-22 at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, will once again have volunteers as a fundamental pillar, and for this purpose the process of recruiting collaborators is open.

As in previous years, the role of volunteers will be essential in the tournament and will undoubtedly contribute to the success of the first stop of this Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.

Experiencing a great DP World Tour event, even inside the ropes, and collaborating in its organization are two magnificent incentives for those interested in helping in this Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters. In addition, the event organizers would like to thank volunteers for their invaluable work and will offer them an official tournament uniform and access to enjoy the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, either in the volunteer tournament that will take place on Monday 23 October or through a complimentary green fee.

Registering as a volunteer is easy. Just click in the attached link and follow the instructions after clicking on the Sign Up button. For more information, visit edamgolf.es, the tournament website, and check the VOLUNTARIOS/VOLUNTEERS menu.

The stellar field, the attractiveness of the new venue and the location in the schedule, in the decisive stage of the Race to Dubai, will be unbeatable assets to turn the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters into a unique spectacle, ideal for all audiences. Tickets are already available with preferential rates for federated golfers and free entry for children aged twelve and under, and can be bought at the event website.

The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, an event in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai made possible by the essential contribution of the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by the EU and was declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain.

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Tickets are now on sale for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, the essential key to enjoy the best DP World Tour players at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande from October 19-22. Champions such as Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy, Roberto de Vicenzo, Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry won in the past in this historic Cadiz club that will host the ninth edition of the DP World Tour event located in the decisive stage of the Race to Dubai.

The flexibility of the ticketing offer allows choosing between individual tickets for each day, four-day passes or weekend passes, with preferential rates for federated golfers and free entry for children aged twelve and under. Sharing a unique experience with your family and friends and getting close to some of the top golfers on the DP World Tour will be easier than ever this October at the Real Club of Sotogrande. Tickets can be purchased at the tournament website or at the DP World Tour website.

The stellar field, the new setting, a beautifully manicured Real Club de Golf Sotogrande (the first Robert Trent Jones course in Europe), the location of the event in the final stage of the DP World Tour and the spectacular weather in the area are assets that, once again, will guarantee a unique and ideal show for all audiences.

Last year, the eighth edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters had a dream outcome for the local fans, as Spaniard Adrián Otaegui won with authority and brilliance in a tournament in which Matt Fitzpatrick, U.S. Open champion, was defending his title.

The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, an event in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai made possible by the essential contribution of the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by the EU and was declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain.