The Estrella Damm NA Andalucía Masters, a European Tour tournament that will be held from September 3 to 6 at the Real Club Valderrama, serves as a magnificent example to endorse the close relationship that Andalusia and golf have maintained for decades, a stable and established marriage. .
With the sixth edition of the Valderrama tournament, Andalusia has added 61 international men’s tournaments held on its golf courses and stands out as the region of continental Europe that has hosted the most events on the European Tour. Since 1966, the best players in the world have passed through the Andalusian community to play twenty-one editions of the Volvo Masters, eleven of the Andalusian Open, eleven of the Spanish Open, six of the Estrella Damm NA Andalusia Masters, three Volvo World Match Play Championship, three World Cups, two World Golf Championships and four open tournaments of different denominations. To top it all off, the 1997 Ryder Cup in which Seve Ballesteros captained the European team to an epic victory,
It is clear that this sport, a key segment for the Andalusian community as a tourist destination, is an integral part of the Board’s strategy and is a priority product in its promotional efforts. This work is reflected in the fifteen specific actions launched throughout 2020 (specialized golf fairs, reverse actions, professional meetings, direct promotions, actions with boards of trustees and marketing exchanges) with an investment of close to 1 , 5 million euros.
In addition, golf serves to spread the many other attractions of the community, since Andalusia’s offer is characterized precisely by the great variety and complementarity of tourist products that invite you to expand the experience during any stay. Gastronomy, quality accommodation, health and well-being, leisure, almost a thousand kilometers of coastline, the community with a larger extension of protected territory, snow … The list of tourist merits is almost infinite, a set of values to which is added a climate enviable that makes it possible to play golf throughout the year.
In addition to being a leading host for professional tournaments, Andalusia is also a leading golf destination for amateurs. The region has more than one hundred courses (almost 21% of the national facilities) that attracted some 560,000 tourists in 2017, most of them British, Nordic, German and Spanish, and the growth potential is marked by more than 3.7 millions of federative licenses issued in the main European markets, a unique opportunity.
Even so, the visitor (whether national or foreign) is not the Board’s sole objective, since this community aims to bring golf closer to any Andalusian who may be interested in its practice. The promotion of public schools, which favor the popularization of this sport, has helped make golf the third sporting modality in the community in the number of licenses with almost 44,000, only surpassed by Madrid at the national level. On the other hand, thanks to the launch of initiatives to promote this sport among young people, women or families, important steps are still being taken to bring golf to any audience.
A magnificent example is Álvaro Mueller-Baumgart Lucena, a player from the Real Club de Golf de Guadalmina quarry, one of the most notable nurseries of Andalusian golf, and who will rub shoulders with Álvaro from September 3 to 6 at the Real Club Valderrama Quirós and Alejandro Cañizares, two other illustrious Andalusians. Said tournament, the Estrella Damm NA Andalucía Masters, will offer a notable impact through the media thanks to its worldwide television broadcast, which will allow to show, once again, the exceptional Andalusian proposal in climate, fields and complementary offer.
The Estrella Damm NA Andalucía Masters, European Tour tournament valid for the Race to Dubai that is celebrated thanks to the essential collaboration of Real Club Valderrama, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Ministry of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Junta de Andalucía, in addition to being Co-financed with European funds, declared an Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain, and backed by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation.
