JACKLIN COME TO PLAY AS THE EUROPEAN TOUR COMES TO EL PARAISO

IT was a real coup for the first owners of El Paraiso when the European Tour chose to come to the course in 1974 for an inaugural tournament of the PGA Tour.

The tournament had a prize purse of three million pesetas and 156 national and international players took part.

The competition was won by Peter Oosterhuis, a former British amateur champion who became a successful professional golfer and member of the Ryder Cup team.

Among the Spanish players were legendary names such as Piñero, Gallardo, Barrios and a very young Seve Ballesteros at the age of 16, plus international players, such as Tony Jacklin and Roberto De Vicenzo.

Over 300 new trees in a decade

The course started out with only seven holes, the first of which was on the current 4th hole. It soon became nine holes at the end of 1973 and finally 18 holes.

In those 50 years the course has been updated, especially in recent years as part of meeting the goals of saving water and sustainability, for which the club has undertaken reforms and investment in facilities and machinery.

Some minor changes were also made to the design and aesthetics of the course. Although funds were not available for major works, the greens’ chairman encouraged members to make private donations for trees, plants and bridges and, between 2010 and 2018, 334 new trees and large shrubs were planted.

Between 2014 and 2019, a lot of work was done to increase the visual appeal of the course, particularly with the laying out of new tees and more bridges.

A healthy €27,000 was raised from private donations from members to enable the bridges on the 9th, 12th and 18th holes to be rebuilt in Casares stone.

Casares stone was also used to build walls and flowerbeds to enhance the entrance to the driving range.

In 2015, the course was graced with a pair of rare Tetraclinis Articulata trees, which are now a protected species.

At that time the main priority was the replacement of the greens, which were by then more than 40 years old. The first was a simple replacement of the existing one, followed by the 2nd and 12th.

At that stage, the board decided that it would be desirable to have consistency in the redesign of the remaining greens, and an approach was made to Gary Player Design (GPD). Its vice-president Steven MacFarlane, a Scottish architect, agreed to prepare the designs and oversee the construction of the remaining 15 greens, and also many of the course bunkers.

The course today

All new greens have been built to USGA specifications, as was the new enlarged putting green in front of the clubhouse and the new short-game practice area and green next to the 10th tee.

The practice ground also received attention.

An improved artificial surface was provided for the shaded practice area and a members-only grass area was identified.

Meanwhile, the company Surtec produced a comprehensive technical report highlighting what was needed to take the course to a sustainable next level.

Areas for improvement were identified and procedures, costs, staffing levels and closure times were quantified.

In addition, a major investment in machinery and technology was made at the time. Following this report, it was agreed to create ‘naturalised’ areas to reduce maintenance and improve appearance, kikuyu grass contamination was eradicated from fairways, tees and rough and a comprehensive review of greens and collars was carried out to measure consistency of performance.

As a result, all collars were renewed in 2020 and work began to fix an inner collar to prevent contamination of the greens.

General work on the course continued through 2021 and 2022 with improvements to the paths, tee surrounds and drainage.

Golfing paradise

THE Tarbuck Classic golf tournament boosted the image of the Costa del Sol and brought in 25 teams each year, captained by various England stars and managers such as Matt Busby, Nick Faldo and actors such as Robert Powell.

It took over four courses, including the El Paraiso and Valderrama and did around four tournaments a year.

It was a must-attend for so many celebrities and