The Real Club Valderrama, essential partner and headquarters of all the editions disputed until the date of the Estrella Damm NA Andalusia Masters, is a clear example that aesthetics can go hand in hand with competitive demands, a circumstance that is reflected year after year in the results that occur in the tournament. In addition, its magnificent presentation has been accompanied by impeccable environmental management for more than 25 years, certified by international entities of recognized prestige.
The Real Club Valderrama was the first golf course in Europe to obtain the certificate of environmental excellence from Audubon International in 1995 and since then it has passed all the annual evaluations that confirm it as a reference in terms of commitment to the natural environment. In addition, the club also obtained in 2008 the recognized ISO 14001 environmental management certificate.
Since its inception in 1992, the Audubon Program for Golf Courses (ACSP, Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program) has served to integrate the care of biodiversity and the protection of the environment in the implementation of good maintenance practices on golf courses. The environmental management system is based on the following elements: water conservation, environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, rational reduction in the use of chemicals, reduction in fuel consumption and dissemination and education work.
With regard to water, in 2016 the Real Club Valderrama installed one of the most advanced irrigation systems in the world with which it achieved a saving of 19% in consumption, but the efforts in this area are constant, as explained to us Javier Reviriego, general manager of the club.
“We have finished the construction of a lake with a capacity of 55,000 cubic meters that will collect rainwater and drainage from the field. We will be able to fill it with rainwater during the winter and use it in the summer, which offers us a good cushion for consumption peaks ”, indicates Reviriego. “Then, in many areas of the field, especially areas that do not come into play under the trees, we have decided to remove the irrigation so that the grass stops growing and replace it with crushed cork oak bark (mulch, in technical terms). The mulch allows us great savings in water, products and fertilizers. Technically it looks very good and does not break anything with the natural landscape, and it has allowed us to cancel almost 400 sprinklers on the field without affecting the game “.
In addition to the collection in the lakes, the irrigation water comes from its own wells approved and validated by the Southern Hydrographic Confederation, and the Sotogrande wastewater project is being developed thanks to which the club will be able to use treated water in tertiary from nearby towns to irrigate most of the field. In addition, the implementation of new varieties of grass will also help to limit consumption.
“We are doing a lot of trials with new varieties of grass that are more tolerant of lack of water and shade, such as zoysia. They are varieties widely used in the United States in climates similar to ours and we have carried out a test in the short game area and, if it works, we will implement it in the rest of the field ”, concludes the general manager of Real Club Valderrama.
With regard to wildlife, a team of experts monitors the situation of all species of fauna existing in the Real Club Valderrama and takes care of their protection in the different habitats and sanctuaries located in the field, inventorying and tracking them. In addition, the cork oak forest is cleaned and pruned regularly and more than 90% of the shrubs and flowers on the farm belong to plants native to the Mediterranean region. Wildlife habitats containing any endangered flora or fauna threatened by golfers and maintenance activities have been designated “environmentally sensitive areas” and golfers are not allowed access to them.
On the other hand, the maintenance machinery is equipped with GPS devices that monitor the routes and applications in order to optimize the routes used daily. With this detailed monitoring, adjustments are made to the routes of the operators in order to reduce them and thus limit fuel consumption. In addition, the machinery park is being renewed with electric and hybrid devices, another measure aimed at reducing the use of fuel.
Since the 1980s, the Real Club Valderrama It has also been a pioneer in the monitored application of organic products for pest control and has gradually and controlled the application of chemical products, reducing their use to practically their total disappearance. At the same time, work is regularly carried out on improving soil health and advanced practices such as modifying organic content, aeration and improving water infiltration are carried out to maintain a living and heterogeneous community of biotic soil.
Of course, the golfer’s support for the environmental management program is essential to its long-term success and that is why the golf staff Real Club Valderrama He is especially involved in communicating the importance of environmental management in conferences, forums and the media. Awareness and dissemination of the projects undertaken are essential to avoid clichés and stereotypes and ensure that the efforts of the club, and the world of golf, permeate society.
Tickets to enjoy this year’s edition of the Estrella Damm NA Andalusia Masters They are already on sale, and the flexibility of the offer allows you to choose between individual accesses for each day, four-day passes or weekend passes, with preferential rates for children under 14, federated or people with reduced mobility.
Tickets can be purchased in the Tickets menu of the tournament website, on edamgolf.es o en Fever.
The Estrella Damm NA Andalusia Masters, European Tour tournament valid for the Race to Dubai that is held 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 and having been declared an event of exceptional public interest by the Government of Spain. The tournament also has the support of the Diputación de Cádiz, Exterior Plus, Hero, Rolex and Santander Private Banking. Callaway, Cinco Jotas, Enterprise, Gadira, Kyocera, La Reserva Club Sotogrande, Marca, the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation, SO / Sotogrande, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.
