There, where green predominates, the mountains stand out and the curd sweetens the palate; is the club Lizaso Golf Pitch and Putt. The facilities have a field of 70,000 square meterswhere you can learn, enjoy and play with your family, friends or partner on the green.
The land has nine streets and each of them has two differentiated exits so that the esplanade is made up of a route of 18 holes. Some essential requirements to meet the three objectives that it formulated in its day Ceferino Elizondo, the manager of Golf Pitch and Putta shorter stroke golf modality with fairways between 40 and 120 meters from the tee to the flag.
The first objective is to offer a decent field for the practice of this minority sport. The second is linked to teaching, to offering a first contact with the world of the stick and the ball through various starting proposals. That is to say, on the first day, the player discovers the activity, and if they like it, Elizondo offers them a package of six initiation days to exchange them within a period of three months. If the curiosity goes further, the player will have the option to purchase eight follow-up sessions. Each of them has technical assistance and visits to the holes.
The third and last objective is based on organize competitions so that the athlete feels “alive”, since in Elizondo’s words “golf is a personal challenge”. The tournaments held are sponsored by local services such as Ultzama dairy products, Goxua curds, restaurants in the area, the Elgorriaga spa or Bermejo fruits. “We have always ensured that the participants are presented with products from the area, with prizes that are really worthwhile,” he confesses.
For all audiences
Lizaso Golf Pitch and Putt was built in 2004 with the intention of selling this modality at a popular level, hence the manager describes it as “a social center where everyone is welcome”.
They pass through the Ultzamarra field from children from three years to older than 97. It also opens the doors to people with disabilities. “On occasion, I have had the pleasure of teaching the blind at ONCE and it has been a brutal experience. There you realize that the technique does not need sight but is a bodily gesture. Golf is as exciting as it is unknown, ”she emphasizes.
Only 0.2% of the population of Navarra knows, practices and does not stigmatize this minority sport as “posh”, “elitist” or “rich”. “I feel sorry for the situation, because when we usually open it, everyone leaves delighted,” she stresses. In late July, Elizondo had the pleasure of introducing a Canadian mother and son to the world of golf. Such was the illusion that they showed to continue learning that they have decided to continue with it in their native country. Cases like this “satisfy me, but there is still much to be done”.
Elizondo, together with the Navarra Golf Federation, contributes to putting on shows in public spaces such as Sports Kid. “In Sanfermines, for example, we scheduled an event Shoot it if you can, which consisted of scoring three baskets, in case of getting it right, we offered initiation sessions. The Federation should do these promotions more, because they are very useful to get closer to the people”, he recommended.
golf goes to the upna
Now, in turn, Elizondo praises the work that the Federation has done in the reopening of the field of the Public University of Navarra (UPNA) in June, which closed approximately six years ago due to its lack of profitability. “With good promotion we will be able to reach the students. You cannot imagine the sensations that can be generated by playing a ball well, and taking it where you want. It produces such a disconnection from the problems that even the doctors should encourage it more, ”he emphasizes.
A fact that many verified during the pandemic. Unlike other sports, the practice of golf increased with the presence of the coronavirus. Being an outdoor activity “benefited us”. Of course, the increase was sporadic. When “we returned to normal, people preferred to go to the beach or the pool.”
Much to his regret, the high temperatures are wreaking havoc on Lizaso Golf Pitch and Putt. The drought is damaging the green, the area where the grass is cut to three and a half millimeters for the ball to arrive. The scarcity of water is such that “we are obliged to dose the water and humidify manually”. Not being able to fully use the pump, “we are spending time and money on irrigation.” Despite everything, Elizondo prefers to stay with the positive: “Golf is synonymous with liberation, and that makes up for everything.”
