La Manga Club has added another chapter to its lengthy success story after enjoying a record-breaking start to its golfing year – buoyed by fantastic temperatures and endless blue skies.
With many areas of the UK under water and courses closed, golfers flocked to the award-winning Spanish resort to lap up average temperatures in the mid-twenties and three championship courses in pristine condition.
As well as reporting a 10 per cent increase in rounds played in the period January to March, La Manga Club enjoyed its busiest week ever at the start of April, with more than 4,300 rounds played in a seven-day period. Pro shop revenue has also risen steeply by more than 12 per cent – helped by the improved quality of Callaway and TaylorMade hire club sets available.
Following an upgrade of its buggy fleet, golf cart rentals have gone up by a fifth while the opening of its new Leadbetter Golf Academy this spring – the only such facility in mainland Spain – has seen the amount of income generated through tuition grow by an impressive 300 per cent.
Other notable highlights include hosting a sell-out PGAs of Europe La Manga Club International Pro-Am, the 2014 Spanish Seniors Amateur International Championship, the 2014 Ladies Golf Cup and the climax to the ECCO Tour Winter Series.
And things are about to get even better, with the existing golf academy facilities undergoing total renovation, which will position it as the finest tuition facility in continental Europe when works are completed this summer
La Manga Club’s golf segment has also enjoyed a substantial rise in its food and beverage revenues and, with its membership more active than ever due to more competitions and interaction with the management team, the resort is looking forward to the rest of 2014 with added relish.
Jose Asenjo, general manager of La Manga Club, said: “With the excellent facilities that La Manga Club has to offer golfers on and off the course, there has never been a better time to play and stay at the resort.
“We’ve made a flying start to 2014 and the figures are reward for the concerted programme of investment that La Manga Club has put in place over the last 18 months to ensure that it remains at the forefront of sports and leisure destination resorts in Europe and beyond.
“There really is no other place like it in Europe with guaranteed sunshine, first-class golf and other sporting facilities plus numerous bars and restaurants, and the opening of the new Leadbetter Academy will help us raise the bar even higher on the five-star experience we are able to offer to our guests.”
Three times the size of Monaco, La Manga Club’s outstanding sports and leisure facilities include three 18-hole championship courses – the North, West and much-revered South – helping establish itself as a firm favourite with European golfers since opening in 1972.
Widely regarded as Spain’s flagship resort, it has been voted ‘Best Golf Resort in Spain’ by UK readers of Today’s Golfer magazine for the last three years.
In addition to golf, La Manga Club boasts unrivalled facilities as a sports and leisure destination including a 28-court tennis centre and a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre. It also offers the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 20 bars and restaurants.
La Manga Club www.lamangaclub.com