Finca Cortesin Hotel, Golf & Spa’s reputation as one of the finest resorts in the world has been further strengthened after being named Spain’s ‘Most Hospitable Golf Club’ in the Golfers’ Choice Awards of 2018 by users of respected website Leadingcourses.com. The luxury resort in Andalucia, on the Spanish south coast, topped the poll for its dedication to customer service with an impressive nine out of 10, as well as finishing first in the ‘Best Facilities in Spain’ rankings. Finca Cortesin was also narrowly pipped into second place in the ‘Best 18 holes of Golf Clubs of Spain’, ‘Best Golf Courses of Spain’ and ‘Best Maintenance of Spain’ categories to emphasis its all-round appeal to visiting golfers. Miguel Girbes, director of golf at Finca Cortesin Hotel, Golf & Spa, said: “We pride ourselves on providing the best golfing experience from the moment visitors arrive to the second they leave the resort, and these results reinforce that commitment we have shown. It is great recognition for the whole team here. “We are continually being recognised as one of the world’s finest golf resorts, but we are particularly proud to have been singled out for our dedication to customer service and is just reward to our staff for their efforts. They play a pivotal role in our success by making visitors feel as welcome as possible and adding to what is a five-star golfing experience. “Our amenities are also the envy of many golf clubs with our first-class course, practice facilities, fantastic clubhouse, hotel and spa and we have spent a lot of time and energy ensuring they are in top condition. “We were the first course in Spain to relay all of its greens with a new variety of Ultra Dwarf Bermuda grass last year and reconstructed the bunkers using the renowned ‘Better Billy Bunker’ system.” Featuring nearly 22,000 courses from 109 countries, Leadingcourses.com also includes more than 600,000 hotels, resorts and villas and is available in eight languages, enabling it to reach 92 per cent of European golfers in their mother tongue. The recognition is the latest in a long list of honours won over the years, including its prestigious Hotel Cortesin being crowned ‘Hotel of the Year – Overall’ by Preferred Hotels & Resorts – the world’s largest independent hotel brand and ‘Best Resort in Spain’ by the country’s Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Opened in March 2006 and set across a vast 532-acre estate, Finca Cortesin’s 18-hole championship golf course is now in the top 20 of the Top 100 Golf Courses’ European rankings list having moved up six places to 19th in this year’s list. Designed by American Cabell Robinson, the highly acclaimed course has hosted numerous high-profile tournaments including the Volvo World Match Play Championship in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Complementing the world-class golf course are outstanding practice facilities including a state-of-the-art Jack Nicklaus Golf Academy. Located in the rolling hills of southern Spain, between Marbella and Sotogrande, with the sparkling Mediterranean waters to one side and

A Golf Community With A Difference The venue is the award-winning golf club and resort – Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin in Thailand. For those of you who are not familiar with this wonderful facility, most likely the image that would conjure up in your mind’s eye would be that of a lush tropical resort in a perfect setting for golf. It’s absolutely spot on! For close to a decade, Black Mountain has swept many of the top awards at the annual Asian Golf Awards, the “Oscars” for the golf industry in the Asia Pacific. This year, the club has been selected to be amongst the 12 best golf facilities in Asia and it has been included in the prestigious Asia Pacific Order Of Zenith, the highest industry recognition accorded to a golf club. When Black Mountain was first conceived in the mind of Swedish entrepreneur and avid golfer Stig Notlov, he wanted to develop a world class golf course that would also offer excellent facilities for the creation of a golf community. Looking back, this vision has become reality. Today, besides being a highly sought after 27-hole golf course by golfers from all over the world, Black Mountain has also become home to a large community of European residents. There is no other golf facility in Southeast Asia that can match Black Mountain for its ability to attract Europeans to either make Black Mountain a vacation spot or a permanent home. Black Mountain offers an unparalleled living experience with a choice of large and luxurious course-side villas, townhouses, twin houses, four story villas and condominiums. If the desire is to build a dream home, this can be done quite easily at Black Mountain. There are many residents who have opted to retire in the community and have worked with Black Mountain to build homes to cater to their specific needs. Located in the foothills, 15 minutes west of the city of Hua Hin, besides the golf course and other sports related facilities and a water theme park, a resident at Black Mountain can expect a tranquil environment and a  lifestyle with luxury living conditions. Typically, members of the Black Mountain community, besides enjoying golf, partake in frequent member tournaments, dinners and other social activities. This is how a resident describes life at Black Mountain: “We members have fun together here at Black Mountain, regardless of who you are ….. that is what make this place truly unique, the friendship among members.”    

Double Senior Major champion Paul Broadhurst will bid to become just the second person in history to win both the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at London Golf Club from August 2-5. The 1991 Ryder Cup player, who won his first Senior Major at Carnoustie when he triumphed at The Senior Open Presented by Rolex, secured his second in May as he stormed to a four stroke victory at Harbor Shores Golf Club. His victory was his seventh since joining the senior ranks in 2015. He has won the Scottish Senior Open twice and the 2017 Paris Legends Championship in addition to the Senior Open. Broadhurst has also enjoyed success on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, winning the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf. Now the Midlands native has his sights set on emulating Australia’s Peter Thomson who won the US Senior PGA Championship in 1984 and then the PGA Seniors Championship four years later in 1988 at North Berwick. “I’ve only won twice in England, at Hoylake and St Mellion,” said Broadhurst. “I usually don’t worry about where I win, I just like winning, but it would be nice to win in England for once. It has been quite a few years since I’ve done that. “The two weeks in July and August, first at The Senior Open, then the PGA Seniors, fit in to my schedule and I’m really happy to have the chance to play back-to-back events in the UK. “I really want to support the Staysure Tour, it’s quite an exciting time for the organisation with new events cropping up – and great to see this event back on the schedule.” To find out more about London Golf Club visit: https://www.europeantourproperties.com/destination/london-golf-club/   

The Telegraph Vitality Junior Golf Championship 2018 will be contested at PGA Catalunya Resort, home to Spain’s No. 1 golf course, near Barcelona. The competition is regarded as the unofficial ‘major’ of junior golf and has helped produce huge stars of today including Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Mel Reid. Now in its 34th year, the event is open to anyone aged under 18, with thousands of hopeful entrants competing annually for the chance to qualify for one of the 21 coveted places in the tournament. The Spanish European Tour Destination, home to Sergio Garcia’s only Junior Golf Academy, is an apt choice for the Telegraph Vitality Junior Golf Championship, whose finalists will ultimately be looking toward careers as professional golfers. David Plana, PGA Catalunya Resort’s chief executive, said: “This championship has helped shape the careers of some of golf’s great players. It’s exciting to be a part of that, and to have the chance to support the next generation of promising young athletes as they compete. This is an opportunity for them to get an exhilarating taste of what professionals experience at the international level, and hopefully it will act as a springboard for their budding careers.” The 2017 boys’ champion, Max Hopkins, who made history by becoming the youngest ever winner at the age of 14, said: “The win is always in the back of my mind and I’m looking forward to the next three years. I learned that par golf will get you a long way and that you don’t always have to go low if you are steady.” 2017 girls’ champion Annabell Fuller said: “There are so many who have won this and gone on to win big championships. One day I hope I can follow in their footsteps.” Adam Sills, Telegraph Head of Sport, said: “Over the years, The Telegraph Junior Golf tournament has produced winners who have become some of golf’s biggest names. We look forward to an exciting year at PGA Catalunya Resort.” Offering two hotels on-site, less than an hour’s drive from the vibrant city of Barcelona and only 20 minutes from the Michelin-starred restaurants of Girona, PGA Catalunya Resort is emerging as a multi-faceted venue delivering the ultimate lifestyle experience, as well as 36 immaculate holes of championship golf. http://www.pgacatalunya.com/golf/