“Los Naranjos has been a positive surprise for me: it´s a very enjoyable and distinguished course which will appeal greatly to LET players.”
Following our interviews about Los Naranjos Golf Club as the venue of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open of Spain, we meet the President of the Ladies European Tour, Marta Figueras–Dotti. Knowing women’s golf at professional level better than anyone, she can give us a few pointers to showcase the course in its best light.
Marta, who played the course a long time ago, has come back to enjoy it once again and her feed-back couldn’t be better: ” I’ve been hugely impressed by Los Naranjos. I´ve played here before but it was a long time ago. I very much like the design: there are a few distinctive holes which are enjoyable and original. The course has been a positive surprise, very enjoyable and distinguished: there´s nothing unusual or silly – what you see is what you get and this appeals to LET players. Hole 18th is impressive and really very nice”, Marta explains, adding:
” I prefer the second nine holes, they are beautiful. Also the day I played they were in perfect condition. It’s really a nice design set in a beautiful location plus with this lovely terrace.”
From a technical point of view and thinking ahead to the Andalucía Costa del Sol Spanish Open that will be held in November, Marta reckons that the course can offer lots of choices: “if we ensure that everything is well set up it should result in a very attractive & enjoyable course for the players, being able to reach a par 5 just in two – I think this is always very enjoyable. The course has huge potential as it can be made more difficult or easier, with shorter or longer tees, and these are the best characteristics that a golf course can have”, Marta explains.
What is undoubtedly guaranteed, according to the first Spanish player of the LPGA, is that the course will offer, as Marta explains, a really great spectacle:
“I think is going to be very enjoyable. We are just debating whether to make the course longer and difficult or enjoyable and accessible. At Los Naranjos you can really find that balance, making a few holes more difficult but then making others like the 5th or 15th shorter with the possibility to cut and arrive with fewer shots and this is what I think we need to get back in the LET. The fairways are generally not narrow but they can become tougher with the Bermuda rough narrowing a few of them: by letting the rough grow, I believe it´s likely to provide a greater challenge.”
Marta Figueras Dotti is feeling happy about celebrating the Open on this course where great friends of hers work – among them her disciple and pro of the course, Patricia Lobato. Marta is just hoping that in November it will be a Spanish player collecting the prize at this wonderful 18th hole.