Municipal golf school for Fuengirola... a sporting chance

Youngsters in Spain with an eye for a ball certainly have no shortage of homegrown golfing legends to look up to. There are others of course, but top of the list must surely come hugely charismatic Seve Ballesteros, who so sadly lost his battle with brain cancer just three short months ago… his highly popular, crowd-pleasing, long-term golfing partner and ‘brother’, José María Olazábal – Ryder captain for 2012… and Málaga’s very own down-to-earth Volvo and Ryder Cup champion Miguel Ángel Jiménez, born in Churriana – where he still lives – and known as ‘the mechanic’ because he ‘prefers to repair Ferraris rather than drive them’!

On the other hand, council-owned golf schools in Spain are still pretty thin on the ground, particularly south of Madrid. So the recent announcement that Fuengirola is soon to have a municipal golf school to call its own – the first in the province of Málaga incidentally – is really good news, especially considering there are no fewer than 60-odd golf courses to play on, on and around the Costa del Sol.

To be built on a 29,000m2 site above the Carvajal railway station linking Fuengirola, Arroyo de la Miel and Torremolinos to the airport and Málaga city, the project – which also includes a clubhouse, restaurant and parking – is scheduled to go out to tender this autumn.

Then, who knows, maybe a few years down the line, there could be a whole new generation of up-and-coming Costa del Sol golfers.

Call me soppy if you like, but I reckon this is one project that would definitely bring a smile to dear old Seve’s face.