It is based on Order SND/399/2020 published in the BOE (Boletín Oficial del Estado) on Saturday, the 9th of May, by the Ministry of Health and on the Guidelines and Recommendations for golf courses published on Monday, the 11th of May, by the Secretary of State for Tourism and approved by the Ministry of Health.

This protocol, which contains recommendations adapted to the characteristics of our club, will be in force at least while the State of Alarm lasts and during the successive extensions that could occur.

To this protocol specific items will be added to the services that will be opened. This protocol will always be kept updated on the website of the Club.

The opening of the club will be gradual, starting on the 18th of May, with the OLD Course, kiosk, driving range, caddy master’s office and our cleaning services. At a later date still to be decided and always within the limits allowed by the Transition Plan of the 28th of April 2020 and in accord with the protocols established for each of the services, other club services, such as the restaurant, will be gradually opened.

We thank all of you in advance – members, their guests and external golf players – for your strict compliance to this protocol.

And we remind you of the need to comply with the directives of the club’s staff.

Golf courses

The Old Course will be open to play from May 18th.

The New Course will open as soon as the volume of players justifies the need.

OLD COURSE

• Golf reservations can be made exclusively by phone at 952 882 812, by email at info@atalaya-golf.com or through internet booking.

• The course will be open from 10.00h until 20.00h.

• Tee times will be from 10.00h and continue every nine (9) minutes in groups with a maximum of four (4) players. Social distancing MUST be maintained during the game. No visitors or caddies are allowed to accompany players.

• All players should arrive not more than fifteen (15) minutes before their starting time dressed in appropriate golf attire and leave immediately after finishing their round of golf.

• All players should go to the first tee not more than five (5) minutes prior to their starting time.

EXTERNAL PLAYERS AND MEMBERS’ GUESTS

• External players, as well as the guests of members, will be able to play. Each must pay the appropriate external player or guest fee in advance at the caddy master by credit card, by bank transfer or through online bookings.

1. Flag

• Touching or removing the flag and flagstick is forbidden. A system has been implemented that allows the ball to be removed without touching the edge of the hole or the flag.

2. Pace of Play

• Allowing a following group to play through is NOT permitted. Kindly play at a proper pace and avoid slow play to be considerate of those behind you.

3. Accessories

• All rakes, benches, ball washers, bins and water coolers have been sealed or removed. Please do not touch any of the sealed items which remain.

4. Bunkers

• As a courtesy rule, it is recommended to smooth bunkers with one’s club or feet. A provisional local rule is instated that allows the player to replace the ball in the bunker within the distance of one club. Small personal rakes may be purchased at the caddy master.

5. Bathrooms

• All bathrooms on the course will remain closed.

Services and facilities

The following services and facilities will be subject to the the capacity limitation established by the Ministry of Health published in Order SND/399/2020 in the BOE.

CLUB HOUSE

• The clubhouse will remain closed except for the caddy master’s office.

DRIVING RANGE

• The driving range will be open with the obligation to maintain a safe distance of a minimum of two (2) metres at all times between/among people.

Hours of operation are from 08.00h to 19.00h.

SHORT GAME AREAS AND PUTTING GREENS

• Short game areas and putting greens will be open with the obligation to maintain a safe distance of the imposed two (2) metres at all times.

Practice balls will not be provided to clients/members for these areas.

CLUB HOUSE BATHROOM

• Only the bathrooms located at the main entrance will be available in order to preserve the health of all members/clients.

These facilities will be disinfected after each use.

ADMINISTRATION

• Administrative services will be open exclusively to members (mask compulsory) from 9:00h to 2:00h, Monday through Friday.

PRO-SHOP

• The Pro Shop will remain closed until further notice.

Tees, golf balls and gloves will be available for purchase at the caddy master.

CADDY MASTER

• The Caddy Master will remain open from 10.00h to 19.00h every day of the week until further notice.

Tees, golf balls and gloves will be available for purchase at this office.

• Capacity is limited to two (2) members/guests/players.

• The protocol outlining all sanitary measures applicable to the caddy master is included as Annex 1.

• Only caddy master staff will be available. No starter or marshal shall be on the course until further notice.

BAG STORAGE ROOMS

• The usual service will be offered.

• The bag storage rooms will be open from 10.00h until the closing of the golf course.

• All bag storage room lockers were disinfected on the 17th of May.

LOCKER ROOMS

• Locker Rooms will remain closed. Players must come to the club dressed to play golf.

PAYMENTS

• Payments must be carried out exclusively by credit card or bank transfer.

SOCIAL TOURNAMENTS

• There will be no tournaments until further notice.

GOLF LESSONS

• Individual golf lessons may be provided by our Pros.The obligation to maintain a safe distance on the course or in the practice areas is mandatory. There will be no spectators.

PRACTICE BALLS AND BASKETS

• Practice Balls and Baskets will be available. They will be disinfected daily. Players must return baskets to the designated area for the purpose of disinfecting them.

BUGGIES

• The use of Buggies is allowed individually or as a family, providing family members live in the same household.

• Golf buggies will be thoroughly cleaned after each use with disinfectant products using a pressure machine.

• As an exception to the normal rule, four golf carts per game will be allowed.

ELECTRIC AND PUSH TROLLEYS

• Electric and Push Trolleys will be available. They will be manually disinfected after each use. Special emphasis will be given to the grip and the sandbox.

PREVENTIVE HEALTH MEASURES

1. All staff will be equipped with masks and nitrile gloves throughout their working day. The temperature of each member of the staff will be measured daily before they start working.

2. Both members/clients and employees shall maintain a safe social distance from one another at all times while on club premises.

3. Members/clients and employees are strongly urged to stay at home if they have any symptoms.

4. Hydroalcoholic gels will be available to all members and clients at the caddy master’s entrance.

5. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

6. It is recommended that all players leave the club directly after finishing their round of golf, practice session or lesson.

7. In light of the current challenging situation, all members and clients are encouraged to be very mindful of any littering (tobacco, candies, chocolate, water bottles, paper, ….) or food disposal in, on, around or throughout all club facilities given the fact that all waste bins have been temporarily sealed. Please collect your rubbish and dispose of it when you get home. Do not allow it to litter the golf course..

8. All services that are open will strictly comply with the measures established in the protocols approved by the Spanish Ministry of Health.

Annex 1

HEALTH MEASURES PROTOCOL – CADDY MASTER

The following measures are based on the various instructions and recommendations outlined by the Ministry of Health. They are intended to ensure the safety of golf players and employees:

1. Maximum capacity: two (2) members/clients.

2. The temperature of the caddy master staff will be taken before the start of each working day.

3. Marks have been placed on the floor to ensure social safety distance.

4. A glass screen has been placed throughout the caddy master counter.

5. Individual attention will be guaranteed to the member/client maintaining appropriate social security distance.

6. Staff have received training and information about hygiene and the use of FFP2 masks and gloves.

7. Water-alcoholic gels will be available to members/clients at the caddy master’s entrance.

8. All payments must be made by credit card or bank transfer.

La entrada OPENING PROTOCOL FOR GOLF COURSES AND FACILITIES se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.

Normally this work is carried out during the summer months; however, with the closure of our courses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the decision was made to take advantage of the time when our courses are not being used to accomplish this necessary maintenance.

The fairways and roughs on all golf courses suffer from soil compaction, and at Atalaya we are especially burdened by the problem as a result of the fine-textured, clayed soils that underlay our courses. Atalaya’s issue is further provoked by the heavily concentrated traffic patterns and extensive use of golf buggies experienced by our courses.

When soil is compacted the level of water percolation and infiltration into the soil is decreased and water loss by runoff is increased. Root systems become restricted because of a lack of aeration, and the health, vigour and density of the turfgrass declines. The combination of all of these factors causes a decrease in the quality of the playing surface.

Once a soil compaction problem is diagnosed, turf cultivation is required to alleviate it. The process involves coring, the use of solid tines, and, occasionally, slicing.

At Atalaya we initiate the process by using our mechanically powered, vertical-action coring machine to create deep-action, solid punching tines. This machine produces a relatively high density of hole openings while progressing at a reasonable forward speed.

No soil is removed with these solid tines, and the work is best accomplished during periods when the soil is moist, yet not water saturated. With the damp spring we are experiencing, our current weather conditions are proving optimal for executing this work.

The solid tines that we use are 25 mm in diameter and 200 mm in length. They are pushed deeply into our fairways and roughs, allowing the opening of holes in soil layers and dense, clay-ridden soil to depths which cannot be achieved with other coring, slicing and spiking devices.

Special attention is, of course, given to all of the areas of the fairways and roughs where golf buggy traffic is more highly concentrated.

The project is another illustration of Atalaya’s continual committent to maintaining its two championship golf courses in the best possible condition during the pandemic.

La entrada Atalaya Cultivates Fairways And Roughs se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.

Surprisingly, soil compaction is more of a problem on tees than it is on putting greens. The primary reason is that on tees fewer root zones have been modified to prevent the compaction. Another factor is that many tees are too small for the intensity of play they receive which accentuates soil compaction problems even more.

Tee box size is particularly important on par-3 holes where many deep divots are formed during play and the tee boxes are not large enough to allow adequate rotations of the tee locations. Such rotations facilitate regrowth of the grass before the tee zone is needed to be used again.

Coring and spiking are the main turf cultivation approaches that we use for the tees. We routinely employ these processes twice a year, once during the summer and again in the autumn. This year we are taking advantage of the time when our courses are closed to core and spike, carrying out this work now, since we have already completed the hollow tining of our greens.

The same high quality, silica sand that we used on the greens is being applied as a topdressing and for levelling the tee surfaces. Topdressing of divot damage improves the turf recovery rate and smooths the surface area to allow a level stance for the player. The quantity of topdressing used on tee boxes is in general higher than the quantity typically used on putting greens.

Because the creation of large divot damage areas is commonplace on tees, weed problems also increase. First, divot craters provide ideal sites for the invasion of weeds – blue grass, crabgrass, grama catalana and the like – as these weeds require sunlight for seed germination. Second, extensive deep divot damage on par-3 tees may also disrupt a protective surface zone of pre-emergence herbicide, which also increases the potential for weed development. To solve these problems, we at Atalaya employ the effective and proper agricultural practices to enhance turf recovery in the areas that suffer from this damage. These best practices go a long way in reducing potential maintenance problems.

When play resumes, we encourage all members and guests to participate in a divot damage and repair programme by restoring divots with replacement sand. This sand is available in containers conveniently located near the tee markers. Simply use the small shovel provided to fill and level the divots with the material provided. This important campaign will go a long way to positively maintain our tee boxes.

La entrada Spiking and Topdressing of Old Course Tees se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.

An important upgrade is the replacement of the ceiling in the employees’ dining room. A new, removable ceiling has been installed. The new ceiling is easily replaceable, facilitating future changes and updates. Should the eventual addition or replacement of water pipes or lights be required, workmen will be able to pop out the portion of the ceiling providing access to the areas where repairs are required. No longer will it be necessary to demolish the ceiling.

In addition to the updated ceiling, the employees’ dining room now touts a sparkling new sink, as well as a new fridge, toaster and microwave!

To top off everything new flooring has been installed not only in the dining room but also in all personnel areas.

Certainly, these improvements will bring many smiles to the faces of Atalaya’s most capable and valued staff members when they return to work in the not too distant future.

La entrada Atalaya improves facilities for employees se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.

A hidden problem in maintaining high functionality of our irrigation system is the expansion and contraction of its pipes. Usually, such expansion and contraction happens in the longer sections of the pipelines. When pipes expand and contract, leakage or sometimes even the complete failure of the system results. In tandem, course damage and water wastage are caused. Since failures usually occur at the system’s joints, Atalaya’s maintenance crews, as a precautionary measure, are in the process of replacing old joints with modern, moveable ones that expand and contract. These new joints will help to eliminate the problem altogether.

The system’s sprinkler heads are another problem area that require regular upkeep. (We have 2,146 sprinkler units between the Old and New Course.) To make our courses more playable and provide for drainage after rains, Atalaya uses large quantities of sand for topdressing all fairways, greens, tees and roughs. This topdressing coupled with the natural movement of clay within the soil causes the sprinkler heads to become recessed deeply into the ground. When sprinkler heads are beneath the surface, their functionality is impaired. To alleviate this problem, Atalaya’s grounds’ staff steps in and raises them back to their optimal operating height to yield proper performance.

Our irrigation system is essential to the sustainability of both of our courses, and we are proactively developing solutions to maintain the system with minimal staff while our courses are closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The new reforms not only allow maintenance work to be carried out more easily but also insure that our facilities are better sustained.

La entrada Irrigation Infrastructure Updates se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.

Bunkers are integral to both golf strategy and aesthetics, and maintaining them is high on Atalaya’s checklist of regular course care. Director General Andreś Sánchez points out that during this “low maintenance situation with no play” keeping the edges of our bunkers well-defined is challenging. The fact is that bermuda grass regularly sends lateral stem growth from a bunker’s lip into the bunker itself. Under normal conditions this growth is periodically trimmed. However, carrying out this hands-on maintenance is time-consuming and, thereby, expensive. As an alternative during the current “no play” period, Atalaya is using a selective herbicide to prevent this growth. When the lockdown is lifted and play is resumed, bunker maintenance will return in a seamless fashion to normal maintenance.

Bunker washouts are also a problem, especially during this rainy month of April. When washouts occur repeatedly, bunker sand sometimes becomes contaminated. If so, replacement is necessary in part or in its entirety. Atalaya’s maintenance personnel regularly monitor and stay abreast of this issue. The goal is for our bunkers to be properly playable when our courses reopen and normal play resumes.

La entrada Bunker Maintenance During the COVID-19 Lockdown se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.

Many thanks to the health authorities of Benahavís for providing our club with the necessary products to carry out this important work.

La entrada Atalaya Sanitises its Facilities se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.

To date, the hot and cold water pipes in both the men’s and the ladies’ locker rooms have been replaced. After more than 50 years of usage and experiencing chronic leaks, this work was more than overdue.

The plaster ceilings in these areas have also been refurbished, and high-quality, demountable ceilings have been installed.

These upgrades not only allow maintenance work to be carried out more easily but also insure that our facilities are better sustained.

Many thanks to Fontaplus SL, owned by one of our partners, for the great work!

La entrada Locker Room Pumbing Renovation and Ceiling Replacement se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.