Due the State of Alarm declared by the Spanish government, ordering the closure of all non-essential facilities with the goal of combating the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), both golf courses and all facilities at Atalaya Golf & Country Club are currently closed.

Regrettably, we have to postpone again the Von Limburger Open Championship until further notice. Feel free to contact us at vonlimburger@atalaya-golf.com for any other question.

Sometimes when Old Man Weather knocks, he creates a bit of havoc. Such was recently the case at Atalaya Golf & Country Club. The Club’s most important tournament of the year, the von Limburger Open Championship, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, the 25^th and 26^th of January, was postponed. The reason – heavy rains that drenched our area.

The championship is now scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, the 4^th and 5^th of April, 2020.

As a result of the deluge of heavy rain, the decision was originally made to revamp the two-day, Medal Play tournament into a one-day championship to be played on Sunday, the 26^th of January. However, when the rains continued, this idea was scuttled and the championship was rescheduled for April in its proper form.

The von Limburger Open Championship has gained the reputation of being one of Costa del Sol’s most prestigious annual golf tournaments and always attracts a field of more than 100 competitors from throughout Spain and Europe.

With a history that dates back more than 20 years, the tournament, played on Atalaya’s championship Old Course, honours the memory of the course’s designer, Dr. Bernard von Limburger. To this day Dr. von Limburger is universally recognised as Germany’s greatest golf course architect.

All of those who have already registered to play in the 2020 von Limburger championship will remain on the roster to play in April. Anyone who cannot play in April is asked to notify the Club at vonlimburger@altalaya-golf.com. Please use this same email should you have any questions or require additional information about the rescheduled tournament.

Atalaya Golf & Country Club sincerely apologises for any inconvenience that the rescheduling of this event has caused. We at Atalaya remain committed to providing  Costa del Sol’s finest golfing experience.

La entrada RESCHEDULED – 2020 Von Limburger Open Championship se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.

Both men and women golfers from numerous Costa del Sol golf clubs, as well as a few from other areas, gathered at Atalaya to compete in one of two handicap categories or in the scratch division.

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary year, this most successful amateur circuit is sponsored by Andalucía Golf/España Golf magazine. The 2020 challenge is composed of 18 legs, six more than last year, plus a grand final This year’s grand final will be played in late August at Finca Cortesín located in Casares.

The circuit is this year also celebrating the expansion of its geographical area. Stops will be made at some of the best courses in Cádiz, Madrid, Segovia and Sevilla provinces, as well as in the Costa del Sol.

According to Andalućia Golf magazine’s editor Antonio Sánchez Marcos, the tournament, “…is, unquestionably, one of the premier amateur circuits in Spain, thanks to both the courses where it is held and the magnificent final prize.”

That final prize is all-inclusive, seven day trips to the Dominican Republic in October for the competition’s top five scorers – the two overall winners from each handicap division and the scratch champion. The five lucky competitors will enjoy a five star holiday and play the finest golf courses while in the Dominican Republic.

At Atalaya, 18 club members competed in the tournament. Unfortunately, none placed at the top of the leaderboard. Several, however, were winners of generous tombola prizes, including golf balls, golf bags, hats and the like. Tombola prizes as well as the golf attire and accessories given to first leg winners were donated by the fashion golf shop Fairway + Blue located in Puerto Banus.

The majority of the field at the Atalaya was composed of federated players from area golf clubs . In the higher handicap category Pablo Ortega Briesemeister of the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation placed First. Ismael Ortega Calvente of La Cañada was Second, and Antonio Muñoz Lanzas of Golf Estebbuna placed Third.

In the lower handicap division Juan da Carretero Castillo of Magna Marbella took First Place. Andrey Shultse of Guadalmina was Second, and Third Place went to Juan C. MacIntosh Cutillas of San Pedro.

In addition to his win in the lower handicap category Juan da Carretero Castillo also captured First Place in the Scratch Division. Guadalmina’s Mario Garcia Garoz was Second, and Juan C. MacIntosh Cutillas walked away with his second Third Place win of the day.

Four players – Pablo Ortega, Ismael Ortega, Juan da Carretero and Andrey Shultse – secured grand final tickets to play at Finca Cortesín in August.

Congratulations to all winners!

To see more pictures, please click here.

La entrada Atalaya hosts first leg of Andalucía Golf Challenge Circuit se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.

Open to “all declared Professional Golfers and Elite Amateurs, both Ladies and Men”, Gecko recently made two return stops at Atalaya Golf & Country Club. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the 14th – 16th of January, the Club’s championship Old Course hosted the 54-hole, three-day, Stroke Play challenge. Almost three weeks later on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, the 2nd – 4th of February, the challenging New Course served as the venue for another three-day contest.

Oliver Lindell of Finland topped the Leaderboard after three days of play during the Old Course tournament. Lindell scored a total of 201 strokes (-15). Now 21 years of age Lindell’s goal is to become well established on the European Tour over the next three years. Of course, his dream is the golfer’s dream of all dreams – winning the Masters’ “iconic green jacket”. (http://www.oliverlindellgolf.fi/web/)

Joe Zawaski of Sweden and Katerina Vlasinova of the Czech Republic tied for Second Place. Each scored a total of 209 strokes (-7). Zawaski turned pro in 2018 and resides in the U.S. state of Illinois. Vlasinova, formerly a member of the Czech Republic Junior National Team, plays for Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia.

When Gecko returned to Atalaya in February, the Colombian Álvaro Arizabaleta captured First Place after three days of play on the demanding New Course. His final score was an impressive 191 strokes (-22). Now a member of the Spanish Federation, Arizabaleta finished the 2018-2019 Gecko season with three victories and 10 top five finishes out of the 20 tournaments he played. Previously, he won the Gecko Order of Merit two times in a row. These wins provided him with invitations to play at the European Tour Q-School and at some Challenge Tour tournaments.

Londoner Piers Berrington placed Second with 197 shots (-16). In March of 2019, Berrington won The Gecko Tour Grand Final championship played on Villa Padierna Golf Club’s Alferini course. His win was the result of an intense playoff against Christopher Sahlström of Sweden.

Third Place was captured by Casper Simberg of Finland with 199 strokes (-14). Simberg is a member of the Finnish Mens’ National Team. In 2019 he was the best Finnish player in the European Individual Championships and represented Finland in the Euro Team Championship.

The foundation of The Gecko Tour is to provide an “affordable and highly competitive winter golf tournament experience on the Costa del Sol”. The tour mixes youth and seniority, and the result is extremely positive. When seasoned golfers interact with and play against younger players, the older have the opportunity to polish their games and maybe once again think about the European Tour and the younger gain a platform for growth and stepping stones to the future.

Atalaya Golf & Country Club is every year honoured to support and proud to participate in this very worthwhile tournament.

La entrada The Gecko Tour returns to Atalaya se publicó primero en Atalaya Golf & Country Club.