Parador de Málaga Golf

History

During the 1920s, Princess Beatrice of Battenberg, mother of Queen Victoria Eugenie, used to spend the winters in Malaga, as prescribed by the doctors of the British Royal Household. In order to provide entertainment for such an illustrious guest and, at the same time, to encourage tourism, especially of British origin, the so-called Syndicate of Initiatives of Malaga proposed the construction of a golf course. Queen Victoria Eugenia herself suggested seeking the advice of, Mr. Colt, said to be the best specialist architect (and the person who designed Wentworth golf course).

In 1926, the land was surveyed and, in 1928, a private contract was signed for the purchase of 44 hectares of the Valverde estate, owned by the Heredia España family. In 1929, the foundation stone-laying ceremony took place, presided over by H.R.H. the Infante D. Jaime de Borbón.  Thus began the work under the technical direction of Mr. Colt.

The economic difficulties encountered by "Málaga Golf Club", the owner of the land, in meeting the construction costs of the course, led to the seizure of the course and its facilities by the National Tourist Board, to which the property was finally transferred in 1936. During the civil war, the course was practically destroyed as artillery batteries were placed on the land for coastal defence. At the end of the war, the General Directorate of Tourism took over the course and Mr. T. Simpson, from the firm "Simpson and Company Golf Architects", undertook the reconstruction of the course and the redesign of its layout. The extension to 18 holes required an extension of the available land. As a result, an expropriation process began in 1947, ending in 1952 with the incorporation of 30 hectares more. The second nine holes were not put into service until 1964, when the greens were laid out and the grass was sown.