Posted: Mon September 22, 1997
Spaniards tend to work alone. The ancient land's great figures
have been individualists, be they artists, conquistadors,
architects, matadors, explorers or writers. It's no accident
that the Spanish aren't known for their assembly-line products.
The land itself is mountainous, too naturally divided to foster
a strong national identity. All of which helps explain why
Spain's national soccer team is often a disappointment while the
country's golfers have been surprisingly successful. When given
the opportunity to play—only 115,000 Spaniards are golfers, or
less than 1% of the country's population of 39 million—the
Spanish have demonstrated both the passion and the temperament
to excel in the game.
Unfortunately, the opportunity is still all too rare. Though
poor, Seve Ballesteros had entrée to the game through his uncle,
touring professional Ramon Sota, and his older, golf-playing
brothers in the coastal town of Pedreña. José María Olazábal, a
Basque from the northern part of the country, was the son of a
greenkeeper near the town of San Sebastian. For most Spaniards,
though, golf remains largely a game for rich tourists.
Surprisingly, Valderrama, one of the most exclusive clubs in the
world, has been a prime source of opportunity for
less-privileged native players. The club's owner, Jaime
Ortíz-Patiño, decided early on to hire the majority of his
workforce from the adjoining town of Guadiaro, whose 4,000
residents had developed a golf consciousness because so many had
worked as caddies and greenkeepers at the original course at
Sotogrande. One of them, Juan Zumaquero, was first exposed to
the game 30 years ago when he caddied for Ortíz-Patiño and is
now the head pro at Valderrama. Since the club opened in 1985,
Guadiaro's connection to the game has become even stronger.
Because there were so many bona fide golfers in the town, the
citizenry decided to build its own course. Ortíz-Patiño provided
the seed money, and Robert Trent Jones, who had designed
Valderrama, offered his services without a fee. In 1991 the town
opened a sporty nine-hole course named La Cañada.
Sitting on a bluff less than a mile from Valderrama, La Cañada
is one of only 12 municipal golf courses in Spain. A family
membership costs $650. Players under 21 have it even better. For
them, greens fees, practice balls and lessons are free.
As a result, little Guadiaro is turning out some of Spain's most
impressive young players. Among the 70 golfers of both sexes in
the junior program, the club has two Spanish national age-group
champions, Gervasio Cuquejo, 8, and 12-year-old Iván Sánchez,
plus a slew of teenagers with a handicap of five or less.
On a recent day about a dozen juniors worked on the practice tee
after a session with La Cañada teaching pro José Quirós. Almost
all had attended the Volvo Masters at Valderrama, and in July
several had gone to watch members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team,
including Tiger Woods, play a practice round there. "Tiger was
incredible," said José Luís Sánchez, a 16-year-old with a three
handicap who, along with his father, a contractor, will attend
the Ryder Cup. "Ever since I saw him, I've thought about his
swing, about how he practices. He's an inspiration to all of us
to get better."
Watching the impromptu gathering was a smiling José Ledesma, who
runs the club's small bar and restaurant. Ledesma, 41, grew up
caddying at Sotogrande and playing the course whenever he was
allowed. Although he now rarely plays more than once a week, the
athletic Ledesma maintains a three handicap at La Cañada. "If
this kind of environment had existed when I was a boy, I would
have become a professional golfer, I'm sure," Ledesma says.
"This gives kids a real chance to become good. I remember, as a
boy, Manuel Pinero coming to Sotogrande for a tournament after
riding a motor scooter all the way from Madrid [a journey of 400
miles] with his clubs slung over his shoulder. When I think of
that, I wonder how there are Spanish pros at all."
Issue date: September 22, 1997
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