Estepona Golf : 20 Years On
There once was a man with a dream, and on the strength of that dream he bought a hillside in southern Spain. All might have been well if the dream had run to form but there came a time when it all looked certain to end in tears. However this story has a happy ending and, if you are sitting comfortably, all will be revealed.
The man at the centre of our story was David Leader, a publisher whose passion in life was golf. Sadly David died five years ago, but not before he had seen his lifelong dream turned into a stunning success, largely by the efforts of his son Rory.
As a businessman David Leader enjoyed a large measure of success. His London-based magazine company prospered, and when he sold it in 1985 he was free to embark on his dream project to build and run a golf course in Spain.
His choice of site was not an obvious one, not at the time at least. Although close to the main road – the old N340 – it was a long way from the ‘action’ in Marbella. Furthermore the land was devoid of any kind of infrastructure – no buildings to speak of, no services, no roads, not even paths - just wild uncultivated campo, a million square metres of it (about 250 acres). Even to a golf fanatic like David Leader, it must have seemed a bit of a gamble to build a course from scratch, where no course had gone before, and to establish a demand.
But that was how Estepona Golf began. Situated a few kilometers to the west of Estepona town, it is now one of the best known courses along Malaga’s southern seaboard. Despite his obvious zeal for the project, David Leader’s family was sceptical from the start. Rory says it was very nearly the golf course that never was.
However the Club opened in 1989 and for a time things went well. It started modestly enough, the original clubhouse being a timber ‘shack’ - but it quickly attracted a loyal following. Then in the 1990’s a severe drought hit the region and golf courses were hit hard. Suddenly the business was struggling. To make matters worse, in 1994 David had to return to the UK. It was then that Rory decided that if the course was to succeed as a business, there would have to be changes.
In taking charge of the management he put the focus firmly on clients, be they seasonal visitors or year-round regulars. The course and its facilities were improved, an architect-designed clubhouse was commissioned, and the bar and restaurant up-graded with the appointment of a top flight chef. Most of all, a competitive pricing policy put Estepona Golf in a class of its own.
Today Estepona Golf has an enviable reputation - and not just among golfers. The restaurant is a venue for many locals, a meeting point and a place for special lunches and suppers. This November Estepona Golf is celebrating its 20th year in business. A month-long list of fixtures includes a fun day tournament, the Estepona Masters (Stroke Play) championship and a new David Leader Trophy match – eleven tournaments in all for players of all abilities with wonderful prizes.
The management and staff at Estepona Golf share the family’s pride in its achievements. Its success is already legendary - and the two main architects of that success are David Leader and his son Rory.
