“That the golf course is my office is a privilege”

By Alistair July 8, 2023 07:23

Fernando Padrón, the new golf general manager at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort in Spain, and Ricardo Barón, the new golf superintendent, talk about how they prevent the course from drying out in what can be treacherous conditions, sustainability, improvement projects and what they love about their jobs.

Earlier this year Spain’s La Hacienda Links Golf Resort named Fernando Padrón as its new golf general manager and Ricardo Barón as its new golf superintendent.

Padrón, 54, has extensive knowledge of the golf industry having held a variety of high-profile roles at leading clubs in Spain and beyond including Real Club Valderrama and, most recently, PGA Riviera Maya Golf Club in Mexico.

Barón, who spent 11 months working with Padrón at Valderrama between 2017 and 2018, has managed leading courses all over the world including in the USA and the United Arab Emirates.

Javier Jiménez, director general of La Hacienda Links Golf Resort, said: “We’re delighted to have added two such experienced people to the team.

“Both Fernando and Ricardo know golf in the Costa del Sol well and I’m sure they will prove to be great assets to the resort as we continue to plan and build for the future.”

Located in the Cadiz municipality of San Roque close to Sotogrande, La Hacienda Links Golf Resort has undergone a major redevelopment in the last 12 months that has seen the venue establish itself as one of the rising stars of European golf.

In addition to the relaunch of its renowned Links course last summer after a major renovation, the opening of a new clubhouse and the announcement of a new Fairmont hotel to open in 2024, the resort is carrying out a fresh series of upgrades to its golf and leisure amenities including new investment on its other 18-hole layout, the Heathland course.

We spoke to both men about their new jobs.

Could you tell us about your backgrounds and your career paths to your current roles?

Fernando Padrón: After studying economics at university, I completed my background with an MBA at the prestigious Instituto de Empresa (IE) in Madrid. Regarding the golf industry, I´m a certified club manager (CCM) and have masters’ qualifications in golf management (University of Wales) and turf management (Georgia University).

Ricardo Barón: After finishing agricultural engineering, my first contact with golf courses was at Real Club de Golf de Vistahermosa, a small nine-hole course on the coast of Cádiz where I had the opportunity to take my first steps as a greenkeeper as an intern. After that summer, I knew this was the path I wanted to follow and was lucky enough to get jobs at big-name courses such such as Valderrama (Spain), Quail Hollow (North Carolina, USA), The Els Club Dubai (UAE) and Al Zorah (UAE). Now I am back in Spain at this great project at La Hacienda.

You’ve both recently moved back to the resort after enjoying successful careers abroad. What were the main factors in your decisions to move back to Spain?

Fernando Padrón: La Hacienda Links Golf Resort is an exciting project and, after talking to the owners, I understood very quickly that it was a great opportunity and unlike anything else in Spain.

Ricardo Barón: I really enjoyed my time as a greenkeeper abroad, but when they contacted me and explained the magnitude of the project, I couldn´t reject the offer. It´s difficult to find such an ambitious project in southern Europe and more specifically in Spain. I always wanted to end up in this area, where, without a doubt, all the best golf courses in Europe are located.

The new-look Links course, which reopened last summer after an extensive redesign by Kurtis Bowman, is at the heart of the investment currently taking place at the resort. What do you think of the layout and what has been the feedback from the golfers that have played it?

Fernando Padrón: The renovation of the Links course has been a wise decision. The layout is much better now and is much more in keeping with what a links course should be. And the views now are something else!

Ricardo Barón: The course is something that is both different and unique, that is how I would define it. We are used to seeing golf courses that always follow the same pattern, but in this case, Kurtis has done a magnificent job recreating what a true links course is, and in southern Europe. Everyone who comes to play is impressed by both the views (which are unbeatable) and the layout of the course. What impresses me the most is the design of the greens, both in their shape and contouring.

How excited are you about all the new projects and investment that’s taking place at the resort?

Fernando Padrón: I’m very excited, every day is different and it’s an amazing job because we are working in different ways to reach our goals, not only in maintenance but also in customer satisfaction, food and beverage experience and marketing strategy.

Ricardo Barón: I share Fernando’s excitement! There´s still a lot of work to be done to become what we really want to be but, so far, things have been done very well and we are on the right path to reaching our goal. With the opening of the new resort hotel next year and with the golf course gradually maturing and getting better, it will undoubtedly be a benchmark for golf in the world.

In Spain, the weather is, of course, much nicer than here in the UK! How do you go about managing the condition of your two courses in the drier months? It must be quite a challenge, especially with your courses situated so close to the coast?

Fernando Padrón: It’s too soon to find out… just kidding! We are aware of the lack of water and using predominantly Bermuda grass on the Links course will help us to save water.

Ricardo Barón: With the new design of the Links course, a more suitable variety of grass was chosen, such as TifEagle Bermuda. As a C4 plant, it is a summer variety and is more drought-tolerant and disease-resistant than many others. However, it requires a lot of daily maintenance so that it can be played in very good condition.

The biggest challenge we have here is the wind, as it is always strong. The weather in the Strait of Gibraltar is very treacherous. One day, it can be cool and the next day, the wind can change and dry everything out. When it blows from the east (Levante), it can burn everything out because of the salt coming from the ocean, and then it blows from west (Poniente) which also dries everything as it´s a very dry wind.

At the Heathland Course, as we have Bentgrass greens (a winter species) we also try to carry out many weekly cultural practices to keep them in the best playing conditions together with the help of products to distribute better water in the soil.

What’s it like looking after one of the biggest putting surfaces in Europe, with the fifth and 13th double green? Double greens are quite common on links courses in the UK and Ireland but pretty rare in continental Europe?

Fernando Padrón: It will be a challenge but we are buying new mowers and training the staff to improve the level of maintenance and have all the greens in great conditions. Another special feature is we have two different greens on the 18th hole, so players decide which one to play to before teeing off.

Ricardo Barón: In the end, it is just another green but with a lot more grass to cut! We do the same maintenance as the other putting surfaces but we’re aware that it’s an iconic part of the golf course. I have never seen a putting green like this before and it is unique to me. For maintenance employees, it can be a bit tiring as it takes 45 minutes to cut with a walking mower!

On a personal note, what do you find most rewarding about greenkeeping, Ricardo, and what have been the biggest challenges to date that you’ve encountered?

Ricardo Barón: What I find most rewarding is the simple fact of being able to work in nature. That the golf course is my office is a privilege that not everyone can have. Personally, I couldn’t be behind a computer all day, although some days it does require it to be able to get everything rolling. In addition, now with the views we have from the Links course, with Gibraltar, Ceuta and Morocco, it is impossible and inevitable not to get excited when seeing them every morning.

The biggest challenge I have had to date in my career has been being able to work in extreme heat conditions, which was the case when I was in Dubai. Not only to maintain the grass, but also to manage the staff during the months of extreme heat in which the working conditions were very hard for all of us.

What advice would you both give to anyone thinking about entering the profession?

Fernando Padrón: Be patient and love what you do. You have to sacrifice many of your leisure time and weekends, so be aware. Never stop studying and learning either. I am constantly maintaining an awareness of market trends in the golf and hospitality industry and monitoring what other clubs are doing.

Ricardo Barón: If you really like the golf industry, find out how it really works and ask questions to everyone around this industry. It is a sacrificed sector like many others but very rewarding at the same time. You have to be very sure that you really like it since many times this profession becomes your passion.

Can you describe a typical day for you and the greenkeeping team at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort?

Fernando Padrón: I like to see the course early in the morning, then I go to the office to check emails, talk to the team (pro shop, caddie master, operations, restaurant, head pro and so on) and review procedures. The best thing is every day is different and I learn from each issue.

Ricardo Barón: Normally, I make a weekly schedule to follow for both courses so it’s easier to work. Although there’s always some other last-minute changes.

At the end of each day, we get ready for the next. The team report what has been done or needs to be done for the next day and the next day we hold a morning briefing before going to the course with the entire maintenance team.

Depending on the day and what there is to do, I go around the two courses with my notebook writing down things to do for the next week or immediately and to see how the tasks are going and check if there are any problems.

I have a very good foreman with whom I share the tasks, because it’s difficult to be everywhere with two golf courses, and I spend more time at the office after the morning course set up.

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important subject in golf. How important is the environment in the procedures you have adopted as a greenkeeping team?

Fernando Padrón: Sustainability is very important for us. We are working to get the GEO certificate and updating all the procedures, while saving water and removing chemical fertilisers from our portfolio are other decisions that have been made.

Ricardo Barón: It is something that we all really take into account, since sustainability is something very important for our day-to-day operation.

We have hybrid mowers in which the cutting units are electrically driven, which means less gas and oil consumption. For next year, we want to start with one of the environmental certifications for golf courses such as GEO or Audubon.

The fact that we have chosen a variety of grass more tolerant to drought in our greens also means that the consumption of water, and therefore energy, is much lower.

In addition, we have just done an upgrade of our pumping system station which gives us a much better performance than the previous one, which was obsolete. Along with this comes a new irrigation software program which will help us to have even more efficient irrigation.

With the redesign of the Links course, the opening of a new Fairmont hotel in 2024 and all the other investment being undertaken, La Hacienda Links Golf Resort is creating quite a buzz in the golf industry. In terms of its status in European golf, what do you think the potential of the resort is when all the work has been completed?

Fernando Padrón: Our goal at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort is to become one of the best facilities in Spain, not only in terms of design or maintenance but as a whole golf experience. We want every member or visitor to have an unforgettable golf experience that features the best views of the Mediterranean, first-class culinary experience, including the new halfway house, and premium service. We can’t wait to welcome you all here!

For more information on La Hacienda Links Golf Resort, visit www.lahaciendagolf.com