Experienced golf industry executive Alfonso Castiñeira is heading home after leaving Panama to return to Spain to become the new director of golf at Las Colinas Golf & Country Club.
Castiñeira will take up his new position at the award-winning resort at the start of March after spending the last decade working in a number of high-profile roles at golf clubs in Europe and Central America.
The former Alps Tour professional was, most recently, employed as director of golf at the Troon-managed Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama City – one of the most exclusive clubs in Panama – and is looking forward to using his extensive knowledge of the golf industry to help Las Colinas in its plans for the future.
Castiñeira said: “It’s an honor for me to be joining Las Colinas Golf & Country Club, one of the biggest names in Spanish golf.
“Golf has been my passion since I was child when I started playing the game at the age of 11. I loved the time that I spent in Panama working at some of the most prestigious golf venues in Central America, but this was too good an opportunity to turn down.
“I was very impressed by everything that Las Colinas has to offer and their plans for the future, and I can’t wait to get started.”
One of Castiñeira’s first tasks at Las Colinas will be putting the finishing touches to the resort’s program for the 2023 golf season, which is shaping up to be the most wide-reaching and inclusive ever the venue focuses on bringing all members of its golfing community together.
The award-winning resort has put in place an action-packed calendar for the year ahead for players of all ages and abilities, with plans including new academies for juniors, seniors and ladies; an increased events program for its popular Ladies Golf League and more mixed competitions, with the climax coming in December with the second staging of the Las Colinas Trophy.
At the heart of the schedule is Las Colinas’ acclaimed 18-hole championship golf course which, designed by Cabell B.Robinson and a regular host venue of the DP World Tour Qualifying School, will benefit from a further period of investment with the continued focus on sustainability.
In addition to completing a two-year bunker renovation program using the ‘Better Billy Bunker’ sustainable system employed by a collection of the world’s most prestigious golf venues including 2022 US Open venue Brookline, Gleneagles and Oakland Hills, work will also continue on the course to plant native trees and shrubs and convert the turf to a native plant area, changing to drip irrigation for trees in the process to reduce the amount of water needed per year as well as cutting energy costs.
Having attracted more than 120 players last year, the third edition of the Las Colinas Ladies Golf League is expected to be just as popular with nine qualifying events taking place before December’s Grand Final.
New for 2023 and taking place on the resort’s driving range which boasts outstanding practice facilities including Toptracer technology a short-game area designed by Miguel Angel Jimenez, the new junior golf academy and seniors and ladies academy are also set to attract plenty of interest, while the 2023 golfing finale will come in December when golfers from across Spain and Europe will head to Las Colinas for the second Las Colinas Trophy.
Created especially for amateurs to help showcase the resort’s numerous sports, leisure and lifestyle facilities, the event offers players of all ages with an official handicap the opportunity to enjoy three days of fun and sample an unforgettable guest and gastronomic experience at one of Europe’s most sought-after golfing destinations.
Nestled in a 330-hectare valley and just a 50-minute drive south of Alicante, Las Colinas Golf & Country Club is regarded among Europe’s premier golf and real estate resorts. Enjoying more than 300 days of sunshine a year, the estate is surrounded by a natural park of 10,000 hectares and is only six kilometers away from the Spanish Mediterranean coastline.
As well as an 18-hole championship golf course and outstanding practice facilities, the resort – voted ‘Spain’s Best Golf Course’ and ‘World’s Leading Golf & Villa Resort’ at the 2021 World Golf Awards – offer a wide-range of comprehensive leisure facilities including a golf academy, padel and tennis academy, WOW Beach on the seafront, a gym and a wellness area.
The impressive culinary offering at the resort includes three restaurants – stylish Italian restaurant il Palco, Japanese, Nikkei and Mexican fusion cuisine at umawa and an international menu at unik, made with fresh produce – to give residents and guests an opportunity to enjoy a healthy Mediterranean lifestyle to the fullest.
