La Hacienda Links unveils heathland course upgrade to launch golf season

Golfers can look forward to an elevated five-star experience at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort from 2024 with the luxury 36-hole Spanish resort having completed a significant upgrade of its popular Heathland course.

Fresh from undertaking a full renovation of its Links course – named ‘Best Golf Course in Spain’ at the 2023 World Golf Awards – the acclaimed resort in Andalucia has unveiled a series of improvements to its second 18-hole championship layout as the countdown continues to the opening a new Fairmont hotel.

As well as carrying out redesign work to enhance the original design by Dave Thomas, with the 13th hole now playing as a par-four and the 18th converted to a par-five with a repositioned new tee, other upgrades include the levelling of the first and 11th fairways to improve the playability of the Heathland course and significant landscaping work taking place from holes two to five and the tenth, 17th and 18th with the planting of mastic trees.

In addition, the greenkeeping team at La Hacienda has installed solar panels on the eighth hole, cleaned and refurbished the lakes and bridges on the eighth and ninth holes, and reseeded a number of fairways with grasses that are more sustainable and better suited to the region’s climate.

Javier Jimenez Casquet, director general at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort, said: “Having undertaken a major recent renovation of the Links course, it was very important that we made improvements to the Heathland course to bring it up to the standard of the other facilities at the resort.

“Some of the changes that we have made were much needed, including moving the tee back on the 18th hole to create a challenging par-five that matches the quality of the rest of the course. Using the best sustainable practices, we now have two outstanding courses that complement each other perfectly, and this is the ideal way to launch an exciting year for the resort as we build towards the opening of our new Fairmont hotel.”

The upgrade of the Heathland course is the latest in a series of major investments that La Hacienda Links Golf Resort has made in an ongoing redevelopment project that has seen the venue establish itself as one of the rising stars of European golf.

Located in the Cadiz municipality of San Roque close to Sotogrande, the resort’s Links course runs along the beachfront with spectacular views of the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and Africa, and has been one of the biggest course renovation projects to be undertaken in Europe in recent years.

As part of the major transformation project to reconfigure and redesign the layout, American architect Kurtis Bowman was appointed to improve the hole layouts, conditioning, scenery and sustainability outcomes. Work undertaken included the remodelling of all tees, greens complexes and bunkers, and the redesign of several holes.

In addition, La Hacienda has undertaken a series of other upgrades to its golf and leisure amenities including the renovation of its clubhouse, the launch of a new website and the opening of a new halfway house for players on the Links course, while the resort is preparing to launch a new Fairmont hotel and villas in the near future – underlining an ambition to become one of the most exclusive and luxurious golf developments in Spain.

About La Hacienda Hotel Golf Links Resort

• La Hacienda is a rebrand from Alcaidesa Golf and will include both of the existing 18-hole golf courses, Links (which has been redesigned as part of the project) and Heathland, as well as the luxury hotel complex by Millenium Hospitality, after it acquired a piece of land on the beachfront in 2019, close to Sotogrande.
• La Hacienda is set to become the Millenium’s flagship property, a unique project in southern Europe, which will perfectly complement its existing portfolio of emblematic assets.
• The significant investment includes the redesign of the Links golf course by Kurtis Bowman, a new five-star Fairmont luxury hotel and residences, new clubhouse and dining facilities, new halfway house, beach club and real estate – all launching between 2022 and 2024 to transform the site into a luxury 36-hole golf resort.
• The original Links Alcaidesa course inaugurated in 1992 and was designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark. Alcaidesa Heathland was designed by the renowned former Ryder Cup player, Dave Thomas. Both are 18-hole, par-72 layouts.
• Located in the Cadiz municipality of San Roque in southern Spain, near Sotogrande.

About Millenium Hospitality Real Estate
Millenium Hospitality Real Estate is a SOCIMI which focuses on four and five-star hotel assets in high-growth areas. Millenium is committed to generating value through the acquisition of iconic buildings for their transformation into four and five-star hotels. The company works actively to reach first level agreements with national and international operators in order to respond to the needs of luxury tourism: high quality services that are added to unique and well-located buildings. The company premiered at the MAB on July 4, 2019.