The Copa Iberia, 80 years in Malaga

Few sports have coped better during the pandemic than golf, and few tournaments have stood the test of time better than the Copa Iberia. This national amateur competition, organised by the Real Club de Campo, returns to the Parador de Málaga Golf Club this week for its 81st edition.

Postponed twice due to Covid-19, the Copa Iberia 2020 eventually took place in September. This year, though, the tournament will be played at the end of April, as in previous years, when more hours of sunlight allow for a greater number of participants.

The Real Club de Campo, founded 1926, is one of the oldest golf clubs in Malaga and was one of the first three to be established in Spain. The Copa Iberia is the oldest amateur golf competition in Spain and has taken place annually without interruption since 1941.

It benefits from the support of the Malaga provincial authority and pits a maximum of 42 teams against one other, each consisting of four players who represent clubs from around the country.

The form of the competition is 36-hole Medal Play Handicap, with the first 18 played as foursomes (where the players alternate shots) and the second 18 individually. The net total of each team's six rounds makes up its final score. Originally, Portuguese golfers used to take part as well - hence the name - and the tournament was held around January.

"The last week of April is the best time for the tournament," explained Miguel Pérez, President of the Copa Iberia competition committee. "We have more than 170 players."

Pérez is pleased with the excellent response to the tournaments organised in 2021 by the Real Club de Campo and believes that things will continue to improve this year.

"We host some 30 competitions annually at the club. When it reopened in June, there was another increase. The competition calendar for 2021 has remained the same and the number of people signing up for in each event is increasing by 20 per cent compared to 2019 (before the pandemic). We think it is because other sports take place in enclosed areas and so the players have taken up golf, which is very safe as it takes place in the open air."

For Pérez, it is important to distinguish between commercial golf courses and members' ones.

"The latter are getting by, but those which are primarily commercial are not doing so well, because there is currently no tourism or commercial golf packages."

The Real Club de Campo sees 230 members take to its fairways each day, though it is the Parador de Golf that manages the green fees for visitors and guests. Most of the members are pensioners, and the club lacks players of younger generations.

"Fifteen years ago, we managed the golf school and had more young players," explained Pérez. Nonetheless, he is pleased to count 90-year-old Francisco Santamaría among his members, who continues to compete in tournaments and complete all 18 holes on foot, without the help of a buggy.

What is it like to play golf during the pandemic and with the various restrictions? As well as adhering to the health and safety measures, the golfers appreciate the care taken by the clubs so that they can continue to play risk-free.

Health measures

"There is a precise procedure. Before the start of each competition, the players fill in a form with their personal data and information regarding whether they have had contact with an infected person or if they have had the virus," explained Pérez.

"They enter on one side and exit by another. They don't touch the flags or the rakes, and when leaving the course they are given hand sanitiser," he added.

"People have taken up golf because it's played in the open air and is safer."

Those are not the only measures in place, though. If two players travel in a buggy together, they must use a mask, and a maximum of four golfers are allowed on a tee box. If they are not two metres apart, they must wear a mask, although after teeing off they play the hole without their masks, maintaining social distance.

"We also have red lines on the course, which are for the entrances, and yellow ones for the exits," explained Pérez, adding that, in any case, "golf is played in the open air and is very safe."

"We are very happy. It's not the same to play with the measures as it is without them, but this has not stopped people from taking part nor from becoming members."