Elevating Environmental Excellence: Finca Cortesin Flies Flag For Sustainability In Spain
-Solheim Cup venue demonstrates high standards across key sustainable golf themes and action areas-
Marbella, Spain 26 July 2023 – Finca Cortesin, host venue of the 2023 Solheim Cup, has further demonstrated strong commitment and performance in sustainability by achieving the third party verified, GEO Certified® label for sustainable golf.
Since opening in 2006, the venue has developed world-class facilities and a championship golf course that complement the area’s local culture, landscape and ecology. Spanning over 240 hectares, Finca Cortesin continues to place great emphasis on the preservation of its property through sustainable turfgrass management.
Employing a combination of cultural and mechanical practices, the resort maintains impeccably healthy and resilient playing surfaces, capable of withstanding droughts and diseases, having installed Bermudagrass on the greens in 2016. This has since helped the resort to reduce on-course water consumption by 30%.
Pioneering water management practices have also become a hallmark of Finca Cortesin’s commitment to environmental stewardship. By using 100% recycled water from the nearby village of Manilva, the resort was awarded ACOSOL’s seal of quality for recycled water management in May 2022, making it the first golf course in Spain to receive this accolade.
Vicente Rubio, President of Finca Cortesin, said: “Our GEO Certification stands as a resounding testament to Finca Cortesin’s unwavering commitment to sustainability. At every step, our resort prioritizes the preservation of the environment and the well-being of our planet. We approach each decision with a profound respect for nature, recognizing that our actions today shape the future of our ecosystem. Our dedication to sustainability permeates every aspect of our operations, from naturalization efforts that foster native habitats to meticulous turfgrass management practices that prioritize water conservation.”
Suzann Pettersen, European Solheim Cup Team Captain, and a Sustainable Golf Champion, reinforced the significance of this to the event and to golf in general: “It is so important that golf’s major venues and events are leading sustainability efforts to reduce negative impacts and maximise positives for the environment and communities. Personally, I recognize the role golfers and golfing events play so to see Finca Cortesin being recognised at the forefront of action and providing solutions to these, and other related issues is the right thing to do, very encouraging and setting a great example for other future Solheim Cup venues.”
Speaking about Finca Cortesin’s commitment to sustainability, Carole Kerrey, Credibility Manager at GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, said: “We are thrilled that Finca Cortesin is flying the flag for sustainable golf. Over recent months they have worked hard on the process, providing so much data, representing so many best practices, and with some fantastic strategic projects and highlights. The accredited third-party verifier was very impressed by what they have achieved since opening, and their plans for the future. To see a resort that operates at the highest level do the same for sustainability is a real example of what can be achieved at venues like this across the world.”
Beyond the golf course, Finca Cortesin has established a range of exciting initiatives including the creation of beehives to support vital pollination; offering guests the opportunity to try honey produced from the colonies.
Furthermore, Finca Cortesin also recognizes its role and responsibility in supporting the local community, extending a significant programme of social benefits above and beyond the valuable, skilled employment the facility provides.
Notable collaborations including partnerships with Malaga University, providing educational programmes, and internships for unemployed individuals through a relationship with City Hall. Additionally, the resort actively supports organizations like Katrama, dedicated to raising funds for Saharan children living in Casares.
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For more details on Finca Cortesin, please visit www.fincacortesin.com
For additional information on GEO Foundation, please visit www.sustainable.golf
Press Contacts
For all media enquiries relating to Finca Cortesin, please contact:
James Corbishley
Account Manager
Performance54
E: james.corbishley@Performance54.co.uk
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For all media enquiries relating to GEO Foundation, please contact:
Roddy Williams
Director – Professional Golf Engagement and Communications
GEO Foundation
About Finca Cortesín
Opened in March 2006 and set across 532 acres, Finca Cortesín is an independent luxury golf, hotel and spa destination located between Marbella and Sotogrande in Spain. Overlooking the Mediterranean to one side and the tranquil Casares Mountains to the other, Finca Cortesín was designed in the style of a traditional Spanish ‘hacienda’. The Andalusian retreat features an elegant 67-suite hotel, a highly acclaimed 18-hole golf course and a 6,000m² Beach Club.
Designed by renowned architect Cabell Robinson, the resort’s 18-hole championship golf course has played host to numerous professional golf tournaments including the Volvo World Matchplay Championship on three separate occasions and in 2021, reached even greater levels when it was awarded the rights to host one of the world’s biggest golf and sporting events in The 2023 Solheim Cup. Contested from 18-24 September 2023, Finca Cortesín will welcome the two teams led by their respective captains, Suzann Pettersen and Stacy Lewis, to compete in the biennial golf event that is revered as one of the most ferocious rivalries seen across the sport.
About GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf
GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf is an international not-for-profit dedicated to helping accelerate sustainability and climate action in and through golf. The organisation works collaboratively across the amateur and professional parts of golf to help the sport embrace and address key environmental and social issues, so that it can become widely acclaimed for its role in fostering nature, conserving resources, strengthening communities and taking climate action. GEO provides the OnCourse® programmes and solutions for sustainable golf facilities, new developments and tournaments, each of which can lead to the internationally accredited, endorsed and independently verified GEO Certified® label.
About Troon
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company providing services at 900-plus locations in 45-plus states and 35-plus countries, including operational responsibility for 575-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 600-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, ClubUp, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design, Casa Verde Golf, ICON Management and Eventive Sports. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, TroonMagazine.com or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Troon Chronicles, Press Room, and via The Turn Podcast.
Media Contact
Rob Myers
Troon
480.477.0506
rmyers@troon.com