July 10, 2023 – La Sella Golf course will be hosting the next stop on the Ladies European Tour (LET) in Spain from 20-23 July. La Sella Open not only promises to attract the highest-ranking professional players onto Spanish soil, but it also has the draw of being the women’s golf tournament with the biggest prize money on offer in the history of Spain.

The LET was keen to select the right course for such an important event. As director of the women’s European tour circuit Joao Paulo Pinto says, “La Sella Golf will be an exceptional setting for an event of such high calibre on the Ladies European Tour as is La Sella Open, given the superior technical quality of the course, its beautiful landscape and excellent track-record in hosting international golf tournaments.”

A challenging, sustainable and exceptionally-beautiful course

Designed by José María Olazábal, at 27 holes La Sella is the largest golf course on the Costa Blanca and renowned throughout the Valencian region and Spain. It has three spectacularly-beautiful nine-hole courses woven around pines, flat land with water hazards and demanding finishing holes, as well as hilly areas with stunning views over the sea, the Segaria mountains and Montgó National Park.

“Not only is it impressive but it also poses an interesting challenge for the best players on the circuit. We know that it will be an exacting course, which will put the best golfers in the world to the test,” warns Joao Pinto.

Every last detail of the course has been considered for hosting this high-level professional tournament. As La Sella Golf’s head greenkeeper, Jimena Blanco explains “the most important thing is a clear course with fast and playable greens. My greatest concern for the summer dates when the tournament is on is getting a dense and healthy green carpet which is vital for the game.”

La Sella Golf has recently completely overhauled its course, providing it with more technological, sustainable and competitive facilities. These changes have further cemented La Sella’s well-established reputation in Spanish and European golf as a leader in technical and sustainable aspects.

“We strive on a daily basis to manage and improve the environmental features that we can, it is the future of golf and any business in the 21st century,” says Jimena Blanco, detailing that “at La Sella we have over 2,000 species and varieties of native trees that capture CO₂ and return O₂ to the atmosphere. We have planted sustainable species of grass that need very little water and hardly any fertilisers or phytosanitary products. We also irrigate it with water from Dénia’s wastewater treatment plant, which, were it not used by us first and filtered through the root system of our lawn, is water that would go straight into the sea.”

All of these efforts are directed towards maintaining and respecting La Sella’s incredible surroundings, in its privileged position nestled within the Montgó National Park by the idyllic coastal town of Dénia, in Alicante. As Alexandra Armas, CEO of the Ladies European Tour, points out “it is one of the most prestigious courses on the Mediterranean, in Montgó National Park, a spectacular natural setting.”

“As well as the course, La Sella’s driving range, approaches, putting greens and advanced golf training centre are among the best practice facilities on the tour,” adds LET tournament director Joao Paulo Pinto.

Venue for top international competitions

For many years now, La Sella Golf has contributed to the growth of golf in Spain, hosting top-level tournaments such as the Women’s European Nations Cup, the LET Rookie Orientation Week, the Peugeot Tour, the national finals of Lacoste Promesas and the Faldo series, as well as various Spanish championships.

Now, at the start of a new era, “LET’s highly competitive players will be truly impressed by the first-rate facilities of La Sella Resort and looking for the next opportunity to play at this prestigious course,” comments Alexandra Armas, also adding that “La Sella Open is going to come at a decisive moment in the LET in 2023, just when the European team is classifying for the Solheim Cup and in the middle of the Race to Costa del Sol.”

A historic tournament for the ladies

The ethos of La Sella Open is to provide female golf players with a major tournament and significant prizes to allow them to compete and help to bridge the divide between the social and financial recognition they receive compared to their male counterparts. Financial constraints and difficulties in combining sporting practice with family and social roles are the most oft-cited reasons that can prevent women from competing. La Sella Open wants to reward the efforts of professional golfers and make this their tournament.

The €1,000,000 prize is a strong show of commitment by La Sella Golf, the Spanish Golf Federation and the Valencian Golf Federation to promoting women’s golf and opportunities for the golfers in a tournament that has been already named as “a tournament for the ladies”. As points out the CEO of the Ladies European Tour Alexandra Armas, “With one million euros in prize money, La Sella Open will be the women’s golf tournament awarding the highest prize money in Spain and one of the biggest on the LET, outside of the majors.”

 

This tournament has been made by and for the ladies. La Sella also shows its support for women in golfing with the fact that it is one of the few grounds with a female greenkeeper. As La Sella Golf’s greenkeeper Jimena Blanco explains, “the world of sports turf maintenance is largely dominated by men. There are very few of us women in the field, although luckily, this is changing and more and more women are deciding to dedicate themselves to this profession and more and more men are giving us the first opportunities.”

 In this regard, the manager of course maintenance at La Sella makes herself clear, “the institutions themselves, such as the Federation, the Greenkeepers’ Association, and the golf courses must promote and showcase the presence of women.” According to Jimena Blanco, “we women have a lot to say and contribute. We manage courses at the highest level, such as the Marco Simone (Italy), where the next Ryder Cup will be held; the Atlético de Madrid stadium and the Real Madrid turf have also been worked on by women.”

First-rate tourism destination

La Sella Golf is located in one of the best tourism and golfing destinations in Europe. The community of La Marina Alta and its capital, Dénia, offer an idyllic setting for enjoying this thrilling sport, with an extensive selection of world-famous, superior-quality courses that offer exciting challenges and impressive panoramic views. The tourism infrastructure in Dénia is also first-rate, with exclusive hotels, resorts and residential options. Its excellent climate throughout the year, natural Mediterranean beauty and huge range of leisure, culture, culinary and sporting activities make this region a privileged destination. 

This idea is backed up by LET tournament director Joao Pinto, who says that “there is no question that its incredible course, five-star hotel with a spa, gym, pool and various restaurants make La Sella Golf one of Europe’s best tourism and golfing destinations.”