25 GTM Golf Construction has completed work on a new 18-hole golf course by Blake Stirling and Marco Martin for the Macenas Mediterranean Resort near Mojacar on the southern coast of Spain. More than 500 homes have already been built at the Cosentino Group development, and work is about to start on a 140-room Hyatt hotel. We spoke with Marco Martin to find out more. What is the client’s vision for the development? Macenas Mediterranean has been conceived to recapture the traditional architecture of Almeria’s ‘Pueblos Blancos’ (whitewashed houses on hillsides) and integrate that with a modern, masterplanned community where the golf course and Mediterranean coast are key parts of the views and the landscape. Cosentino has a clear idea about the golf course: it should be a fun and family-friendly place. The course will be for families and residents, so it needs to be enjoyable, not extremely difficult and playable in less than three hours. How are you incorporating the course into the landscape? The site is a gentle slope half a mile away from the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the elevation, most holes enjoy impressive ocean views. Beautiful sites are full of hundreds of natural and environmental restrictions, so Cosentino is pushing everyone to create a golf course that is naturally integrated into the arid landscape. A team of environmental experts from the University of Almeria has defined all the vegetation that will be included in the design. I am proud of our work to create a golf course integrated into nature. As golf architects, we have found that the natural restrictions have helped push our design imagination to the max. TEE BOX “ Natural restrictions have helped push our design imagination to the max” A Stirling & Martin golf course is taking shape at a new resort and residential development on Spain’s south coast. Q&A with Marco Martin Photo: Stirling & Martin Safety and the environment have been key aspects of the work at Macenas Mediterranean Resort, located on Spain’s south coast
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