27 Photo: Stirling & Martin Construction work at Macenas is now complete and the course is ready for seeding How do you approach the design of a golf course attached to a residential development? As golf architects, when we design a course in a residential area, we always analyse the safety of the golf course first – we want every hole to be totally safe for all the residents. We also want residents to be proud to have a beautiful golf course bordering their property. So, we analyse the potential views, strategy and how to incorporate the existing natural features of the site. What will the playing experience be like at Macenas? Both Blake and I agree with the owner on making a fun golf course. The layout is not long, has generous landing areas and multiple routes to green complexes of varying difficulty. We can describe every hole as having a unique design, but one that comes to my mind is the 175-yard par-three second, where players fly their balls over a natural creek, surrounded by eucalyptus trees. There is also the short par-four fifth, which is reachable in one, but players run the risk of losing their ball in the Mediterranean Sea. Then there’s hole seventeen, a short par five that has panoramic views of a natural barranca to the left and the sea right in front of the players. How has work progressed and when will the course open? Golf course construction started in October 2025 in parallel with a fivemillion-euro wastewater treatment facility, which will treat 2,000 cubic metres of grey water every day. That treated water will then be used to irrigate the golf course and public gardens. Irrigation and drainage are almost complete, too. From October 2025 to January 2026, GTM moved around 180,000 cubic metres of dirt, and a skilled team of shapers, led by Diego Nene as well as Raul and Jose Manuel Aldón, has manicured creative holes and greens following the detailed plans created by Blake. The course is now ready to be seeded, although that may be delayed until April 2027 due to irrigation and warmseason grass windows. The course is expected to open by October 2027. TEE BOX
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