25 Years CBGS
A Word from the Founder Member
and retired long-time President
Manolo Garay
The very Beginning of the Costa Blanca
Golf Society
In 1993, when I was driving
along the motorway, I heard on the radio that a 9-hole golf course was being built in Muchamiel.
I told my English friend
Derek about this and we decided to go and have a look at it. We met the Manager and the son of the course
designer, Sr. Espinosa, who made us very welcome and told us that they were building a 9-hole golf course to start with but the final project was for an 18-hole course.
I was very interested and decided to have some golf lessons. Derek told his golfing friends Trevor and
Agi (Agustin) about the new course and Trevor in turn told his friend Brian.
We started to play on a
weekly basis and soon after we met a Dutch golfer, Enrique Mostert who knew a Notario from San Vincente, Sr. Pascual. The
Notario helped us to make a Constitution and the 6 of us signed it.
The next step was to bring
more players into the group and to register the Society with the Golf
Federation of Valencia, which was done in JANUARY 1994. After that, the newspaper for English
speaking residents and visitors “The Costa Blanca News” published an article
about this NEW Golf Society, inviting golfers to join it. The response was fantastic. There were enquiries from players far and
wide. They came from as far north as
Calpe, to Santa Pola to the South of Alicante and inland from Jijona, Busot and Muchamiel.
The new arrivals Pauline and
Keith Preston, Sandra and Neville Woodfine and Jeff Murten gave stability to the
Society as they had had previous experience of Golf Societies in the UK.
The Costa Blanca Golf Society
was in the forefront of Golf Societies in the area, arranging weekly
competitions at the Club de Golf Bonalba and and participating in the then Costa Blanca
League, which they won four times. A
Thank You to Luis and Javier for their help and support in establishing Bonalba
Golf & Spa as our home base.
The Society is in constant
renovation and it is up to the newcomers to guarantee the continuity of the Society.
I would like to propose a toast to another
25 years of the Costa Blanca Golf Society!
Manolo Garay
