La Sella Golf is back on course

Lan Sella Golf resort is open again and all 32 staff members are back on board, after half of them were 'furloughed' during lockdown.

The site owners say they were only able to retain 16 employees for basic maintenance of the green and that the rest were temporarily laid off, the intention always being to take them back when the shutdown finished.

After a gradual reincorporation of the other 16 since mid-May, the Clubhouse, bar, shops, changing rooms and the entire 27-hole top professional course is now welcoming its regulars back, as well as tourists and those trying the green out for the first time.

Naturally, all the usual safety and hygiene measures will apply to staff, players and their companions.

“The health crisis has been a huge blow for the golfing industry – in the 30 years we've been trading, we've only ever been shut on Christmas Day,” says La Sella, based at the Marriott Hotel in La Xara and acknowledged to be one of the most challenging courses on the Costa, attracting golfers of all levels keen to test themselves and push the boundaries of their comfort zones.

“But activity has not stopped in the meantime. We've used these months to carry on with renovations and upgrade our irrigation to improve the 'Gregal' route, as we had planned to do before lockdown.”

All staff say they are 'delighted' to be back at work, and their manager, Carlos García, says they have shown 'great sacrifice' and 'proven they are well up to the challenge', with those on 'furlough' having spent their time on distancelearning language, business and IT courses to enable them to provide an even better service.

“Also, our shareholders have supported us unconditionally from day one, with lots of encouragement and the necessary financial help so that neither our team nor our complex was lacking anything during the state of emergency” García says.