(Golf Inc.) —Troon Golf, the world’s largest golf course management company, added two international courses in August, bringing its total to 198. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company was selected to manage the 45-hole Lumine Golf Club within the exclusive Mediterranea Beach & Golf Community, near Portaventura in Tarragona, Spain.
The luxury community is home to three courses, two designed by Greg Norman, which opened in 2008. It is owned by Criteria CaixaCorp and is along the Balearic Sea.
“We are excited to be working with the team at Mediterranea Beach & Golf Community,” said Bruce Glasco, managing director, Troon Golf Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The golf course design has been first class and when you add the Beach Club, restaurant and the nearby PortAventura amusement park, the resort experience becomes very appealing to both golfers and non-golfers alike.”
Troon Golf also was selected to manage golf operations at Astbury Hall in Shropshire, England, a course developed and designed by K.K.Downing – the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Judas Priest. The course opened nine holes to the public earlier this year and plans to open the remaining nine in mid-September. It is K.K. Downing’s first course design, and combines natural features, tactically placed bunkers and manicured playing surfaces that are contoured to USGA standards.
“This is one of the great stories in golf,” Glasco said. “It not only highlights K.K. Downing’s extraordinary achievement in personally designing such a remarkable course, but it captures the very essence of golf’s universal appeal.”
Astbury Hall will have a series of lodges and barn conversions in several different designs. The Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest secured a series of global music hits and Astbury Hall has already caught the attention of the media.
Troon now manages 36 courses in 12 countries in Europe, Middle East and Africa, including Dubai, Portugal, Spain and England.