1988 – Golf & Nature
In 1988 the land was acquired. Initially some 90 hectares that make up the current land and some time later a further 30 hectares were acquired with the aim of promoting the construction of a golf course. This was the beginning of a project that a few years after its materialisation was to transcend far beyond the merely sporting spheres.
The idea that its creator, the internationally renowned Severiano Ballesteros, put forward for its execution: that of a course where the special characteristics of the terrain would impose many technical demands, compatible with its landscape and environmental features.
The natural environment in which the golf course is located: one of the best natural settings on the Cantabrian coast, the Oyambre Natural Park.
2001 – The first driver
Finally, on 21st December 2001, the first shot was taken on the corresponding tee and in just a few years Santa Marina has become a reference in the world of golf and beyond the sporting world.
The efforts of Santa Marina Golf not only to conserve the natural heritage that surrounds the course but also to spread it had one of its most gratifying moments at the end of 2007, with the recognition of its values imposed by the awarding of the highest award of the Green Wood Prize for Environmental Responsibility for golf courses.
2007 – “Madera Verde” Award
This initiative of the Association for the Promotion of Socio-Cultural Activities (APAS) and the Royal Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG), together with environmental specialists, aims to publicise the country’s golf courses that carry out responsible environmental management of their facilities.
The Club received the award that accredits the merits of the course on the 16th of December 2007, during the Annual Gala Dinner of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, held in Madrid.
2013 – Closure and reopening
At the beginning of 2013, the course was closed and shortly afterwards, a group of members, led by Javier Benjumea Cabeza de Vaca, decided to reopen the course. The reopening took place on 15 July 2013.
2024 – Present & Future
Santa Marina is one of the most important golf courses. But it is also a reference of natural heritage, biodiversity and environmental sustainability not only in the whole of the Community of Cantabria but also in the whole country.
Santa Marina has its doors open to more than just a sporting or leisure evening: it is shown to all its users as a gigantic open-air classroom where explanations arise from active nature itself. Santa Marina is the irrefutable proof of the close and harmonious relationship that nature can maintain with the practice of Golf, as long as it is born from a respectful conception with the environment.
