Tee Times Portugal Golf – From Cascais, Portugal to the Olimpic Course in Brasil
Tee Times Portugal Golf – From Cascais, Portugal to the Olimpic Course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Frederico Santa-Barbara makes history in golf’s return to the biggest sporting event: the Olimpics.
As Director of Jacobsen Market to South America, Frederico Santa-Barbara estimates have already visited 320 golf courses on the continent, but nothing if you compare to the experience of being inside the building of the Rio’s Olympic Course – the course in Rio de January where next August golf returns to the Olympics, 112 years after the last presence in the sport event (St. Louis, 1904).
Owned by the American Textron Jacobsen is one of the three largest manufacturers of maintenance equipment for golf courses. It was up to you to provide all the specialized machinery for the development of the field and its subsequent maintenance. It is in this context that the Portuguese of 34 years old, resident in Rio, has accompanied the project from the beginning, visiting it at least once a week and being one of the privileged who have played there.
The course, an extension of 35 hectares, is located in Barra da Tijuca, the neighborhood of the “wonderful city” where many more modalities will be hosted by the next Olympic Games, seven kilometers from the village of Athletes. “It’s an unbelievable course, a great natural beauty. Their conditions are spectacular – if you put the foot on the ball in the grass and take away, it raises, it seems that is always on top of the tee , “says Santa-Barbara, who saw the still vacant lot and considers to be watching a “historic moment in golf.”
There currently are about 30 machines Jacobsen employed in the field, but that number will rise to double during the male and female competitions, with 60 participants each. The field has stands for 2500 spectators and will accommodate over 17,500 spectators all the way. “It’s the first time a golf tournament will last two weeks, the grass will be under tremendous stress, so you need to make two daily cuts,” explains Santa-Barbara.
Tee Times Portugal Golf – From Cascais, Portugal to the Olimpic Course in Brasil
This Portuguese from Cascais working in the golf area, does not surprise those who know him. Lover of the sport from the 6, 7 years (started playing during the summer holidays in Vimeiro), former president of Grove Tigers Club and also a member of the Estoril Golf Club, as when working at Nespresso involved this brand in golf, helping to found the Nespresso Trophy and sponsoring various events, especially Expresso BPI golf Cup. “One must work on what you like, and I always tried to combine my job to golf,” he explains.
In May 2011, it went to a wedding in Brazil and decided to hop over to Nespresso shop in Sao Paulo. This visit resulted, six months later, in his move to the company’s subsidiary in that country, with responsibility for managing the restaurants and hotels in Rio de Janeiro. He played that role two years, while it was revealed providential, to work behind the scenes so that Jacobsen could make the supply of equipment to the Olympic field.
As a golfer, Santa-Barbara feels that golf in the Olympics is something transcendent not only for Brazil, but for all of South America, because from this new club, which will be public, there will be many opportunities for the golf world across the continent. Despite this optimism casts some doubts about whether all the promises and responsibilities assumed by the Brazilian government will be fulfilled: “Of all the negotiations I have had in Brazil, one thing I learned, no one says no, but it’s not sure that in the end is a yes”.
What he likes most of Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro, summarized as follows, with a musical analogy: “Fado and Samba are not much different in terms of the letter, both speak of longing, love, loss, etc. The difference is in the pace! Rather than sit and cry, they dance and laugh! The lightness with which the locals view life, should be an example for the Portuguese.”
In addition to Santa-Barbara, who is involved in the Olympic golf project from the start, another Portuguese from ProGolf company, Benjamin Silva and António Miranda, are responsible for delivering the course in the best conditions in the world. Headquartered in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, this company built on Brazilian soil an Arnold Palmer course – Fazenda da Boavista in São Paulo – and are today the company responsible for maintaining the Rio’s Olympic Golf Course.
The Portuguese show up once more out there and leave your name in the history of world golf setting the stage the biggest sporting event in the world!
Source: golftatto.com
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