SUSANA D. WEAVER GIJÓN.

The Real Club de Golf de Castiello can boast of several things. He is the dean of the fields of this sport practice in Asturias. The pandemic did not take its toll: not only were there no casualties, but 75 new partners joined. And they have just started a croquet lane, a practice that is booming and is adding more and more practitioners.

However, they recognize that with more budget many more things could be undertaken, improve the facilities that are obsolete in certain areas and offer more possibilities to the partner. But 80% of the 1.1 million euros they have annually goes to maintenance. "The field is a living element," recalls its directive. And the trees grow and everything has to be controlled so that it does not become a forest

Sport is the focus of the club, but the social aspect occupies a good part of it. Peñas, families, groups of friends have been joining Castiello. Not only are generational changeovers lived, there are also, in fact there are already up to fourth generations of sagas, but many golf lovers and some who are curious about this sport have been approaching. The close, friendly and welcoming environment with which they find themselves makes many people make this institution their second home. Recently, they tell an anecdote, one of the partners commented that since he joined he had 400 more friends.

Not being funny but why the fuck doesn't school teach you useful stuff like how to fold a fitted sheet instead of Pythagoras theory

— Smithy Tue Feb 02 21:07:33 +0000 2021

This entity encourages the practice of sports and it tries to involve the little ones, since the best age to start is very early; from the age of four or five, it is already recommended. The Infant and Youth School is one of its great achievements. More than 80 students pass each year. There the youngest receive the base where they establish their first knowledge of the sport and it is also a space to perfect their shots in search of great results.

That does not mean that golf has a certain age to start practicing it. Not even to perform at a good level. In fact, here, there are a good number of partners who are over 70 years old. There are also a few octogenarians and there is a member who is about to celebrate his centenary in these facilities.

The world of golf has changed a lot in the last 25 years. It has become popular. Practicing this sport is not cheap, they say, nor expensive, and we must forget about the label of elitism because, they say, that citizens of all conditions fit here. Mental and physical health are some of the benefits that golf brings. An average of between eight and ten kilometers of walking per game, in addition to what is covered in the game itself, prove that golf helps keep fit. The base, the constancy and the ability. Also patience because the technique is complicated. The club has come a long way since that July 17, 1958 when a group of 200 sports enthusiasts conceived the idea. Its promoter, Félix Cifuentes; its first president, Javier Loring Guilhou. Six more have happened to him. The latest, Senén Merino, has launched a master plan. The most immediate projects, a locker room for the children and the modernization of the practice field.