The Spanish high-goal polo season sees the world’s top players chalking up some serious goals on southern Spain’s fields. As spectators, we can’t wait to see the “sport of kings” with its thrillingly fast-paced tournaments – thundering hooves, mallets cracking on balls, exceptional horsemanship, and astonishingly agile ponies – not to mention, of course, spending time with friends, getting the fizz in, and absorbing the refined yet exciting ambience of a day at the polo.
WHAT IS POLO?
The object of polo is for each team, consisting of four mounted players riding polo ponies, to score goals by hitting the ball between the goal posts. Teams change ends after each goal.
The top players that you will see pelting across the pitches in Sotogrande play “high-goal” polo in International Tournaments, which is the highest level of competitive sport, and includes a system of handicaps (see below).
An adrenaline-charged game of polo lasts roughly 90 minutes and is divided into periods of play called “chukkas” – there are six chukkas, lasting seven minutes each, in a high-goal game. There is a three-minute interval between chukkas, when players change polo ponies, and at half time players have a 15-minute break when spectators can join in with stomping the divots, chunks of turf displaced by the ponies’ hooves..
Polo is played professionally in 16 countries – as well as Spain, these include England, the US, and Argentina.
Where is the Polo in Sotogrande?
As the undisputed capital of polo in Spain, if not Europe, Sotogrande hosts major international tournaments featuring world-class players. Sotogrande is located just over the Malaga province border in Cadiz province in southern Spain, and most of the clubs are clustered around the Guadiaro river.
Santa Maria Polo Club in Sotogrande is one of the most famous locations on the 10-goal handicap polo tournament circuit.
While Ayala Polo Club hosts the events, the matches themselves are played at Santa Maria Polo Club, on its magnificently manicured Los Pinos fields near Sotogrande Marina. Santa Maria also has Puente de Hierro fields, near the Guadiamar bridge.
Ayala Polo Club, with three fields, was founded by Iñigo Zóbel, whose father Enrique built the first polo field in Sotogrande. Today it is run by Iñigo’s daughter Paola. Ayala organises the tournaments, but most matches take place at Santa Maria.
Santa Maria Polo Club, Sotogrande, A-7, 11310 San Roque, Cadiz; phone: 956 61 00 12. Santamariapoloclub.com.
Ayala Polo Club; Hacienda de San Enrique, Km 1, 11312 San Enrique de Guadiaro, Cadiz. Phone: 670 96 18 41 Ayalapolo.com.
Other Polo Clubs in Sotogrande
Dos Lunas Polo Club has two polo fields. 11349 San Martín del Tesorillo, Cadiz. Phone: 956 61 80 52. Doslunas.es.
Polo Valley Polo Club for polo tuition. 29692 Casares, Malaga. Phone: 951 97 95 58. Polovalley.co.uk
When and where are the main polo tournaments in Sotogrande?
Tournaments take place from April to September, but the main season is from late July to the end of August. All events are open to the public – a day out not to be missed for the glamour and excitement! Admission is usually free, though you can get a VIP Daily Pass for Sotogrande International Polo Tournament. This is the main event, and takes place from late July to August at Los Pinos polo field next to the end of the A7 Autovía del Mediterráneo highway, and the exit 133 of the AP7.
The Silver and Gold High-Handicap Cups, part of the International Polo Tournament which attract the best polo teams in the world, are the major dates in Spain’s polo diary.
May – Andrés Paradé Memorial Tournament, Copa Bienvenida K
June – Doña Maria de la Mercedes Memorial Tournament
June – Patrick G. Hermès Cup and Conde de la Maza Memorial Tournament
June – Copa de Jerez Tournament
July – Enrique Zobel Memorial Tournament
July-August – International Polo Tournament with Bronze, Silver and Gold Cups
What to Expect at the Polo?
A great day out for everyone, going to watch polo is a wonderfully social occasion for families, couples, or groups of friends. There’s plenty to do at Santa Maria Polo Club during the tournament – a shopping village, pop-up children’s play area, bars, lots of socialising and after-parties with live music and DJs. Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest during the month-long tournament.
HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED A POLO MATCH? THE NEED-TO-KNOW POLO GUIDE FOR NEWBIES
Polo is incredibly fast-paced and the ball can reach speeds of 100 miles per hour. Lightning-fast, exciting and fun, there’s nothing quite like a polo game.
A polo field is 15 acres – so fairly large – but given that there are 8 horses per game sometimes topping 35mph, the space is easily covered. In each team, player 1 is a forward, 2 is an attacking midfielder, 3 is a playmaker, and often the best strategist, and 4 defends the goal, and is the person who can hit the ball the hardest.
The atmosphere is always lively but spectators be careful should keep behind the boards around the edge of the polo field, and not make too much noise during the chukkas, so that the players can concentrate and focus on their play.
It’s free entrance to see the polo in Sotogrande unless it’s a major match (a semi-final or final, then the cost is between 5€ -15€).
WHAT TO WEAR TO A POLO MATCH
Smart-casual clothing is the order of the day on the warm days. If you’re a guy you can’t go too far wrong with adopting the Nacho Figueras look, formerly face of Polo Ralph Lauren, in other words a button-down shirt, linen jacket and slacks (skip the jodhpurs). Ladies should keep it comfortable, classic and elegant – a summer dress or tailored trousers, for example. By all means go casual with linen but make sure it’s crisp and not too low-key. In terms of footwear, bear in mind that heels sink into the grass. Panama hats are a desirable accessory to protect you from the strong southern Spanish sunshine.
WHO ARE THE WORLD’S TOP POLO PLAYERS?
The players you will watch on the Sotogrande fields are the fastest and most skilled at polo in the world. A select few will have a 10-goal handicap – an indication of a player’s worth, taking into account horsemanship, ability to play in a team, and knowledge of the game and its strategy. Usually only around 20 of these 10-goal players are living at any one time.
The large majority of 10-goal handicap players tend to be Argentinian, while some have been from the US, UK, South Africa, Uruguay, and Spain. Professional players have handicaps of 5 goals and above, while novices are rated at -2 goals. In a match, if one team’s handicap rating is higher than the others’, the difference between the two ratings is added to the lower team’s score as a goal advantage.
Polo in Europe
Since its heyday in the 1920s and 30s, when it was played at the Olympic Games, polo is having a major resurgence. Urban polo clubs are popping up across the Continent, and more variations of the game are becoming popular (snow polo, first introduced in 1985, is played in St Moritz, Courchevel, Kitzbühel, Klosters, Megève and Val D’Isère during the winter months).
In Europe, the main countries for polo are England, France and Spain. For the biggest tournaments the season starts in early May in England, then France and Spain in July and August. The high-goal season in England includes the Cartier Queen’s Cup at Guards Polo Club, and the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray Park. After the Gold Cup, the focus moves to mainland Europe until the end of August.
Watching a polo match is a fun thing to do while visiting this part of southern Spain. If you fancy experiencing the sociable event with a vibrant buzzy ambience for yourself, check out our handpicked selection of luxury villas in Sotogrande. Our concierge can help with any aspect of planning a day and night at the polo, including VIP seats/tickets – just get in touch.
Ben Cooper
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