cookelad
Tour Winner
Just returned from the annual Spain Trip - 5 nights and 5 rounds plus a bit of beer and food!
Hotel PYR
I'll start with the hotel seeing as it was the first port of call Sunday night, The rooms, tidy and cleaned daily with fresh towels every day, are ample for the needs of the average golfing traveller, plenty of space for suitcases and golf bags, a decent size bathroom with a shower over the bath, 2 single beds, a balcony overlooking the pool - I'm told the 3 wings/sprigs contain different types of rooms (so that the married couples don't have to mix with our rabble at a guess). The bar in the hotel is a lot cheaper than those in town so it's worth having a couple in there before the evening festivities begin. Only downside for me being the standard of the breakfast available which is ok but not worth the 50% price increase from last year.
Marbella Golf Club - Monday
This was our second visit to Marbella GC, last year just after the fires had ravaged the surrounding area, and pleased to say the course was in better condition than last year. Fairways and tees were in top form and the greens running true and looking well. Hazards all clearly marked and the bunkers well manicured (the sand might have been a little thin in places - bunker facing the 18th green and clubhouse worried me a little as my 3rd sailed over the green!)
Good service in the clubhouse and a butty wagon that came round taking orders before delivering freshly made sarnies 1 hole later. The course has some great views over the bay with much of the front 9 being up in the hills before coming back down nearer to sea level for the back 9. Check out the terrapins in the pond to the left of the 13th!
La Quinta A&C - Tuesday and Friday
This is the course that hosts the European Seniors and LET so, as you can probably imagine, is in great condition. Course A is the flattest of the 3 nines, starting and finishing with par 5s the 1st is reachable in 2 and is a good birdie opportunity to get you underway, followed by a pretty, short par 4 over water, 3 par 3s on this 9 two playing a short-medium iron and the 3rd a long iron (or hybrid for those that way inclined).
Course C by contrast is the hilliest of the three, a short par 4 followed by a medium par 3 playing pretty level, then the climbs begin culminating in the "short" par 3 15th playing from a elevated tee down to just about the most undulating green I've played - It's always windy up there - before beginning the decent with a long downhill sweeping dogleg par 4. The 18th is a bit of a let down on the "pretty" stakes but with a steep climb to a 2 tiered green it's not a guaranteed 4 until the final putt drops!
The bacon-cheeseburgers I had in the clubhouse on both visits were brilliant and the service in the clubhouse excellent.
Alcaidesa Links - Wednesday
Obviously for the purists (myself included) this is a "links like course" it has the out and back design and the some fantastic views over The Mediterranean and The Rock of Gibraltar (the 5th tee is breathtaking). We all thought the course could do with some more signage and/or bells as there are a number of blind tee shots, the 7th most notably where you drive at nothing, then when you arrive at your ball it's gone a long way down a steep slope over a pedestrian walkway. Some seriously dramatic changes in elevation as you meander you way along the coastline and back - the 12th hole a 200yard par 3 that can't have been far off the same in the drop from tee to green. Again the course was in magnificent condition with hazards well marked out. This was our first trip to Alcaidesa and will not be our last hopefully we'll get to play the "heathland" course as well next time.
Los Naranjos Thursday
We were "reliably" told this is the most visited course in the area, and, well, it left us all a little disappointed, not saying it was bad course, just not up to the standard of the previous days, and I still have no idea what the greenkeeper was doing turning circles in the bunkers without a rake attached before his mate with a rake attached caem and followed the same route. The redeeming factor being that the back 9 was an improvement on the front. Despite the greenkeeper driving circles in the bunkers the condition of the course was good (except the more soil than sand bunkers) with what seemed like hundreds of active greenkeepers running round tending to different bits and pieces.
What I paid
Flights with British Airways £92 - including clubs
Hotel golf (inc buggies) and transfers - £510
So grand total of £602 (plus beer and food tokens which I've yet to count up!)
Hotel PYR
I'll start with the hotel seeing as it was the first port of call Sunday night, The rooms, tidy and cleaned daily with fresh towels every day, are ample for the needs of the average golfing traveller, plenty of space for suitcases and golf bags, a decent size bathroom with a shower over the bath, 2 single beds, a balcony overlooking the pool - I'm told the 3 wings/sprigs contain different types of rooms (so that the married couples don't have to mix with our rabble at a guess). The bar in the hotel is a lot cheaper than those in town so it's worth having a couple in there before the evening festivities begin. Only downside for me being the standard of the breakfast available which is ok but not worth the 50% price increase from last year.
Marbella Golf Club - Monday
This was our second visit to Marbella GC, last year just after the fires had ravaged the surrounding area, and pleased to say the course was in better condition than last year. Fairways and tees were in top form and the greens running true and looking well. Hazards all clearly marked and the bunkers well manicured (the sand might have been a little thin in places - bunker facing the 18th green and clubhouse worried me a little as my 3rd sailed over the green!)
Good service in the clubhouse and a butty wagon that came round taking orders before delivering freshly made sarnies 1 hole later. The course has some great views over the bay with much of the front 9 being up in the hills before coming back down nearer to sea level for the back 9. Check out the terrapins in the pond to the left of the 13th!
La Quinta A&C - Tuesday and Friday
This is the course that hosts the European Seniors and LET so, as you can probably imagine, is in great condition. Course A is the flattest of the 3 nines, starting and finishing with par 5s the 1st is reachable in 2 and is a good birdie opportunity to get you underway, followed by a pretty, short par 4 over water, 3 par 3s on this 9 two playing a short-medium iron and the 3rd a long iron (or hybrid for those that way inclined).
Course C by contrast is the hilliest of the three, a short par 4 followed by a medium par 3 playing pretty level, then the climbs begin culminating in the "short" par 3 15th playing from a elevated tee down to just about the most undulating green I've played - It's always windy up there - before beginning the decent with a long downhill sweeping dogleg par 4. The 18th is a bit of a let down on the "pretty" stakes but with a steep climb to a 2 tiered green it's not a guaranteed 4 until the final putt drops!
The bacon-cheeseburgers I had in the clubhouse on both visits were brilliant and the service in the clubhouse excellent.
Alcaidesa Links - Wednesday
Obviously for the purists (myself included) this is a "links like course" it has the out and back design and the some fantastic views over The Mediterranean and The Rock of Gibraltar (the 5th tee is breathtaking). We all thought the course could do with some more signage and/or bells as there are a number of blind tee shots, the 7th most notably where you drive at nothing, then when you arrive at your ball it's gone a long way down a steep slope over a pedestrian walkway. Some seriously dramatic changes in elevation as you meander you way along the coastline and back - the 12th hole a 200yard par 3 that can't have been far off the same in the drop from tee to green. Again the course was in magnificent condition with hazards well marked out. This was our first trip to Alcaidesa and will not be our last hopefully we'll get to play the "heathland" course as well next time.
Los Naranjos Thursday
We were "reliably" told this is the most visited course in the area, and, well, it left us all a little disappointed, not saying it was bad course, just not up to the standard of the previous days, and I still have no idea what the greenkeeper was doing turning circles in the bunkers without a rake attached before his mate with a rake attached caem and followed the same route. The redeeming factor being that the back 9 was an improvement on the front. Despite the greenkeeper driving circles in the bunkers the condition of the course was good (except the more soil than sand bunkers) with what seemed like hundreds of active greenkeepers running round tending to different bits and pieces.
What I paid
Flights with British Airways £92 - including clubs
Hotel golf (inc buggies) and transfers - £510
So grand total of £602 (plus beer and food tokens which I've yet to count up!)
We are favouring Lisbon now in light of this and the course up that side of the Portuguese coast even the golf looks good in this area....
