Spain's Costa del Sol has been nicknamed the Costa del Golf for good reason -- this mere 100-mile stretch of Mediterranean coastline contains over 40 golf courses. With varying degrees of difficulty, all are of a consistently good quality and can be played year round.
If you spend a week's vacation here, you'll be wishing you had longer to experience more of the courses that call out to be played. Anything less than a week, and you will be kicking yourself for not planning more time.
It's at the western reaches of the Costa del Sol -- just a few miles from the famous Rock of Gibraltar -- where three of Spain's most testing layouts are to be found. Commonly referred to as Spain's Golden Triangle of Golf, the big three are Valderrama, Sotogrande and the remarkable Tony Jacklin/Dave Thomas design at San Roque.
San Roque is an elegant enclave of golf offering not only two top-ranked courses, but also an excellent five-star hotel with all the accouterments of a luxurious resort.
There is an equestrian center, a private beach club, a Seve Ballesteros golf academy, a swimming pool, a selection of excellent restaurants and two 18-hole championship layouts -- more than anything else, San Roque is a golf resort.
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But don't go to San Roque expecting to find easygoing resort golf: This is serious golf at its most testing.
The Old Course opened to accolades in 1990, and in the following years has matured into the very unique and tough challenge that it is today.
At 6, 494 meters (approx. 7,140 yards) from the back tees, it not only has length, but also demands strategy. Those who think they can just muscle their way around San Roque, will quickly learn differently. This is a course that refuses to be bullied and goes out of its way to obtain retribution from any who may be foolish enough to make the attempt.
The Old Course plays very long off the back tees, especially on the front nine. The examination is compounded by tight fairways, and I suggest anyone playing to a higher handicap should play from the forward tees. No need to feel self-conscious; it just makes the layout a little more human and takes away much of the difficulty and demoralization those "tough guys" playing from the back are likely to encounter.
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| Tony Jacklin and Dave Thomas designed the rigorous San Roque Old Course. (Provided to GolfWeb) |
But the beauty of this layout is that it literally requires a mastery of every club in the bag, providing a serious test of every part of your game.
Big hitting off the tee is definitely a benefit, but only if accompanied by accuracy and thoughtful course management. You must have a genuine feeling for approach shots to the greens with their mixture of undulations -- sometimes subtle, sometimes not. And putting must be spot on -- faster and more perfectly maintained greens are seldom found.
San Roque Old Course is definitely one of the gems of the Costa del Sol, though not a place for the feint of heart. This is a stern test for the accomplished golfer.
For those who may not be ready to subject themselves to the rigors of the Old Course, a second and more forgiving layout has recently been added to San Roque's inventory.
The New Course, a thoughtful design from Perry Dye, has been specifically created to complement The Old -- and with five different tee options, it succeeds in catering to both low and high handicappers.
The fairways are wider than on The Old Course, and water only comes into play on four holes. Strategy, however, still plays a key role in achieving a good score, and there are more than 100 bunkers peppered around the course -- ready to penalize the overly ambitious.
San Roque certainly holds the position of being one of the premier golf resorts in Spain. With two other highly ranked layouts, Valderrama and Sotogrande, located less than 15 minutes away, the serious golfer will make San Roque No.1.
For a few suggestions on how to include San Roque and its neighbors in your Spanish golf trip, click here.
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