We toured the town of Seville on our way to the Costa Del Sol where we would play a number of outstanding venues including Finca Cortesin, San Roque Country Club, Sotogrande  and Valderrama.   All of these golf courses presented great playable venues with a number of interesting holes.  Predominant features for these courses are they are playable but harder than a typical resort course and very relevant for tournament play.  The proximity to the sea in the Costa Dol Sol region adds the variable element of wind to course conditions causing the player to think strategically about positioning shots to greens that I found primarily elevated.  Elevated greens plus wind adds another dimension of skill required for the average to good player.

Valderrama

We were all left with the idea that we needed and wanted to play here again.  The course is the hardest of this collection of courses and hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup won by the Seve Ballesteros led Europe squad.  Valderrama in many respects reminds me of Spyglass Hill from the standpoint that the course is a grind and demands attention for every stroke played.  Valderrama’s primarily characteristics are narrow fairways shaped and sculpted by the native old cork oak trees with fast bent grass greens.  The greens are faster than the other courses played on the rota, but still shy of the green speed at Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course.

The course was a pleasure to play but very difficult.  The par 5, 4th hole is the gem of the course as the hole lulls you into comfort until you face the uphill approach shot to the green for your 3rd shot.  The green is an elevated two tier complex that requires a precision shot to the upper level of this green for a birdie/par opportunity.  The hole is highly differentiated by a waterfall on the right that is more than decoration that you might find if you play a bunch of Trump courses around the United States.  The waterfall shoots down and creates a pond that straddles the green–I’ll call it a “water bunker” since it is just to the right of the green complex.  This “pond” or “water bunker” can come into play from a third shot approach and will be in play.   Imagine putting from the left side of the green into the “pond” on the right.  The professional or low handicapper might try to go for the green but the shot is a demanding one and many professionals have found a watery grave making a big number.

The 4th from the waterfall

Another wonderful hole is the par 5, 17th hole that seems to welcome you as you head for the clubhouse with a generous fairway.  The fun starts for your 3rd shot to the green that has to cross a pond, which was added under the direction of Seve Ballesteros, and be accurate so as to avoid the pond short or the shaved mounds in the rear of the green that would create a Pinehurst like chip shot coming back to the hole.  The 3rd shot to the pond should be a short iron or a wedge but the pond and wind make club selection critical since flying the green will result in that difficult chip shot.

17th from behind the green

Ballesteros strategically tinkered with the course for the 1997 Ryder Cup by placing rough and bunkers where the long hitting US squad would be landing.  The Europeans skunked the Americans including Tiger Woods in the team four-ball matches and then hung on in the final day singles to eke out the victory with Woods held to 1 1/2 points out of a possible 5 losing his singles match as well.  Valderrama demands accuracy with the driver as many of the fairways are carved out of the oak cork trees.  It’s a must venue for a return trip.