For those of us who live in the so-called Western Costa del Sol, the ‘other’ Costa, the Axarquia, beyond Malaga, seems a bit out of reach, due to distance. And this, no doubt, is a big mistake, because the communications are perfect and just in an hour, from Marbella for example, you are in one of the most attractive golf courses in the area: Baviera Golf.
It is a course with tradition, popular, with a quality-price ratio that makes it unique. Ignacio Iturbe, a very active man with concerns, manages it with mastery.
They recently inaugurated their clubhouse, a clubhouse that borders on perfection: architecture, adequate size, excellent services, etc.
In addition to impeccable changing rooms, it has a gym, sauna, Jacuzzi, subway parking, which is great for the summer, and something unusual: a nursery, which is available with a simple phone call.
The restaurant, run by a well-known Malaga catering company, is really excellent, both the menu and the service. Now, in summer, they plan to open also at night to offer dinners. In principle, on weekends and soon every day.
Baviera Golf is also, on the other hand, a hotbed of social activities. They have a golf nursery school, which is regularly attended by about seventy children, and another adapted nursery school for children with disabilities who have specific needs.
I already knew Baviera Golf, but it is a course that always surprises, that leaves no one indifferent. The day I chose to play it, at the end of May, was ideal, maybe already a little hot, but doing the course by buggy there are no problems.
I am accompanied in the round by Miguel Ángel Natoli, one of the two professionals that Baviera Golf has -the other one is his brother Francisco-. Miguel Ángel previously worked in Alhaurín Golf, in Marbella and Germany, where he spent about fifteen months.
Well stocked with water -the sun was beating down-, we headed for the 1st tee.
This is a peculiar hole. It is a very short par 4, 271 meters from the yellows, handicap 17 of the course, but it requires a precision tee shot because it has a very pronounced dogleg to the right.
The trick here is to shoot to the center of the fairway with an intermediate iron, a 7 or an 8, so as not to lose the fairway. You can take a risk with wood or even with the driver if you are able to force the slice, but the first option is best because you will be left with a second shot with a 9 or maximum 8 iron to a wide green with a piano in the middle.
Hole 2, another easy par 4, 258 meters, handicap 12, does not offer too many complications. Be careful not to go to the right, which is where the danger lies. The fairway is wide, with a bunker on the left, at the drop of the drive, but it can be overcome by any average player. The second shot will be 110 or 120 meters away. The green is a little high, protected in front by a grass bunker. Be careful if the flag is on the left because there is a bunker behind it and this can complicate the second shot or the approach shot, although the green is quite wide.
The 3rd is another short par 4, 288 meters, handicap 18. It is downhill. The only problem is on the right, where it is out of bounds. On the left there is no obstacle, there is even the possibility of leaning on the fairway of the 7th, which climbs parallel. The second shot will be very short, less than 100 meters, to a green protected by a bunker on the left.
The 4th, a par 5 of 472 meters and handicap 2, is possibly the most complicated of the first round. The secret of this hole lies in playing the ball strategically. It is necessary to place the ball on the left without trying to gain large distances. To the right is out of bounds. You can hit a driver, 3-wood or even an iron on the tee, but avoid hitting a second shot that could go into the water or out of bounds. It is not a bad option to play for bogey here. For the third shot, be careful with the bunker that protects the green and the water that follows on the left, which is not clearly visible. In this area, the fairway rises slightly and you will probably have to take a longer swing than you think, because the Levante wind is almost always against you.
Hole 5 is a par 3 of 149 meters. The tee shot is not easy -the hole is a handicap 6-, because the green is one of the most complicated of the course with many slopes: on the left there are olive trees and on the right, a grass bunker, which makes the approach difficult depending on where the flag is. In front, the green is protected by a sand bunker.
The 6th is a par 5 of 500 meters and handicap 6. A net prevents us from going to the right. On the left there are no excessive problems. There are two bunkers at the drop of the drive, but they are not easy to reach. The second shot is straight to a fairly wide fairway. The third does not offer many complications to a large green with some drops, protected in front by a grass bunker, another sand bunker and one more on the left.
On hole 7, a 280-meter uphill par 4, you have to be careful on the right because the out-of-bounds is close and it is easy to fall into it. On the left there is a small mound of stones, but it can be overcome by an average hitter. You can drive perfectly well. The second shot will not be long, but it is to a high green. To the left of this medium-sized green there are two bunkers.
The 8th is a par 3 of 140 meters and handicap 16 without many complications. The green, flat and of medium size, is protected on the front and left by bunkers.
The last hole of the first round, the 9th, a par 4 of 320 meters and handicap 4, offers more difficulties. It is also uphill, with out of bounds very close on the right. On the left there is lateral water, and the slope of the fairway goes in that direction, so that a slightly closed shot can end up in the water. As it is a long uphill hole, it is advisable to tee off with a driver or 3-wood. The green is relatively small and very well protected by bunkers, as always.
The second round of Baviera Golf has slightly shorter holes, in general, than the first, but, yes, the fairways are narrower and the greens are smaller. The start of this round is impressive. The 10th is a par 3 of 158 meters and handicap 11 with a large lake in front. It is the beginning of the Amen Corner of this course (10, 11 and 12).
The shot to the green must be precise because ahead there is a very deep bunker, five or six meters, or very high grass. On the right there is an out of bounds and at the back, another large bunker. It is necessary to lean on the left.
The 11th is a par 4 of 283 meters handicap 8. The fairway is quite narrow. The salvation here is to go to the right where the fairway makes a bend that is not visible from the tee, because that area is hidden by a small hill.
It is best to tee off with iron or fairway wood because at the drop of the drive there is a bunker on the left and on the right there is lateral water all along the fairway. The second shot should be precise, 7 or 8 iron, hopefully to a small green surrounded by bunkers.
The 12th, a par 5 of 519 meters, is the most complicated of the course. Not in vain is it handicap 1. From the tee to the green there is lateral water on the right. In the center of the fairway there is a mountain ledge that also conditions the way this hole is played. This hill is right at the drop of the drive and leaves in that area a fairway with a width of no more than 30 or 40 meters. It is better, therefore, to stay a little shorter, where the fairway is wider, although slightly inclined to the water. In the second shot you should not be too ambitious either, because danger lurks everywhere. The third shot will be a bit longer, but with less difficulty, to a flat green surrounded by a couple of bunkers.
The 13th is an easier hole, to compensate. Par 4 of 309 meters, handicap 9, uphill, it allows us to drive because the fairway is quite wide and we can also lean on the fairway of the next hole that goes down. The only problem is that if you don’t hit a good tee shot the next hole can be blind to the green, which is surrounded by two dangerous bunkers.
The 14th, a par 4 of 265 meters and handicap 7, downhill, has water in front of the green. It is better not to drive because you can reach the lake. The second shot is short but with the difficulty of the lake and a large bunker behind the green, sloping towards the water, making it difficult to stop the ball from there.
The 15th, a 146-meter par 3, handicap 14, is arguably the most beautiful on the course.
It overlooks Torre del Mar, the Mediterranean, the mountains of the Sierra de Almijara…. The tee is high and there is a large lake in front of a very large green with two bunkers on the sides.
The 16th is a par 4 of 268 meters quite narrow. It is preferable not to use the driver because there is a strategically placed bunker on the way down. The second shot, uphill, will not be complicated with an intermediate iron. To the right of this fairway there is water and to the left, a mountain.
The 17th, a par 4 of 372 meters and handicap 3, is another of Baviera Golf’s emblematic holes. The tee shot forces us to fly over a lake that is impressive but feasible. At the driver drop, the fairway makes a slight dogleg to the left, but there is a large platform where to leave the ball. The hitters can try to pass this dogleg and hit a second shot downhill quite short.
Around the green, small and without big drops, there are bunkers that almost surround it. It is not easy, however, to make two on this hole.
The last hole of the course, a par 4 of 288 meters, also has a slight dogleg to the left. The driver can be used leaning on the right because there are out of bounds and bunkers on the left. The green is large, with three pianos, which makes it difficult to choose the club for the second shot.
Baviera Golf was in perfect condition when I played it. It is a fun course that presents more difficulties than you might think at first glance. Because it is not too long, it is a good test for the short game. The greens are by no means easy and if they are fast you have to be careful. They are usually in very good condition.
The good thing about this field is that you always leave with the feeling of being able to play it better, correcting the mistakes of the last game in a future visit, to which you are undoubtedly obliged.
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