Without any doubt, Finca Cortesin is one of the highest quality courses in Spain. And it is so in a perfectly balanced way: all the aspects that we can value are at the same high level, from the magnificent design of Cabell B. Robinson and the state of maintenance in which the course is always presented, to the service with which they take care of the players.
The course, one of the few in Spain where the entire playing surface is Bermuda, has needed few adaptations to host the most important event in many years, as is the Solheim Cup. A new tee has been built for what will be hole 1 in the competition and which is actually hole 4 of the regular course, which has been modified for this occasion. The tees of holes 13 and 17 have also been reformed. The rest of the tees have been leveled.
The Club is masterfully led by Francisco de Lancastre in this second stage, as he rejoined his position for his preparation for the Solheim Cup with just over a year prior to the event, after a very productive professional stint in Abu Dhabi.
The service is impeccable and the equipment works like clockwork. As soon as the player arrives at the parking lot, an operator in a buggy approaches him and picks up the clubs. We go through the store, where everything we find is of the highest quality and perfectly selected and presented.
After checking in, we can go to the cafeteria on the same floor, or directly down to the driving range where our buggy awaits us, personalized with a sign with our name and equipped with a card, water, tees and a towel per player.
The buggies are at the foot of the path along the driving range, where we have complimentary balls perfectly arranged in a pyramid.
At the far end of the driving range is the Jack Nicklaus Academy, where professionals Ricardo Jimenez and Ruben Holgado can help you improve your game and can customize clubs to fit you perfectly with the latest technology.
On the other side of the driving range, facing the 18th green and overlooking the sea, is the hotel. It is a truly luxurious facility, with 67 spacious and exclusive suites, four swimming pools, several top restaurants, SPA treatments and services that few can provide at this level.
The hotel will host the American and European teams during the Solheim Cup. It was undoubtedly one of the determining factors in choosing the venue for this very important event, along with the quality of the course itself.
The course is not usually saturated with players, which is appreciated by the lucky few who enjoy it as members. The number of members is very limited and it is a very interesting option for those looking for exclusivity and quality.
Fantastic greens, wide, moving and very fast are the characteristics of the course. The course has five sets of tees to choose from, with a length from black bars of 6,727 meters. A test of golf of great consideration.
The first round has 3 pairs 3, for a pair of 35, while the second round has 3 pairs 5, for a total of 37.
Hole 1 is a medium length par 4 with a high green with important drops that warns of what we are going to find along the course.
The 2nd is a long par 3 in which you must avoid a deflected shot to the right. After this, the 3rd is a fantastic par 5 with water to the left of the hole and can present a risk and reward option for hitters.
The 4th, which will be played as hole 1 in the Solheim Cup, is a short par 4 with water on the left. It is possible to get there in one shot for those players who go longer.
The 5th is the second par 5, with danger on the right and a fairly narrow high green, which requires precision.
The 6th, a long par 3, presents a risk on the left where we can go to the plants and complicate the par.
Hole 7 is a very long par 4, handicap 1 of the course where we must avoid the right, where we could lose the ball.
The 8th is the third par 5 of this round, full of bunkers that make it necessary to choose each shot well.
The final hole of this round is more reachable in regulation and does not require so much punching, on the other hand, it is necessary to be on the green, since the escape areas, if we do not manage to stop the ball, make it very difficult to achieve a good result.
The second round starts with a high par 3 that invites you to lean left.
The 11th, the most complicated of the second round, is a par 5 with a high tee and a winding fairway where we must avoid the right.
The 12th is a high par 3 with a very large green surrounded by bunkers.
The 13th hole, a short par 4, has one of the most beautiful views of the course as we approach a green located on the other side of an estuary. The next two holes are very different, after the shortest par 4 of the course, where a good drive can leave us close to the green and even on the green for the best hitters, the 15th hole is a long par 4 with a high dogleg tee on the other side of a ravine. The fairway is well protected by strategic bunkers and, once again, a magnificent and wide green awaits us.
The 16th is a long, slightly downhill par 4 that requires two good shots to reach the green with options.
The 17th is the shortest par 3 and prepares us for the magnificent final 18th hole, a par 5 that turns left uphill and a fantastic green to finish with birdie options.
During the return, the team of marshals come by to assist the players with the rhythm of the game and to reward them with a broth in winter and a gazpacho in summer.
After the game we can take a shower in the fantastic locker room and enjoy one of the best cafeterias that we can find in a golf club level.
This is a must for anyone coming to the Costa del Sol to enjoy golf and well worth the price they are asking.
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