Designed by Javier Arana and inaugurated in 1959, the Guadalmina South course is the pioneer golf course in Marbella and the second oldest on the Costa del Sol. It had been many, many years since I last visited it. Recently I decided it was time to do so and headed down the national 340 towards my destination. Just past San Pedro Alcántara, in the municipality of Marbella, I was lucky enough to see the small sign indicating the turnoff for the golf club. And so I arrived at the club’s parking lot, which was packed. The large number of golfers I encountered before starting to play made me question the recent stories about the crisis in the golf tourism sector in the area. Spanish, Scandinavian, Irish, British… the sound of the different languages could well emulate a United Nations summit.
The caddiemaster is located in a small and somewhat old-fashioned office, but nevertheless, despite the number of golfers there, I was served quickly and efficiently and provided with the keys to a buggy and a course card. From there it is quite a drive to the first tee of the South course although it is well signposted, so even I was able to find it without any difficulty.
Among the most outstanding holes, in my opinion, of Guadalmina Sur are the 6th, 7th, 11th and 13th.
The 6th is the first par 5, measures 508 meters from the yellows and is the longest hole on the course. There is a small chiringuito, with food and drink for the road, carefully situated next to the tee. Although there is a wide fairway ahead, a slice drive will fly over the fence that runs along the right side. The fairway seems to go on and on and, although there is a large and dangerous bunker on the left, it is preferable to end up in it rather than on the opposite side, where there is a constant risk. The green is long but narrow and allows no margin for error on the right, as the ball would end up falling into an obstacle. A clump of trees at the back could make the approach very difficult, while it will be necessary to be very precise to get out of either of the two bunkers on the left. Although the first part of this hole is very straight, the approach to the green will decide whether the number we write on the card will be a good or a horrible score. It is a magnificent hole that will test the nerves and accuracy of even low handicap golfers.
The 7th is another par 5, although somewhat shorter than the previous one: it measures 433 meters. The drive is through an avenue of trees to a fairway a little narrower than its predecessors. Big hitters must be careful to avoid a large bunker on the right at about 230 meters. About 80 yards from the green is a banana-shaped bunker on the right half of the fairway, while another sea of sand lurks behind. The undulating green, which has a flat part at the front and then drops off before rising again at the back, has more sand, both right and left.
The 11th is a fantastic par 3 and a true reminder of the beauty of the area. The tee is located next to the beach and only a few meters from the sea. The feeling of peace and tranquility is total, but you have to pay close attention to get through this hole with a reasonable score. From the tee, the view is directed towards the enormous amount of sand between the player and the green. It looks as if the beach extends over the golf course. The green falls from left to right, the back right features even more sand, while a ball that goes over the green is likely to end up out of bounds. Unless the tee shot ends up on the putting surface, the chance of making par is remote.
The 13th is a short par 4 in which from the tee the first thing that catches the eye is a lake, with ducks, in the left half of the fairway about 160 meters away. Safety advises us to use an iron from the tee to stay short of the water, since with more distance you have to be very precise because the obstacle eats part of the fairway, which makes the landing area on the right side very limited. The rocky waterfall that feeds the lake becomes a beautiful sight.
The changing rooms, with sauna, are very elegant, spotless and very well stocked with towels and soap to enjoy a hot shower. These facilities are among the best I have seen at golf clubs on the Costa del Sol. After I had completed my grooming, I wondered why Guadalmina South had been absent from my itinerary for so long. It is a lovely course and, although I found it to be nothing special on the first few holes, from the sixth tee onwards the course comes alive and you end up feeling like you are in heaven itself. The course underwent a total renovation in 2002, and its very well maintained and neat and tidy appearance is undoubtedly helped by the numerous garbage cans, shaped like golf bags, which are placed profusely all over the course. The brightly lit restaurant was a hive of activity filled with players selecting their dishes from a tempting menu of the day priced at only 12.50 euros.
The overall impression I took away from my visit was of an efficiently staffed golf club that is very well managed by the director of golf, Ignacio del Cuvillo, and that, with around 3,000 members, Guadalmina is evidently one of the most successful clubs on the Costa del Sol. With that many members, Ignacio must be praying often that they don’t all turn up to play on the same day.
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