Designed by Javier Arana, and opened in 1959, the south course at Guadalmina is the second oldest golf course on the coast, yet it had been donkey’s years since I last paid it a visit. Recently I decided it was about time that omission was rectified and off I drove one morning down the N340, or whatever it is called nowadays. Just outside San Pedro I was lucky to spot the tiny sign on the roadside indicating the turn-off to the golf club and as I pulled into the car park it was packed to capacity. The number of golfers busily organizing themselves before teeing off made me question the accuracy of all the recent stories tolling the death-knell of the local golf holiday industry. Spanish, Scandinavian, Irish, British… the babble of different languages spoken would have done a meeting of the United Nations proud.
The caddie master is located in a small and somewhat old-fashioned office yet, despite the number of golfers milling around, I was quickly and efficiently given the keys for a buggy (any of the green ones) and a card of the course. From there it is a fair journey to the first tee of the south course but it is well signposted and even I found it without any difficulty.
The opening hole is a par-4 measuring 357 meters (all measurements from yellow tees) and is played from a slightly elevated tee standing in the shade of some age-old trees. The ultra generous fairway gradually moves to the right and there are two large bunkers on the left about 200 meters distant. The large green, which is shaped like an electric light bulb, has bunkers with sparkling white sand guarding either side of the front.
The par-3 second measures 158 meters and has out-of-bounds posts tight up against the left-hand side from tee to green. The long green has a plateau at the back but slopes down sharply at the front and the already mentioned white posts are a mere 10 meters from the edge of the putting surface.
The 305-metre par-4 third offers acres of inviting fairway provided care is taken to avoid the big half-moon shaped bunker at the 150-metre marker on the right and a bank of trees on the opposite side. From there the fairway turns to the left and runs slightly uphill, past a gnarled old olive tree standing forlornly in the right-half, and onto the green which is protected on the left-front by a good-sized bunker. The somewhat circular putting surface slopes gradually from back to front until the final third when it drops sharply back towards the fairway.
The par-4 fourth (394 meters) is played from an elevated tee onto a fairway which plunges into a valley from where it moves gradually to the left before swinging back in the opposite direction. There are numerous hillocks and trees on the right while the opposite side offers little but the danger of a boundary fence. Just before the green there is a stand of 19 trees on the right edge of the fairway while an S-shaped bunker, which is 13 meters deep, guards the front of the undulating green. With the numerous opportunities for disaster on this hole I was not surprised to see it gained the index 1 rating.
On my way to the fifth hole I travelled underneath the motorway and along a river, with water flowing gently over a fall, and found myself on the tee of a par-4 measuring 357 meters. Although bunkered on either side at the 150-metre mark, the fairway is yet another wide one although a line of trees on the right, which have already shed their leaves, eventually gives way to a row of olive trees. A big yawning bunker guards the right-side of the green while the opposite side has some high humps and deep hollows and there are out-of-bounds posts at the fencing at the back.
The sixth is the first par-5 and, at 508 meters, is, by far, the longest hole on the golf course. A small chiringuito, perhaps offering food and drink for the journey, is thoughtfully placed beside the tee. Although there is ample fairway to be aimed at, a sliced drive will sail out over the boundary fence which runs tight up the right-hand side. The fairway seems to go on and on and while there is a big and dangerous bunker on the left, being in it is preferable to the opposite side which is a continuous hazard. The green is long but narrow and allows no margin for error on the right as it topples down into the hazard. A clump of trees at the back could make a pitch very difficult while a good degree of skill will be required to get up-and-down from either of the two bunkers or the large hills and hollows on the left. Although the early part of this hole is pretty straight forward (as long as you avoid a slice) the approach to the green will decide whether the number written on the card will be the makings of a good score or a horror show. It is a terrific hole which will test both the nerve and accuracy of even low handicap golfers.
Another par-5 follows but this time it is a mere 433 meters! The drive is through an avenue of trees onto a fairway, somewhat narrower then its predecessors, but long hitters must be careful to avoid a big bunker on the right 230 meters distant. About 80 meters from the green there is a banana-shaped bunker in the right-half of the fairway while yet another sea of sand lurks behind that. The undulating green, which has a flat portion at the front, then falls down into a valley before rising up again at the back, has more sand both right and left while over the back will topple down into a run-off area.
Overhanging branches from trees on the right make the first part of the drive on the par-4 eighth appear narrow but the fairway then opens out apart from the danger which lurks on the left where a vast expanse of sand gives the impression of being endless. The green slopes sharply from right to left and is well protected by bunkers.
The par-3 ninth measures 168 meters and is played uphill to an elevated green which is severely bunkered on the left; there is a big hollow on the right and trees at the back. Missing the target either left or over the back could well prove fatal to the card and the hole well merits it rating of index 9.
The 10th is a par-4 measuring 353 meters and a hook is not the drive to produce as it will sail out over the boundary fence, which is tight up the left-hand side. There is a pleasant sufficiency of fairway to aim at but the concentration may well be broken by the delightful sight of the Mediterranean shimmering in the background. About 170 meters from the tee the fairway drops down into a valley and then meanders its way, over a narrow roadway, on towards the green. The putting surface is adorned with a necklace of bunkers but, by this stage in the round, you should be getting used to the quantities of sand used by the designer.
The par-3 11th is a delightful hole and a real reminder of the beauty of the area. The tee is located beside the beach and just yards from the lapping of the sea – the feeling of peace and quiet is truly soporific but attention will be required to escape from this hole with a reasonable score. Standing on the tee the eye is somehow transfixed by the enormous quantities of sand twixt player and the green; it seems as if the beach has just spread across the golf course. The green slopes from left to right; on the back-right it rolls off into yet more sand while a ball bounding over the green will probably finish out-of-bounds. Unless the tee shot finishes on the putting surface the possibility of walking off with a par is bordering on the remote.
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 short par-4 12th measures just 273 meters and the tee shot is played while standing practically up against the back wall of someone’s house. A river trickles along on the left and about 60 meters short of the green there is a scattering of trees on the right. The fairway then rises up to a green which slopes from the back down onto a plateau, after which it dives downwards again. Despite being on the short side, the approach shot makes this hole a tricky one.
Another short par-4 follows and the first thing that catches the eye on the tee is a lake, complete with paddling ducks, down in the left-half of the fairway only about 160 meters distant. Safety suggests an iron off the tee, short of the water, as anything more will need to be extremely accurate as the hazard eats into the fairway, making the landing area on the right extremely narrow. The rocky waterfall feeding the lake makes a very attractive feature.
Nine timber steps lead up to the tee of the 14th which is a par-3 measuring 153 meters and is played through an avenue of trees onto a good-sized green which has a bunker set in the center-front. While there are further bunkers on both sides of the green the target area is very generous bearing in mind the length of the hole.
The fairway of the 312-metre par-4 15th is heavily mounded on the right while a hazard runs up the opposite side. One hundred meters from the green there are two hills on the right, with bunkers built into them, while yet more sand awaits at the front of the green. Further difficulty lurks on the left of the putting surface as it dips down into the waters of a flowing river but there is ample room on the opposite side.
There are acres of fairway awaiting the drive on the par-5 16th. From the 100-metre marker the fairway slopes severely from right to left as it starts to climb uphill and the slope could well gather the ball into bunkers on the left. Needless to say the elevated green is well bunkered.
Despite the hazard on the left there is again ample fairway on the penultimate hole yet anything sliced could well dive in amongst old, old trees where the exceptionally wide trunks offer less than exciting lies. The final 50 meters of the fairway runs sharply uphill onto a long but narrow green located beside a big block of apartments.
The final hole is a par-4 measuring 338 meters and is played from a platform tee onto a fairway which is well banked on the left and there are trees on the opposite side. At the 100-metre marker the fairway turns left and approaches the green past clumps of trees and bushes on the left. The heart-shaped green slopes from back to front and there are some eye-catching old trees gazing down over all.
The supervised locker-room, complete with sauna, is ultra smart and spotless and there were plenty of towels and soap for a hot shower. These facilities are as good as I have seen at any course on the coast. Having completed the ablutions I wondered why Guadalmina Sur had been absent from my itinerary for so long. It is an old established, delightful golf course and, although I found little special about the opening holes, from the sixth tee onwards the course gets into its stride and I was in heaven. Following total refurbishment in 2002, it is very well maintained and its neat and tidy appearance is no doubt helped by the numerous waste bins, in the shape of golf bags, placed hither and yon throughout the course. The bright and airy restaurant was a hive of activity as golfers selected from a very enticing menu del día which was priced at a meagre 12.50 euros. A new (certainly to me) conservatory-style addition to the restaurant looked immaculate and the cutlery on the tables seemed to glisten in the reflection from the glass overhead.
The overall impression is of a well-staffed golf club which is excellently managed by the golf director Ignacio del Cuvillo and, with something in the order of 3,000 members, Guadalmina is obviously one of the most successful golf clubs on the coast. With that number of members it must be the fervent prayer of Ignacio that they all do not turn up to play on the same day!
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