The impressive entrance to La Reserva de Sotogrande is only a few minutes from the kilometer 130 exit of the highway to Cadiz and when you pass the security barrier, take in some of the splendid properties in the area and park your car, you are acutely aware that La Reserva is a marvel. From the parking lot, next to a courtyard containing numerous fountains, the view over the golf course, located in the valley below, is fantastic and makes you want to tackle what is presumed to be a difficult challenge as soon as possible.
La Reserva is an exclusive course located in the highest segment of the market. The clubhouse is built around a central courtyard with a fountain, antique benches and lemon trees. The building has a Moorish feel that exudes luxury on all four sides. A third of the clubhouse area is reserved for members, who have their own changing rooms, restaurant and lounges. I was particularly impressed by the rustic terracotta floors and the wrought iron lamps on the walls, a combination that creates an ambience of distinction and gives one the feeling of being in a country mansion.
It had been years since I had played this course designed by Cabell B. Robinson, an advanced disciple of Robert Trent Jones, but I immediately felt at home again. Essentially, very little has changed. However, two new, young managers are masterfully managing the course in these uncertain times.
They are Lucas de la Puente Uribe, the director, who has been in this position for a couple of years and whose training has been done in-house, and Manuel Ocaña, who has recently joined the company as a golf salesman.
With both of them, handicap 3 the first one and 7 Manuel, I had arranged to play a round of golf in one of the leading courses of the Coast and, possibly, with the most well-kept greens.
Before going out to the field, they told me about some of the innovations that are being introduced in the club to favor and facilitate the game for members and visitors.
Among other things, they have established a new type of annual fee aimed especially at those who do not reside all year round in Sotogrande. Instead of paying 3,000 euros, it will be 1,250, but offering the option of playing at Christmas, Easter and the whole month of August for free, and with a symbolic green fee the rest of the year.
It is a good formula for those who cannot enjoy La Reserva 365 days a year.
Although the ‘normal’ annual fee of 3,000 euros is not an exaggeration either, since it includes 500 euros for consumption in the clubhouse restaurant and the right to use the El Cucurucho beach club for the whole family.
On the way to the first tee, I passed the clubhouse terrace, where golfers enjoyed a morning coffee, a spectacularly maintained putting green and a driving range where balls clustered in a triangle shape wait to be hit.
The opening hole measures 329 meters and plays from an elevated tee down into a valley where a wide fairway awaits, so the tee shot is relatively easy. A hooked drive would lead to a water hazard on the left, while the opposite side is no picnic either. The green, generous in size, with a drop from back to front, is protected by bunkers on its left flank.
The 2nd is a par 4 that offers an inviting fairway with a slight dog-leg to the right. At the 150-meter marker, the fairway descends and meanders on its way to the green, on the left of which there is a lake waiting for a bad appoach. The green is well protected by bunkers, and a ball hit too hard will disappear into the trees.
The 3rd is a short par 4 (331 meters) with a dog-leg slightly to the right and is tailor-made for the average amateur. The fairway drops into a hollow before rising again to an elevated green with a clover-shaped bunker at the front. The surface of the green has two levels and there are trees flanking it on the left.
Standing on the 4th tee, a par 5, the eye is immediately drawn to a series of bunkers on either side of the ball drop zone, while the old trees in the background create a beautiful backdrop. The fairway meanders its way through mounds and hollows to the green, which is well protected by bunkers on the left and relatively untroubled on the opposite side.
The fifth is a par 4 that plays from an elevated tee into a valley where there are three generously sized bunkers on the right. A tee shot past the bunkers will send the ball across the buggy path and into the foliage. The fairway turns left before reaching a large green with a drop-off from right to left.
The target on the 6, a 177-meter par 3, must be the center of the large green because there is water on the left and bunkers on that side and at the back.
The 7, a par 5 of 468 meters, welcomes us with a generous fairway, but a hook from the tee will end up with the ball in a watery grave. About 200 meters from the tee begins a stretch of bunkers on the left and continues for about 75 meters. After that, the fairway is free of hazards until you reach the green, in front of which there is a sea of sand. The green is huge, S-shaped and at its end there are about a dozen pine trees.
The 143-meter par 3 8th plays from an elevated tee to a huge green in a ravine. Although the green, because of its size, is a huge target, especially since the hole plays much shorter than its nominal distance, the lake on the left helps to create some tension.
The tee of the final hole of the first half of the course is nicely set next to the shimmering waters of a lake. From a valley, the fairway rises sharply and at the 150-meter marker there is a huge circular bunker on the left that greedily awaits its prey while one of its ‘relatives’ lurks on the opposite side, and there is another one just 30 meters ahead. The wide green slopes from right to left and has ample escape areas at the back and sides.
The drive from the 10th tee, par 4, is quite spectacular, as the ball descends and descends to a valley protected on the left by trees and with a bunker lurking in the right corner. From there, the fairway draws a sharp dog-leg to the left and proceeds to a wide but shallow green with a water hazard stretching across the front. A ‘past’ approach to the right will likely result in a lost ball.
Although there is a good walk to the 11th tee, it is very well marked and even I did not get lost. The drive has to look for the right side of the fairway in order to avoid the water hazard on the opposite side. Big hitters must be careful off the tee, as at the 200-meter mark the landing zone between a bunker on the right and the disaster on the left is a mere 25-meter strip. Then the fairway opens up again and the designer’s stamp can be clearly seen in the number of bunkers scattered here and there. Special care should be taken to avoid the two at the entrance to the green, which is in elevation. A hazard on the right side of the green is provided by two majestic cork oaks, which create a beautiful scene.
On the way to the 12th tee, the shade provided by a grove of trees is welcome in the strong sunshine. Again played from an elevated tee into a valley, the hole is a straight par 4, where a ball driven from the right will receive considerable help from the shape of the fairway. The green is well protected by bunkers, and special care should be taken with the small one lurking at the back.
The 13th is a 386-meter par 4 that plays over a fairway that climbs sharply until it peaks about halfway to the mark. A drive that reaches the top may well drop back a considerable distance toward the player. From there, the fairway flattens out and is bordered on the right by trees, while just before the green, on the opposite side, there is an elevation with overhanging trees and branches. The green, which slopes from back to front, and the trees that frame it make a beautiful backdrop.
The par 3 14th plays from an elevated tee to a protected green with bunkers in front. Although there is a tree on the left, this hole should not present any difficulties. It is a very pretty hole, with the sparkling Mediterranean in the background.
From the 15th tee, par 5, you can only see a strip of fairway that seems to pick its way through a forest, but with its 459 meters it is sure to tempt the big hitters. For those who accept the challenge, the second shot will be the big test because the long green has a very narrow entrance, while there is a treacherous lake on the right side of the green, where many balls end up shipwrecked.
The 16th is a par 3 where club selection will be of utmost importance. The green, in the shape of a boomerang, is very flat and there are three front bunkers that complicate the shot.
The tee of the final hole at La Reserva is next to some elegant villas. The drive is down an uphill fairway that turns gently to the right. About 200 meters from the tee there are bunkers on the right that are best avoided. The large green slopes sharply from left to right and is protected by two sand traps that many players could use a couple of strokes to get the ball out of.
Enjoying lunch on the terrace next to the putting green, I reminisce about my round and images come to mind of thrilling drives from elevated tees to fairways that plunge down, sometimes in alarming drop, before climbing back up to the large, well-contoured greens. Also memorable are the greens, whose silhouettes vary from round to kidney-shaped or even heart-shaped. I am also reminded of the three peculiarly contoured bunkers filled with white sand, the designer’s personal hallmark, while the trees, shrubs and heather provide a sense of maturity that contrasts with their relative youth. I have played many of the courses designed by Cabell Robinson and I have to say that this creation is undoubtedly one of his best.
Under the direction of expert golfer Lucas de la Puente, La Reserva is a well-managed golf course that will captivate and fill the memory with exciting images thanks to its relentless challenges.
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