The Real Club de Golf Las Brisas is the living history of golf in Marbella. Founded in 1968 by José Banús under the name “Club de Golf Nueva Andalucía”, the course was designed by the legendary American architect Robert Trent Jones.
The American had already made Sotogrande and shortly after would also design Valderrama, the elite of the elite.
Those who have some age and a good memory or those interested in the history of this sport will remember the great milestones of this course, such as the 1973 World Cup in which Johnny Miller paired with the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, to win the final victory.
It seems like only yesterday that Miller was shooting 65 in the second round and it’s almost forty years later.
Already in the 80’s -and I was able to witness this- the course continued to host major tournaments; for example, the Spanish Open in 1983 and 1987. The latter was won by Nick Faldo in a close battle with Seve Ballesteros. In 1989 the World Cup was played again in Las Brisas, and it was the deluge. So much water fell that in the end only 36 holes were played. It was the Australians Wayne Grady and Peter Fowler who managed to win under that blanket that fell from the sky. José María Cañizares and Chema Olazábal were runners-up.
Two years later, in ’91, Las Brisas hosted what would be at the time the best-endowed one-day tournament: $450,000, played in a skins game by Curtis Strange, Mark Calcavecchia, Bernhard Langer and John Bland. In order to appreciate that figure, it was three times more than what Ian Baker Finch earned when he managed to win the British Open the following week.
There is no doubt that this course is one of Trent Jones’ best creations. It is an example of how he did things.
José Banús let him choose the best area of the estate and he did it. He built the field in the most spectacular and beautiful valley of the surroundings. The houses would occupy the rest.
The course is dotted with water hazards: there are ten artificial lakes fed by two streams, which come into play on no less than twelve holes. The greens, mostly elevated, are well protected by bunkers. Trent Jones was also original at the time, using Bermuda on the fairways and Pencross Bent on the greens.
Now, with the new material, it is arguably not a long course, but a complicated and attractive one that requires precision golf.
“Las Brisas,” American Paul Azinger once said, “doesn’t have a bad hole. In fact, it is one of the best courses I have ever played”.
To the splendid design of the course should be added another stroke of genius that I do not know if it would be possible in these times, because of the obligation, I think, to use native flora. José Banús entrusted the landscaping and the trees of the course to the Englishman Gerald Huggan, who had just returned from Kenya where he had designed the gardens of Nairobi. He made a true botanical sanctuary with trees from all continents, Africa, Asia, Australia, America, Europe… Unique species that nowhere else in southern Europe can be enjoyed.
In the ten years following its founding, Las Brisas was an open field and became one of the major tourist attractions in the area. In 1981 it became a club of members, currently 1,225, of more than thirty nationalities.
At the moment, the camp admits a limited number of visitors per day, twelve, that is, three outings. Although this may change next year. It does not have a cheap green fee, but it is certainly worth it.
It had been years since I had played in Las Brisas, but my memory immediately began to work and to remember every corner I stepped on again.
I had made an appointment with Ian Martin, a Briton who has been running the course masterfully for three years, and with the professional and sports director Ricardo de Miguel, who was the one I finally went out to play with.
Ricardo came to the club through his father, Sebastián, El Duque, one of the greatest Spanish players of all times, winner, among other tournaments, of several Spanish Opens. To his credit – and not for that reason he was called El Duque – it was he who taught King Juan Carlos to play when he was a prince.
For Ricardo this is a course with many charms and possibilities: it can be complicated or relatively easy, depending on the preparation or flag positions he wants to give it. “We must not forget that it is a design from some years ago, and then the distances were not the essential thing,” he says.
In any case, the fact that the Open de España was won here on one occasion with the par of the course, with the greens being extremely hard and fast and with a Valderrama-type rough, gives an idea of the difficulties that can be posed.
“The essential thing about Las Brisas is its design, its vegetation,” says Ricardo, “and on this subject there is a curious story at least: A few years ago and for several years we were looking for Mr. Huggan to consult him about some reforms in the landscaping and see what types of trees could be replaced, and not finding him we thought he had to die. But it had not been like that and one day we found him unexpectedly in the village of Benahavís, where he had been living for some time. The problem is that he was wanted in Great Britain. He is very old now, but he is perfectly preserved”.
We could have continued chatting and chatting, “volando lengua”, as they say in Nicaragua, but we were running late to play, so we headed to the 1st tee.
The first hole, a par 4 of 355 meters from the yellows, which will be the reference we will use from now on, is not very intimidating, although the water already comes into play in the form of a small lake in front of the green. It is a hole that has been shortened by about ten meters to place the tent, but this has not implied a great variation. The drive can leave you a second shot at about 120 meters. If you hit it longer, everything becomes more complicated because the terrain is downhill. The green is well defended by bunkers and falls slightly from right to left.
The second hole, another par 4, 367 meters, is more complicated than the previous one. There are out of bounds and water on the right side, more or less at the drop of a normal drive. If we rely on the two bunkers on the left, the second shot will be less complicated, although quite long and uphill. The green, as always, is well protected by bunkers.
The 3rd is the first par 5 of the course, measures 435 meters and is really short. In fact, it is a par 5 by only one meter. It is possible to reach it in two. The only problem is that the green receives downhill, so it is easy for the ball to come off the shelf when you bounce on it after a fairway wood or long iron shot. It may be better to play a short iron and be more accurate with the third shot.
The 4th, a 179-meter par 3, has a large front bunker that defends an elevated green. It is always better to enter from the right side, although there are bunkers there as well. The problem here arises when the flag is short and to the left.
Hole 5 is the second par 5 of the course (512 meters). Apart from the distance, it does not present great difficulties. There are out of bounds on the right, so you have to lean slightly to the left. The second shot is straight, and the third, if we have not missed before, will be a 9 iron or wedge shot. The green receives downhill, so the long flag and to the left is the biggest complication.
Hole 6, a par 4 of 311 meters, has at least two ways to be played. Nicklaus commented that the most beautiful was to play it on the left because with the second shot you face the green with a water hazard in front of you. If you play it on the right there is the possibility of ending up falling into the lake, and also the green is not appreciated in the same way. The tee shot is fundamental. If you hit it too long, you end up in the water. The green is quite complicated, very protected by bunkers on the right (the water is on the left) and with a drop from right to left.
The 7th is a par 3 of 153 meters. The green was modified because, although it was very large, it had two very complicated platforms that made flag positions difficult. Now flatter, it is a more accessible hole.
The 8th is a par 5 of 446 meters, the third of the first half of the course, with traps all around the corners. The tee-off, however, is not very difficult. It is necessary to lean on the left because on the right the fairway is completely bordered by a long river-lake that reaches the front of the green. For the second shot there are two options: to the right, towards the practice area, which leaves a much more noble third shot to a green protected by bunkers on the right and left, or to play it to the left, which leaves a third shot of about 120 meters, but there are trees on the left side of the line of shot, and if the flag is on that side it is complicated. In addition, the green is protected from that area by water in front and bunkers on both sides.
The 9th is a 296-meter par 4 without much history. It is a short break and should be easily solved with 3 wood and a short iron. However, the green has a difficult reading. It falls from left to right and some flags are tricky. If the green is missed left, the recovery shot is one of the most problematic on the course.
The second round begins with hole 10, a 338-meter par 4 that doglegs to the left. On the right there is a spacious driving range. The drive has to be supported on the right to ensure an approach without tree obstacles. The green, as always very well protected, has two light platforms.
Hole 11, a par 3 of 172 meters, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful holes on the course. From the middle of the fairway to the back of the green there is a large lake on the left side. To the right of the green there is a large bunker, and two others, in addition to the water, on the left. The shot requires great precision.
The 12th is the only par 5 of the second round. With 444 meters, it doglegs to the left, and it is also very, very beautiful. All the left side of the fairway and up to the front of the green there is a large lake, which is the one that gives water to the course. The drive must be supported by two bunkers on the right. On the second stroke it is better not to attempt the green no matter how much distance is reached, because it is very protected by water, both in front and by a stream that runs along the side. It is preferable to place the ball for a third stroke of about 80 meters or so.
The 13th, a par 4 of 333 meters, is the first of the three that lead through olive groves. With today’s bunker shots, the bunkers on the right side of this relatively narrow fairway, which doglegs to the left, come into play. The shot to the green must be very precise because of the large bunkers that surround it.
The 14th, a par 4 of 351 meters, is the second hole of the olive grove, with a slight dogleg, very slight, to the right. It is necessary to lean on the left because the out-of-bounds awaits us on the opposite side. The difficulty of this hole, in addition to the trees, lies in the short flag because there is a very well placed bunker on the front that makes access difficult.
The 15th, a 367-meter par 4, has been modified lately because there was a large bunker on the left and a huge cypress tree, which caused many problems with balls going out of bounds to the right and running away from the trap. Now all the olive trees on the left side of the fairway have been moved to the right, to make the dogleg bigger. This also brings into play the large lake that runs along the 12th hole, but prevents the shot from instinctively going to the right side of the fairway, where there are houses. The second shot requires great skill, as it is going to be rather long to a very protected green. Not for nothing is it the first handicap of the course.
Hole 16 is another par 3, 175 meters, frankly beautiful, with a lake in the front area. Here there is a provisional tee made by a former president who could not get the water through. It is called Antonio de Fortuny tee and it is about 155 meters away. The green is also modified. It is now flatter, so there are many more flag positions, although it still has some drops that can produce some very difficult putts.
The 17th is a short par 4, 283 meters long, which in principle could be considered a relaxing hole, but be careful! If not, ask Jose María Cañizares who, in a World Cup, because he wanted to leave the ball so close to the green, was eaten by a bunker and left it practically unplayable, which had a decisive effect on the final result. It is necessary to lean on the left. On the right, to protect the 18th tee, they have put some new trees, and if you play to the center of the fairway it is very likely that the ball will roll towards them and complicate the second shot. From the left, the shot to the green is more straightforward, although it is defended by two bunkers and a creek in front.
To finish the round, the 18th, a par 4 of 349 meters, is a spectacular hole. It is defended by a large lake on the left and is out of bounds on the right. In short, the usual: be careful where you leave the ball. The second shot is uphill to a very protected green surrounded by magnificent natural ‘stands’, like the 17th at Valderrama, which are extremely useful and pleasant for the end of a tournament.
Ending up satisfied with your game is not easy on this course, because any player, no matter what level, is pushed to the limit in this gem by Robert Trent Jones.
The course is, as always, spectacularly well maintained and now has a new greenkeeper, Jeff Robinson.
Whoever does not know Las Brisas should not wait any longer, because this course is another world.
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