Designed by the legendary American architect Robert Trent Jones, Marbella Golf & Country Club opened its doors in 1989.
Trent Jones had made his first sketches and plans of the course more than twenty years earlier, in 73, although the course would take two decades to become a reality. On the Costa del Sol, the American signed his name on the most prestigious courses in the area: Valderrama, Real Club de Golf de Sotogrande, Mijas Golf, Las Brisas…
At Marbella Golf he found a clearly differentiated terrain that practically divides it in two. The six holes that run north of the highway are much steeper, one could say mountainous, with a lot of movement and trees. South of the highway, however, the movement is smoother: the holes are closer to the sea and it is in that area where most of the lakes are located, which provide this course, in addition to water for irrigation, aesthetics and an added challenge to the game.
This is a relatively short course, less than 6,000 meters, but by no means easy. The first six holes, in the most mountainous area, are really complicated, very technical, due to the terrain, the trees and the design itself. It is better to leave the driver in the bag in that part of the course and use 3 wood or a long iron. The second round is much more open and here you can use all the clubs in the bag. The views over the sea and the mountains are spectacular.
Since it was inaugurated, this course had undergone some transformations, but no reform had been as deep as the one carried out in 2009: four completely new holes were made, the current 9, 10, 11 and 12, and some tees and greens have been modified and repositioned. Craig Cooke, a man who worked with Robert Trent Jones Senior, was the architect of this spectacular remodeling, with the help and collaboration of David Steele, then director of the course, and Cabell B. Robinson, another great designer and also a student of the great American architect.
Holes 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the previous course were eliminated. The 17th green and the position of the 18th tee were changed.
Despite being very close to the town of Marbella, I had not played this course since the 90s. Something absolutely unforgivable because, as I would rediscover soon after, this is one of the most spectacular and attractive courses in the south of Spain. Quite a challenge -I think I have already mentioned it- that leaves no one indifferent.
I was fortunate to be accompanied on the round by the former director of the course, a professional who competed on the European Tour and who has been on the Costa del Sol for almost twenty years. David has been the protagonist of some historic events in Andalusian golf, such as the attempt to break a record, which he almost achieved, that of being the person who has managed to play more holes in a row in 24 hours. That bet was made, as it could not be less, in an illuminated course, La Dama de Noche, which allows an uninterrupted game.
It was in June 2003 and Steele managed to complete 774 holes in a row, finishing them, of course, and 43 rounds of 18 holes. He managed to finish holes in less than two minutes using a bogey adapted for speed.
The world record attempt was made to benefit the fight against cancer and as a tribute to Jeff Kelly, one of the editors of Andalucía Golf, who had passed away shortly before due to this tough disease.
With that feat in my memory, I walked with David Steele to the tee of the first hole of the course he has been managing for a few months.
The first hole of Marbella Golf, a 259-meter par 4 from yellow bars, is the beginning of the challenge repeatedly pointed out.
Located to the right of the driving range, with out of bound for that area, the best thing to do here is not to take any risks and tee off with an iron. The second shot will be an approach to a small green, high and very protected by bunkers. Not an easy start.
The second hole, a 445-meter par 5, is dogleg left. The second shot, quite long, has bunkers on the left and a fairway not very wide in that area. The green is still a little high, with defenses on the right, and a lot of movement.
Hole 3 is a beautiful short par 3 of 120 meters with a high tee and a small lake in front of the green, practically surrounded by bunkers.
The 4th, another short par 4 of 251 meters, is possibly the most complicated of the course. It is dangerous, with many trees on the right and left, bunkers in the center of the fairway and a green with a complicated access. If the second shot is not on the green, the problems multiply.
Hole 5, a par 4 of 315 meters, is one of the many beautiful holes of this course. The tee is high and the tee must be secured because the danger of high rough lurks to the right and left of the fairway.
The 6, par 5 of 446 meters and handicap 1, is considered the signature hole of the course. This hole is the Marbella Golf.
The fairway is crossed twice by the same river that also runs on the right and left. There is also a lake in front of the green. The driver must be left just before the first river crossing. Then, the second stroke, almost necessarily, must be directed to a kind of island that is delimited by the river, because going to the green is quite daring. The third stroke is not easy either, to a small green protected by a lake and plenty of rough at the back.
The 7th of the new course was the old 11th hole. It is a par 4 of 341 meters. The tee shot should be directed to the left, to a fairway very delimited by trees. The second shot, a little long, must be directed to a high green with a large bunker in front of it.
Hole 8, formerly the 12th, is a long par 4, 383 meters long. The tee is on a hill, and the green, completely renovated, is very low. Here you can hit a driver to the sea with half the Costa del Sol in front of you and, on a clear day, splendid views of Gibraltar and North Africa. The second shot to the green, although a little long, does not offer too many complications.
The 9th, a 150-meter par 3, is completely new, as are the next three holes on this much-transformed Marbella Golf course. The green, reached from an elevated tee, is in front of the clubhouse.
The 10th, a 330-meter par 4, has a slight dogleg left. The second shot to a very small green protected by bunkers requires a lot of precision. It is not an easy hole.
The 11th is another par 3 of 150 meters. The green has a great movement from right to left and is well protected by three bunkers.
The 12th could be considered as another signature hole of this course. It is a very long par 4, over 400 meters. The tee is located next to an old farmhouse in the middle of the course, in an elevated area. The driver must be directed to a not very large platform, and the second shot must fly over a river that crosses the fairway and a large lake to the left of the green. Possibly this will become handicap 1 or 2 of the new course.
The 13th, a par 5 of 455 meters, has a large lake on the left side of the fairway that delimits a large part of it. At the driver drop there is a bunker on the right, in an area where the fairway narrows a lot. It may be better, therefore, to use a 3-wood tee shot. For the second shot, the lake on the left of the fairway and the abundance of trees on the right must be taken into account. The third shot to the green must also be precise because there is water on the left and bunkers on the right.
The 14th, a par 4 of 338 meters, is, to compensate, an easier hole. There is an olive tree in the center of the fairway, at about 230 meters, which can complicate the exit. It also has a large lake on the right and a river that crosses the fairway. The second shot must be directed to a high green with a lot of movement, with out of bounds behind and to the left.
The 15th, a par 4 of 333 meters, is a dogleg to the right, where there is also another lake. For the second shot, watch out for the new bunkers that have been added to this fairway: three in front of the green and two on the right. The green has a large piano.
The 16th is a 156 meter par 3 with a slightly elevated tee. The green is protected by a lake at the back and bunkers in front. The sea views are breathtaking. This is another of the spectacular holes of this course.
The 17th is a par 5 of 489 meters with a new green. The driver is not complicated although a new bunker has been added to the left of the fairway, at 240 meters. The second shot is straightforward, and for the third you have to take into account the bunkers in front of the new green and the pine trees around it.
To finish the course, the 18th hole, a par 4 of 284 meters, has new tees, which have been moved to the left of the previous ones, so that now the wide fairway is doglegged. The second shot to the green, which is located a little high in front of the clubhouse, is not complicated, in spite of the bunkers.
At the end of the round at Marbella Golf & Country Club, one has the feeling of having made a great discovery. It is a very, very attractive course, not easy at all, which forces us to use all our golfing resources and to play with head. It is a short but demanding course, where all imaginable shots are practiced in all possible situations.
The 19th hole, the clubhouse, is undoubtedly one of the best that can be seen in Andalusia. Elegant, as well as functional and cozy, it has a magnificent restaurant where to finish or start an unforgettable day of golf.
Marbella Golf has inaugurated a new driving range and a practice area for short game, putting, etc., in addition to all the facilities required for a well-equipped golf school.
Additional services at this club include tennis courts, yoga and pilates rooms, etc.
One of the most visually negative aspects of this field is the structure left there from an old building from the 1970s. But there is already a solution for this too: permits have been obtained to demolish it, which will be done soon. In the meantime, an idea has been studied that could alleviate the aesthetic problem: covering the structure with large advertising tarpaulins.
Design experience
Craig Cooke, the superintendent of Marbella Golf & Country Club, who directed the course renovations, got his start in the world of golf course design and construction working in the United States with Robert Trent Jones.
It was the American designer who sent him to Spain to work in his Spanish company and in the remodeling of Valderrama more than twenty years ago.
He then worked with Tony Jacklin designing courses in Scotland, including Loch Lomond. Later he opened his own construction and design company, with which he built twelve courses in Ireland, a dozen in England and some more in the rest of Europe. The last one was in the vicinity of Rome.
He later moved to Almeria to work at Cortijo Grande, before moving to Marbella.
“My experience,” he says, “in field molding and design is very broad.”
Regarding the reforms carried out at Marbella Golf, he is very satisfied. “The result,” he says, “is going to be a better course than it was, because it was done twenty years ago, and now golf has changed a lot with the new materials. However, we have kept all the design philosophy of Robert Trent Jones. This is something we have not wanted to change. That is why we have also asked for the collaboration of Cabell B. Robinson (another of the prestigious pupils of the great American designer)”.
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