Although I had been many times in Almeria, one of the Andalusian provinces with more variety in its golf courses, I did not know the Playa Serena Golf Club.
Getting there, in my case, from the Costa del Sol, is not complicated. It is not a walk, but it is not hours and hours of driving. Anyway, it is best to stay in one of the many good hotels in the area, very close to the capital and Cabo de Gata, another incentive to travel to Roquetas de Mar.
Playa Serena is located in the middle of the urbanization of Roquetas, the residential area of single-family houses nestled in front of the beach of this town in the west of Almeria.
It is a very flat course dating from 1979. Designed by Peter Allis together with Angel Gallardo, it was made a little bit in the old style: it is very wide, with a lot of space, a lot of water, looking to facilitate the game and approach what can be a links, with the influences of the sea and the wind, although the course is about 500 meters from the coast, separated from the water by a line of four and five star hotels.
Although some streets feel the influence of nearby houses, because of their width, they almost never come into play. At some point, perhaps there is that danger. A bad shot can happen to anyone. The abundance of lakes give character to this course, influencing the game as well as the landscape.
This field is located right next to a natural area, about two hundred hectares of marshes and lakes populated by migratory birds, where there are ornithological observation points. You can see flamingos, hollyhocks, etc.
The clubhouse is one of the first impressions you get when you arrive at Playa Serena. It is large and recently built, it was built in 2003 and has all the services required by a modern club. It has a magnificent restaurant, which is a reference in the area. The driving range of this club is also at the height of this great club of the Almeria coast.
The day I visited, the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was perfect. The sky could not have been bluer or the light more intense. One of those days when it seems there is nothing better than playing golf. The freshly mowed and slightly damp grass exerted an irresistible attraction.
As usual, I played the round with the club professional, Paco Parrón, which undoubtedly helps a lot, especially if it is the first time, as in my case, that you play this course, which has nine lakes that influence the game of eleven holes, and an intense vegetation of acacias, pines and palm trees.
It is important to note that this was the first course in Spain to start irrigating with recycled water. When the Playa Serena urbanization was built, three treatment plants were built to provide treated water to the course and the green areas of the area. Now there is a new, much larger treatment plant which, in addition to supplying water to the course, also supplies water to several surrounding municipalities.
Playa Serena is a course that has a great predicament among Swedish fans, who occupy the course to a large extent, especially in high season. There are also British, Spanish and German members, but it is always the Nordics who predominate here.
The first hole of the course, a par 4 of 334 meters from the yellows, does not pose excessive complications in principle. Not in vain is the 15th handicap of the course. It is necessary to be a little careful on the tee so as not to miss on the right. There is no danger on the left. The entrance to the green is a little narrow, which will be a characteristic of all the holes on the course. Also the wind.
The greens in general are of medium size, without excessive slopes, but well protected by bunkers to the right and left.
Hole 2 is a par 3 of 173 meters with no obstacles in front of it. The only difficulty may be the distance, especially if the wind is against you. If you miss the green to the left or right, you can easily make a double bogey because there are trees, sand and the usual bunkers, making the approach very complicated. It is better to stay short.
The 3, par 5 of 466 meters and handicap 11, has a very comfortable start. For the second shot it is necessary to take into account a lake on the right that usually attracts many balls. The green, very flat, again has a very narrow entrance. It is not difficult to enter from three if the second shot is placed in the fairway.
The 4th, a par 4 of 389 meters and handicap 1 of the course, is a different story. In the fall of the drive there are bunkers to the left of the fairway, where it makes a pronounced dogleg. The second shot, long, almost always with wood, leads to a very narrow and protected green.
The 5th, another par 4, 341 meters and recently remodeled, offers a straightforward exit to a very wide fairway, although the out of bounds to the left and right seem to narrow it. The difficulty may be in the second shot because there is water on the left and a bunker on the right.
The 6th, a par 4 of 359 meters, still has a wide fairway. If you miss the driver, you will find yourself in the middle of a large grove of palm trees, acacias, pines, etc., but it is not easy to get there. On the shot to the green, the only difficulty we have are the bunkers to the left and right of the green, as always. With the long flag, the entrance to the platform is much less complicated.
The 7, 513 meters and handicap 3, is the longest par 5 on the course. It has a slight dogleg to the left. The drive has no problem. But for the second shot there is a lake on the left and out of bounds on the right. Sometimes it is better to play short, before the water, although the third shot can be longer, because if it is windy and the shot is not long and straight we will be in trouble.
The 8th is a 175-meter par 3 protected by a frontal lake. Only on the right side of the green there is an entrance for those who do not manage to pass the water. The green is wide and protected by the usual two bunkers.
The 9th is a par 4 of 383 meters with a slight dogleg to the right. The drive is no problem if you do not want to risk the right to leave a shorter second shot. There is a risk of being out of bounds. Playing on the left, the next shot is very long. Two bunkers await us, one in front of the green and the other on the left.
The 10th is a relatively short par 4, 302 meters, where it is best to leave the driver in the bag and take out a 5 or 3 iron or wood. There is a lake in the middle of the fairway that must be flown over to reach the green. That is the main difficulty of this beautiful, recently renovated hole.
The 11th is a par 3 of 133 meters, with a lake that occupies the entire fairway. It is a green with many drops and slopes towards the water. A putt downhill is dangerous.
The 12th, a par 4 of 389 meters and handicap 2 of the course, is a real challenge. You have to hit a good tee shot if you want to reach the green in two. You have to fly over a frontal lake with the first shot, which, once overcome, the problems decrease, because the fairway is wide and it is difficult to leave it. For the shot to the green, with wood, four bunkers must be taken into account: one short, one to the right and two more protecting the platform. This hole has also undergone a recent remodeling.
The 13th, a par 5 of 439 meters, is theoretically quite accessible if we manage to put the drive in the fairway. The difficulty lies in the tee, with a lake on the right that must be overcome. On the left, the fairway becomes narrower. The westerly wind increases the difficulties. The second shot, which can be to the green, is much easier. It does not have many complications, except for the two bunkers on the green and an out of bounds on the left.
The next hole, the 14th, is another par 5, 423 meters. The tee driver can be used but there are out of bounds left and right on a fairway that is not very wide. A large lake crosses the fairway, complicating the second shot. If we can get over the water, the third shot can be a chip to make birdie easy. It is always nice to watch the swans swim. With a good shot, the green of two is feasible, despite a front bunker. It is a relatively easy hole, but a double bogey is also possible if we are overconfident.
The 15th, a par 4 of 318 meters, is not very complicated either. With a slight dogleg to the left, the danger lies in the exit with driver because there is a lake in that area of the fairway. Missing to the right, in spite of the trees, has more of an escape route. The entrance to the green, with a slight piano, is not complicated.
The 16th, another par 4, 343 meters, also has a slight dogleg to the left. The exit with wood or long iron, closing the ball, is the ideal recipe to save the par. The entrance to a wide green is straightforward and uncomplicated.
The 17th, a 176-meter par 3, has a high green, where the ball, if you don’t place it in flight, has a half-moon front bunker where all the balls that don’t crown will end up.
To finish the course, the last hole, 319 meters long, is also the 18th handicap. The second shot, with bunkers before the green and surrounding it, can be complicated if it is not reached clearly.
The view of the clubhouse and the idea of the 19th hole that awaits us is comforting, although here there will always be that aftertaste of having done things better and the desire to play this course again almost immediately. Sitting in the club house, recently renovated, with a beer in hand and with breathtaking views of the sea, the golf course and Sierra Nevada, the desire to return to play another 18 holes is quite mitigated. Another day. I’m sure.
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