Since I was here last, years ago, things have changed a lot, and for the better. A second 18-hole course was built and communications with the rest of the Costa del Sol have improved considerably. Now this course located in the Sotogrande area is much closer to the epicenter of the Costa del Sol, as it takes just over 20 minutes by car to Marbella.
The golf club currently has 540 members, 80 percent of whom are not Spanish and the vast majority come from European countries.
Arriving at the tree-lined entrance, I was immediately struck by how clean and tidy the area was. Once at the club store, my reservation was handled quickly and my questions were answered with great kindness.
The price/quality ratio at San Roque Old Course is excellent considering that this is one of the best courses in Spain. Visiting players can enjoy this magnificent course, with a daily tee time between 12.00 and 14.24 hours, with green fees between 120 and 160 euros, in low and high season, respectively. June and September are fantastic months to benefit from low season rates while enjoying the splendid weather.
Around this field there are luxurious villas on large plots of land, so they do not come into play at all or get in the way.
The resort’s second golf course opened in 2004. Designed by Perry Dye and Severiano Ballesteros, the New Course is characterized by its high technical quality, its precise layout and its impeccable finish and landscaping. It is, without any doubt, a golf course far above what is usually done in Spain, and even in Europe.
The company that owns the complex, Asahi Kanko, owned by Japanese businessman Shun Tezuka, has always maintained high standards and has taken great care in all its projects and, above all, in the natural environment of its courses. The New Course does not have any housing in its immediate surroundings, so that no building impairs or interferes with play.
It so happens that the two courses of San Roque Club obtain a score of 85 out of 100 in the prestigious guide “Rolex World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses”. Very few golf resorts achieve such a high score including all their courses.
The San Roque Old is already 20 years old and has a rich sporting curriculum: it hosted the finals of the European Tour Qualifying School from 1993 to 2007, as well as the Spanish Open in 2005. The New Course also hosted the Spanish Open in 2006 and the European Tour School from 2004 to 2007.
Before playing the San Roque Old I had a small lunch on the terrace of the bar/restaurant overlooking the putting green and the golf course. I ate a club sandwich and ordered a bottle of water and a coffee, all for a reasonable price. The shiny buggy contained two bottles of water, the course card and a pencil, and every day the flag position is printed on the card. Another customer service feature is that they supply you with fresh fruit from the field (small details make a difference).
Cork oaks and bunkers
Already from the first tee, it was difficult not to be impressed by the stripes left by the mowers on the fairway that meanders for 357 meters to the green. The first half of the course is characterized by cork oaks and bunkers, and during the course of the game one must be careful not to send the ball into one of these dangerous places. About 45 meters before the green there is a bunker on the right that is 85 meters long. From this position you can see a magnificent short game area and grass tees, just north of the driving range. This is a facility designed for corporate groups or pros who want to practice before hitting the course.
The second hole is actually a continuation of the first, downhill as it swings gently to the right, and ends in a circular green that slopes from back to front. The third is a par 3 measuring only 143 meters that you can’t miss to the right if you want to see the ball again. The elongated but narrow green is sometimes difficult to read, but, all in all, it is not a very difficult hole. In fact, the first three holes offer a gentle opening to a golf course that gets more complicated as it progresses, and by the time you reach the 18th green you have used every possible shot in an attempt to master it.
In fact, the next three holes begin the challenge with a huge out-of-bounds hazard on the right at the 4th, while the par-5 5th has an obstacle on the same side and plays to an elevated green, to the left of which is an ancient cork oak tree standing in solitary magnificence. The 6th, par 4, is index 1 of the course, and it is here that the player will encounter a serious water hazard for the first time. A large lake, with a striking waterfall, occupies a considerable amount of the ball drop area, so care must be taken with club selection.
The seventh is a par 3 that plays uphill, while the eighth runs in the opposite direction. With out-of-bounds to the right and left, the tee shot must be straight, although the undulating fairway is quite wide. The green is very well protected by cork oaks, and then we head back towards the clubhouse to play the par 5 9th. A large bunker in the fairway some 260 meters from the tee is the first problem and, if we avoid it, there are seven more bunkers surrounding the large green that closes the first half of the course.
The 10th is another par 5 with a dog-leg to the left. To have any chance of par, the drive should be directed to the right, but beware of the bunker that lies in wait for the tee shot. The hole is 384 meters long (from the yellows) and has a small diagonally meandering stream in the fairway, while a lake, a few meters from the right side of the green, makes the approach shot quite intimidating.
From the 12th tee it is evident that the problems created by the cork oaks have now given way to water. This hole has two lakes connected by a small stream, creating a very attractive area on the golf course. The lake next to the green certainly deserves attention, although, fortunately, the green is very large. Again we cross an area of beautiful flowerbeds, pass a road, and arrive at a different area of the course to face the next three holes.
The 13th is a downhill par 4 with a clear dog-leg left, where it is easy to get off the fairway. There is a bunker on the right that is about 100 meters long and stretches all the way to the green.
The 14th is a par 3 that ends on an elevated green and features the silhouettes of trees and sky as a backdrop.
The 15th can only be described as a tricky slope that turns left, with bunkers in the fairway, and then, finally, back to the main golf course, where the last three holes will revitalize your great feelings about San Roque Club.
The 16th, par 3, plays to an elevated green with a bunker on the right and eight magnificent cork oaks protecting it on the left side. These trees really do their job of guarding the green well and wreak havoc on more than one card.
The 17th is the last par 5 of the San Roque Old and a good long and straight hole. The main problem is a large lake on the right in front of the green, which will swallow an approach even if the ball comes out only slightly deflected.
The 18th can be considered the best hole on the course. It has a pronounced dog-leg to the left, at the angle of which there is a lake with a small island. In order to prevent players from trying to cut that angle, the island is completed with a huge tree with large branches whose base is festooned with flowers of different and surprising colors. From that lake, a stream flows diagonally down the fairway, about 50 meters from the front of the green, where it is fed by another lake to the right of the green. It is a spectacular hole that has brought both moments of great delight and enormous despair to the competitors of the European Tour Qualifying School during the years it was played on this course. This 18th appears in the book “The 1001 Best Golf Holes in the World”, written by Jeff Barr, which is evidence of its great intrinsic quality.
As I said at the beginning, since the last time I played here, this course has undergone fantastic changes. The course is a real gem and has all the quality hallmarks of a club whose management is acting in a very positive way.
There is no doubt that this great Dave Thomas design is one of the great courses in Spain.
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