For those who like to play a splendidly maintained golf course and also enjoy an extra degree of comfort, Santa Clara Golf is the perfect place. Located in Marbella behind the Hospital de la Costa Sol, at the Los Monteros exit, Santa Clara was designed by Enrique Canales and since it opened in 2001, it has earned an enviable reputation for taking the utmost care of its guests from the moment they arrive. I enjoyed this warm welcome as soon as I passed through the guarded entrance barrier and arrived at the club’s parking lot. There was a buggy waiting to take me and my golf clubs to the imposing clubhouse.
The Caddy Master is located in the well-stocked club store, where prestigious brands such as Golfino or Emporio Armani, surrounded a smiling caddy master who was in charge of the formalities with the players. Her fingers flew on the computer keyboard when it was time to formalize my registration, which she did in a very attentive and efficient manner. The buggy assigned to me was sparkling clean and included the tour card, quality questionnaire, a pencil and even a ball and club washer on board.
When the clock struck the exact minute of my tee time, the starter, after verifying that I had the course card, invited me to start the round. Standing on the tee, under the gaze of two palm trees as tall and erect as bodyguards, one experiences a wonderful feeling of freedom generated without any doubt by the fairways of holes 1, 9, 10 and 18, which run parallel and seem to offer a very wide target for the opening drive. You have to be careful to avoid an olive tree in the middle of the fairway about 100 meters from the green, while just before the putting surface, a bush-like tree also comes into play. We are greeted by a large green, protected on the left by a steep drop-off and a bunker.
The second hole is a par 3 of 157 meters (all measurements from the yellow bars) and has a creek running along the left side of it; this is not the right tee for a hook. The green is shallow but very wide, and if your ball goes over the green, you will have a lot of difficulty.
Hole 3 is a par 4 of only 224 meters and makes a 90º dog-leg to the right. While a mid iron to the center of the fairway followed by a pitch would be sufficient for the average player, hitters will be tempted to play straight to the green. Conservatives have a large bunker to the right of the green and the risk takers will have to memorize that the same bunker awaits them straight ahead. Whether or not some players enjoy the challenge of playing to the green, I consider it an unlucky hole to some extent. PS: Remember to ring the bell to warn the hitters following you.
An attractive pagoda-like bridge over the aforementioned creek leads to the next tee, a par 4 with palm and banana trees on both sides of the fairway, while the creek runs along the entire left side of the hole. About 100 meters from the green this obstacle goes into the fairway, making it considerably narrow. The green is narrow but very long, with a large bunker protecting it on the left, while the right side has a steep slope.
The fifth hole is a par 4 of 307 meters, whose tees are elevated over a valley planted with trees on the side. The fairway then rises sharply to an elevated green, where five old cork oaks protect it. It is important to pick up enough club to place the ball in the center of the green; for if you fall short the ball will come back down the slope into the valley. The green has two platforms joined by a slope from the back to the front. Above all, be careful with the front right side, where if the ball falls there is a steep slope with bushes.
Hole 6 is a par 3 measuring 142 meters and the shot from the tee must cross a valley to the green. I have been told that this hole has been recently remodeled, with a new green that brings more safety and speed to the game. The result is a hole designed to play a medium iron shot to a large green protected by large grass and sand bunkers.
On the day of my visit, the bougainvillea entangled in the wooden bridge behind the tee on hole 7 was not at its peak, but it had certainly just recently burst into a wide array of colors. The fairway of this 309-meter par 4 climbs up to a series of platforms that carry the risk of coming up short and having your ball roll down to the tee, and even lower still. At 100 meters from the green, on the right there is a large rock with a palm tree on top, creating an interesting landscape, which will not be so interesting if your ball is placed next to it. The green is not very deep but very wide with a slope at the back.
From the 8th tee, which is accessed through a tunnel with interior lighting, there are splendid views of the Mediterranean. The trees hide the landing area of the drive on this 498-meter par 5, so the bunker in the distance must be taken as a reference line. The fairway turns to the right and, as long as the average player’s shot is a slice, the shape of the hole is perfect. There are mounds and trees here and there on the fairway as it meanders down to about 200 yards, from where it zigzags even lower to another plateau. If the second shot is slice, the ball can go down the buggy path and end up buried in the dense bushes. About 100 meters from the green, the fairway heads down again to reach the green, which is 37 meters long. Be careful with the approach to avoid the bunkers to the left of the green because the ball may end up in the fairway of hole 9, from where it will be difficult to return. This is an exciting hole that requires great concentration and is well deserving of the difficulty index 4 assigned on the course.
The final hole of the first round runs parallel, but in the opposite direction, to the first hole, with the green hidden in a corner next to the clubhouse. Trees on the left side of the fairway make the fairway narrow just in the place where the drive falls, to then make an approach shot to the green. Here the branches of a cork oak tree await us at the entrance to this heart-shaped green.
A generous fairway awaits our shot from the tee of hole 10. A par 5 separated from hole 1 by the buggy path. The danger is located in the stream that runs on the left about 250 meters from the tee and turns to the right about 100 meters from the green. Extreme caution must be exercised on the second shot as the water hazard is wider than it may initially appear from a distance. The final section of the hole climbs to an elevated green, where terraces help to carry the ball to the putting surface.
The fairway on hole 11, a short par 4 of 269 meters, climbs steeply towards the green, where the flag, from a distance, appears to be floating above the skyline. The green is very wide and drops from the back to the front and is well protected by bunkers.
The first indication of how high I had climbed (by buggy) on the course came when, standing on the 12th tee, I realized that I was at the same height as the third floor of the nearby hospital. A plaque on the tee indicates that this and the next two holes make up the “Santa Clara Golf Corner”, which foreshadowed a certain catastrophe on my scorecard. This long par 4 of 400 meters, gallops down with an out of bounds on the left, plunging towards a large green, on the right of which there is a series of beautiful water features, protected by bunkers on both sides.
Hole 13 is a long par 3 (182 meters) with a lake in front of a large green that is surrounded by palm trees.
Hole 14 is the longest hole on the course. A par 5 of 524 meters, it offers a generous drive landing area, although care must be taken with the vegetation on the left. The last section of the fairway consists of a series of mounds and hollows, which produce a narrowing of the hole. The large green is almost triangular in shape and is defended by a dangerous front bunker.
The next hole is located in a different plot from the rest of the course and to reach it you have to leave the enclosure through a gate, take a road of the urbanization and in a roundabout access back to the golf course. We are facing a par 3 of 165 meters whose main difficulty lies in the choice of the club, trying to avoid the ball going to the right or blowing the green, where the problems increase.
Standing on the 16th tee, a short par 4 of 285 meters, the tension builds up as the creek that runs in front of the tee and to the left of the fairway comes into play. Once the scenic fear is overcome, the hole is simple, although with a narrow green with two platforms and bunkers protecting the left side.
The 17th hole, a par 4 of 309 meters, is shaped like a boomerang. The fairway slopes from right to left and turns in this direction. The large green is situated high up and is protected by a large bunker on the left side. Beware of blowing the green as there is a water hazard all the way to the back.
The last hole at Santa Clara is a magnificent creation. The drive must fly over an avenue of trees and over a riverbed before reaching the safety of the fairway. The trees on the right are close enough to cause serious problems for a draw, so a fade is preferable, perhaps the only drive option. A lake, from which decorative jets of water emanate, surrounds the green on both sides and behind, and slender palm trees complete the beautiful scenery. If with the approach our ball sinks in the water, there is a drop zone that requires a delicate pitch to overcome the liquid element.
The final hole is an impressive snapshot that will remain in my memory for a long time. Another mental snapshot is of a golf course with immaculate maintenance and presence and top quality greens. On the negative side, I think the par 3’s are too long. With only one measuring 142 meters, these holes offer no respite to the player. 
After a shower, I went up to the restaurant and enjoyed a club sandwich served by a very attentive and professional waiter. Santa Clara is an upscale club where the services offered – from the very moment of arrival – are impeccable and where the ten-minute interval between tee times allows you to play at a comfortable pace. Santa Clara, which was once considered one of the expensive clubs, has recently changed its commercial policy, achieving a highly valued value for money among its customers, who are happy to pay a fair price for the added comfort and delight of playing this interesting and well-run golf course.
Leave a Reply