Manuel Piñero describes and advises us how to play each hole at La Reserva de Sotogrande, one of the best Spanish golf courses. In the words of the great Spanish player, winner of eight tournaments on the European Tour, two Ryder Cups and two World Cups, this layout designed by Cabell B. Robinson “is a wide course, a competition course, which does not mean that it is not an affordable course for all types of players”.
One of the advantages is that all the holes have five or six tees, “so you can vary the length of the course to the level of each player”. According to Piñero, the course is “not excessively stressful from the tee, but very demanding on the greens”. (All hole sizes shown below are from yellow)
Hole 1 – Par 4 364 meters Hcp 10
Until recently it was the 10th hole, while the 1st has become the 10th. A very affordable par 4, a short hole that offers a very wide tee shot, with dogleg left. An average player will hit no more than a 7 or 8 iron on the second shot to the green, which is defended by a front creek. The green is wide, like all the others on this course, but with plenty of movement.
Hole 2 – Par 5 460 meters Hcp 5
A very nice par 5 with a slight uphill slope, wide fairway. The second shot has the difficulty of some bunkers in the center of the fairway about 140 meters from the green, so the medium/long player if he hits a good tee shot has to play short of the bunkers. The green, with two platforms, is very moving, is very well defended by front bunkers and is probably one of the most difficult of the course.
Hole 3 – Par 4 371 meters Hcp 9
Par 4 with a generous tee shot, wide fairway, you must always lean on the right side of the fairway because if you miss on the left you will have either out of bounds or some wild olive trees that will make the second shot to the green very difficult. Then you play an elongated green, with a drop from right to left protected by bunkers on the right and left. The green is wide but it is very difficult to leave the ball close to the hole. The wind has a great influence on this hole. If the wind blows against or to the left it can be a long hole, drive, rescue for medium players or drive, 4 or 5 iron, for medium-low players.
Hole 4 – Par 4 386meters Hcp 3
For me the most difficult hole or one of the most difficult holes on the course. It has a very steep watercourse from the tee to get up to the top shelf. It is a long drive to take it up. From the white tee it will be about 220 meters of flight, a considerable distance. If you have enough power to get the ball up the watercourse, it makes the hole much easier. But even so, there is still a very long second shot, about 180 meters from the flat part of the fairway. The entrance to the green is narrow. The green has no bunkers, only on the back but practically does not come into play, well protected mainly because of the difficulty of the narrow entrance and because if you miss the green on the right side the ball goes to a rather complicated downhill.
Hole 5 – Par 3 147 meters Hcp 14
A very nice par 3, not very long, about 150 meters, downhill, with a moving green protected by a bunker on the right side. It is very interesting to play. For me, all the par 3’s on this course are very good.
Hole 6 – Par 5 459 meters Hcp 12
Par 5 downhill, if there is no wind it is a wide, generous tee, but with crosswinds it gets a little complicated, but it is a very affordable par 5. For the long hitter it can be reached in two, for the average hitter it is a short shot to the green, but with a very moving green, especially if you put the flag at the back, it is a very difficult green. It is a hole without bunkers, but it is very well protected by a lake on the right side of the green, so you should not miss the shot on that side and you have to lean on the left side.
Hole 7 – Par 3 127 meters Hcp 18
It is the shortest par 3 on the course, but with a very complicated green, especially if the flag is behind. It is a downhill shot of about 130 meters. Distance is not the problem on this hole, but accuracy is, and especially if you miss the green from the back, because you are left with a very, very complicated shot.
Hole 8 – Par 4 386meters Hcp 1
Par 4, is the first handicap of the course, difficult, long, protected by a large lake that goes practically from the beginning of the fairway until the hole ends behind the green. You should always play on the left side. You should not be too ambitious off the tee because it is very easy to go into the water. The second shot, no matter how well you hit the drive, is always going to be long, 170, 180 meters to the flag, with a long and very moving green protected by the water on the right, but you have support on the left side.
Hole 9 – Par 4 324 meters Hcp 16
Short par 4, the medium, medium/long player will have no problems on the right side, he will easily avoid the bunkers that can be seen from the tee, but not the bunkers on the left, especially the last one, which is more than 250 meters from the tee, so it is necessary to lean on the center, center/right from the tee. The green, narrow, elongated and very moving, is elevated. You can see the flag but not the green, which is protected by very deep front bunkers. The average player will have a 6, 7 or 8 iron to the flag.
Hole 10 – Par 4 329 meters Hcp 8
A difficult par 4, especially because the fairway is narrowed by the bunker on the right side. You have to hit a very centered drive and then a second shot that is not too long. The green, very moving and protected by a bunker on the left, is very complicated, one of the most difficult of the course.
Hole 11 – Par 4 355 meters Hcp 6
Long par 4, you have to lean on the center, center-right of the fairway, which is very wide, a very wide hole, the second shot is practically flat, a green that is not too busy, one of the least busy of the course, protected by a lake on the left side and bunkers on the right side. This hole will normally require a long drive to be able to hit a second iron; if not, you will be shooting a rescue or a 3-wood.
Hole 12 – Par 4 331 meters Hcp 13
This par 4 has a difficulty mainly because of the out of bounds on the right for the tee shot, because it is very easy to go out of bounds. I recommend leaning on the center, center-left of the fairway and try not to reach the bunker. The green, which is very busy and one of the narrowest on the course, is high, protected by a front bunker and another on the right side. Normally you do not play a very long shot, a 7 or 8 iron at the most, but you do play a very precise shot because it is a very demanding green.
Hole 13 – Par 5 475 meters Hcp 11
Par 5, is for me one of the most beautiful holes of the course, practically straight but very well protected by bunkers on the left side although it is a generous fairway. The second shot is also very nice but a little more demanding because there are bunkers on the right and left, and the green is very, very busy. The biggest difficulty of this hole is perhaps the green, with a bunker on the left and very difficult flag positions, especially at the front of the green. If the flag is there, I would always play to the center of the green because it is very difficult to leave it close to the hole due to the movement of the green.
Hole 14 – Par 4 380 meters Hcp 2
Par 4 dogleg left, if you don’t go to the center of the fairway or center-right of the fairway you will hit a shot without seeing the green, a blind shot, but if you are a long player and hit to the center or center-right you will see the green perfectly. It is a good golf hole, protected by bunkers to the right of the fairway on the tee shot, and with an elevated green quite moved and protected by two bunkers to the right. For me it is one of the most difficult second shots on the course.
Hole 15 – Par 3 177 meters Hcp 7
Magnificent par 3, for me the best of the course. From the back tee it is about 200 meters and from the yellows about 160 meters. It has water on the left, front bunker and bunker on the back. The green, with three well-defined platforms, is wide. It is one of the most beautiful holes of the course.
Hole 16 – Par 5 468 meters Hcp 15
Par 5 with a very generous fairway with a lake on the left side. With a headwind the average player has the difficulty of passing this lake, so the fairway is very narrow, but if there is no wind or if the wind is blowing in favor, the truth is that it is a very generous and wide tee shot. The second shot is also to a very wide fairway, but it is very difficult to stop the ball on the green because it has a lot of movement and is very protected by bunkers in the back and especially by a very pronounced frontal watercourse.
Hole 17 – Par 3 146 meters Hcp 17
Par 3 also very nice. I insist again that all the par 3’s on this course are very good par 3’s. It is not very long, about 170 meters from white and about 140 from yellow, green on three platforms, moving but frank. Bunker on the right and water on the left side but quite far from the green.
Hole 18 – Par 4 363 meters Hcp 4
Par 4, one of the most difficult holes on the course, especially because the tee-off is very difficult. The fairway is very narrow, bunkers on the right side and when there is a headwind there is a bunker on the left that protects the fairway a lot. It is one of the most difficult tee shots on the course. You then play a second shot uphill to a very elevated green that does not have excessive movement but is narrow, especially on the left side, and requires a very, very precise shot. There is a front bunker and a very pronounced drop on the left side that if you miss on that side makes the recovery shot very difficult.
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