I had talked to some friends, it seemed like decades ago, about treating ourselves to a day of golf at Valderrama, and recently that decision became a reality. A tee time at the best course in Europe cannot be done on the spur of the moment, so crossing our fingers we made a request for a September date. Our prayers were answered and Mercedes confirmed the booking, and when the big day arrived the weather was, quite simply, perfect. Traveling down the freeway from the heart of the Costa del Sol I quickly realized that my companions and I were going to be walking the same fairways that the world’s best had walked in recent years and I wondered what other sports could offer you such an opportunity. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, to name but a few, had all had the opportunity to test themselves on this course with varying degrees of success. The talk in the car came back to the many difficulties Tiger encountered on the 17th hole.
Valderrama is ‘different’, and this becomes evident when one arrives at the barrier that gives access to the club and where there is a strict security service. We were allowed through, but not before our tee time was verified. While checking our reservation in the proshop, we had already been warned that in Valderrama cash is not used to make payments (in the store, bar or restaurant), so if we wanted to buy or consume something we would need a card in which money is charged and with which to pay in Valderrama’s facilities, returning the amount left over before leaving the club. With the card in our possession, we went to the Spike Bar to have a coffee and a snack, and we must say that the service was first class. On the walls of the bar, you can see many memorable photos of the 1997 Ryder Cup and the champions of the Volvo Masters played on this course.
The moment of truth soon arrived and when we picked up the buggies our clubs were already prepared on board, so we headed to the 1st tee, where a smiling starter wished us a good round. With tee-offs every fifteen minutes, the party in front had left the green well in advance. From the tee, everything looked immaculate. Certainly, the tee itself was in better condition than some of the greens I had played lately on other courses. Opening up in front of me was a fairway that didn’t look threatening at first glance. But looks can be deceiving, and only one of the four of us left the green with par for the hole as our best score.
The second hole has a large cork oak tree as a sentinel in the middle of the fairway and, although the trees line both sides of the fairway, it is evident that the position from the tee is fundamental. This is true for virtually every hole if you want to negotiate the course with a minimum of success. Valderrama is not particularly long and it is not the kind of course where one jumps on every tee with driver in hand, as every hole requires a good dose of care.
The hollow at the end of the fairway on the left on hole 3, par 3, has disappeared and in its place stand a hundred old olive trees. In addition, the area of the green has grown by almost a third.
From the 4th tee, a beautiful image of Valderrama can be enjoyed. Named La Cascada, 55,000 cubic meters were moved to change the physiognomy of this hole and turn it into the star of the course. So good was the modification of the hole that the designer of Valderrama, Robert Trent Jones, referred to it as one of the ten best par 5’s in the world. The key is to hit it straight, although getting from two to the green is not without its dangers. The green has two platforms and is guarded on the right by a lake, including a waterfall, while on the opposite side there is a tree whose branches are sure to hit any ball coming in from the left.
From the 7th tee, the green appears to be miles away. For amateurs it is a par 5. During the Volvo Masters it played like a par 4 and, looking back at the tournament tee, one marvels at the enormous distances the professionals reach, something that is not fully appreciated on television.
The 8th is called The Bunker because the elevated green of the hole is protected on its front by a vast expanse of sand. While on the tee, we happily welcome the arrival of a buggy with drinks and sandwiches.
The 9th is a completely straight par 4, with a generous fairway that provides a nice finish to the first round of this superbly presented course.
Then you have to walk past the putting green and clubhouse to go to the 10th tee, where memories of playoffs that have elucidated victory in several Volvo Masters come to life. The clearest in my memory was the year when darkness descended on the course in the midst of the battle between Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer, so it was decided that the two would share the victory. You have to shoot to the left side of the fairway for two good reasons. Firstly, because the green is not visible from anywhere else, and secondly, because any drive that reaches the opposite side of the fairway runs the risk of ending up in the lake after sliding down an embankment. A second lake protects the green on the front left, so the approach should not be misdirected.
The steep left-to-right drop on the par-5 11th fairway has undergone extensive modifications that make the drop zone less cumbersome for amateurs. The professionals will have to wait a little longer so that their drops are not so compromised.
The 12th is a nice par 3 that plays to a green very well guarded by bunkers, while the next hole, a par 4, is the only one on the entire course that does not have a single bunker.
The 14th is difficult due to the fact that the elevated green is not visible when playing the approach, while the fairway on the 15th turns gently to the right, where a large green is well protected by bunkers.
The secret of the 16th, par 4, is to make a good choice of club because the fairway falls to the right and if the ball falls short it will land in places that are best avoided.
While the 4th may be the stellar hole on the course, the 17th is one of the most renowned, both for praise and criticism, in equal measure. With out-of-bounds to the right and no better prospects to the left, the tee shot is crucial. Then the player will be faced with the big decision: shoot for the green or don’t risk it and come up short. Even if the more conservative option is chosen, it does not mean that par is assured, as the green has a famous drop-off to the front lake, and many balls that had pitched up to the green have ended up, rolling gently, in the water. Over the years, this hole has been the subject of strong criticism from famous golfers, even suggesting that one should be torn down. Tiger Woods was one of the victims of the fall of the green and several of his balls ended up soaking, while Miguel Angel Jimenez thrilled his fans when he holed an albratros, also years ago. The penultimate hole at Valderrama has been the scene of many disasters, not only in numerous Volvo Masters, but even during the American Express World Championships and the Ryder Cup. And, no doubt, there will be more to come.
The last hole has a huge cork oak on the front left side of the tee, and what a crime it would have been if someone had listened to the pitiful pleas of some players during a recent Volvo Masters suggesting that it should be cut down. Fortunately, the then president of Valderrama, Jaime Ortiz Patiño, turned a deaf ear and the tree remains in one piece in the same spot.
Thus, the round, walking the same fairways that the best golfers in the world have walked, came to an end. What a day! What an experience! Valderrama is truly a different course.
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