{"id":12274,"date":"2011-09-29T10:34:35","date_gmt":"2011-09-29T10:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/los-arqueros-seves-design-making-the-difference\/"},"modified":"2011-09-29T10:34:35","modified_gmt":"2011-09-29T10:34:35","slug":"los-arqueros-seves-design-making-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/los-arqueros-seves-design-making-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Arqueros, Seve’s design, making the difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Los Arqueros Golf & Country Club is undoubtedly one of the most popular courses on the Costa del Sol. Located at the beginning of the Serran\u00eda de Ronda, its fairways run through a spectacular mountainous landscape overflown by eagles and vultures. <\/p>\n

When one enters the course, especially after the 10th hole, one has the feeling of being in another world, in the middle of wild nature, away from civilization, and that is just ten minutes from Puerto Banus, near the Golf Valley and about fifteen minutes from the center of Marbella.<\/p>\n

Designed by Seve Ballesteros and inaugurated in 1991, it was built by faithfully adapting to the contours of the terrain. The result was a not at all easy layout that is a challenge for the experienced player and a real test for the highest handicaps. It was the first course designed by the Cantabrian in Spain. <\/p>\n

The characteristics of this course make it necessary to play with great precision, especially in some tight tee-offs, where it is preferable to sacrifice the distance given by the driver by using shorter irons or woods to secure the ball in the fairway.<\/p>\n

The design and approach of Los Arqueros undoubtedly mark a notable difference with the rest of the courses on the Costa del Sol. The commitment of the club’s management to make constant improvements, always under the supervision of Trajectory (Ballesteros’ design company), is also an outstanding differentiating element. <\/p>\n

The constant search for excellence has been the key to this field obtaining the first official ISO 14001 environmental management system certification in 2003, the second in Andalusia and the fourth in Spain.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This implies that the farm uses an environmentally friendly management system and complies with all applicable environmental regulations.<\/p>\n

I had made an appointment at Los Arqueros with Miguel Jim\u00e9nez, the club pro, to play this course on one of the few days in mid-January when the sun shone. What a month of rain! The truth is that I was lucky because in good weather this place is a marvel, with views over the entire Costa del Sol, Gibraltar and North Africa. <\/p>\n

Although I already knew the route, Miguel warns me about the narrowness of the streets and the abundance of hazards that frame them, although they are not always water obstacles. Red stakes are marked with bushes and ravines so as not to hinder the game too much and to allow for fluidity. <\/p>\n

The course has some slopes, although not as many as it might seem. On the first nine holes there is a steep downhill at hole 1 and an uphill at hole 9. From 2 to 8 it is practically flat. The second round is more hilly, although most of the holes are downhill. <\/p>\n

It is, obviously, a course to be played in buggy, especially the second part.<\/p>\n

Los Arqueros is also a relatively short course, so by controlling the tee shots, especially on the par fours, using long irons or hybrids and placing the ball in the fairway, the second shot will always be a comfortable seven or eight iron. On the par fives you can and should take the driver out of the bag. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This is by no means an easy field. You have to play it using your head and the tactics that best suit your possibilities. This gives it a plus of attractiveness that in few places can be found. The fact that the course record is four or five under par, achieved, if I remember correctly, by Juan Quir\u00f3s, gives an idea of the degree of difficulty. <\/p>\n

The greens are also complicated, hollow in many cases, very moving and fast. They receive very well, and in terms of size there is everything from around 400 square meters to approximately 1,200 square meters on the 18th. <\/p>\n

Although Seve’s design on the land he had at his disposal can be described as impeccable, this year Los Arqueros is going to undertake a major renovation of the tees, improving them in general, widening and reorienting them.<\/p>\n

Hole 1, a par 4 of 333 meters from the yellow tees (from now on, the distances will be indicated from the amateur tees), has an out on the left – the driving range – and a hazard on the right. With an average ball drop width of seventy or eighty meters, it is advisable to tee off with a hybrid or three wood. The second shot is beautiful, downhill, to a very straight green, with two platforms, and dangerous from behind, as there is a deep ravine. <\/p>\n

The 2nd is a short par three, 139 meters, but undoubtedly one of the favorite holes for most. It is a downhill hole to one of the widest greens on the course. In front there are two huge bunkers. It is best to aim the ball to the left side of the platform, which is otherwise quite flat. <\/p>\n

Hole 3, a 349-meter par four, is perhaps the hole that could be considered the signature hole at Los Arqueros. It has a large lake on the left side of the fairway that influences the tee shot. The left side is delimited by the next hole and a large row of pine trees. Here it is advisable to take the driver because if you do not make a moderately long tee shot the second shot is complicated, to an uphill green, which is also very moving and protected by two bunkers on the right. <\/p>\n

Hole 4, a par four of 316 meters, is quite wide and short, but has a pronounced dogleg to the left, so be careful not to overshoot or fall short. The green is protected by a small carob tree in front and bunkers to the right and left and behind. Teeing off with a hybrid or three wood, the second shot will be a nine or eight iron at best. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The 5th, a 145 meter par three, is similar to the 2nd, with the tee and green high up and a watercourse in the middle. The green, wide, has two platforms and is well protected by bunkers, one of which is very large on the left. With the flag at the back, a hybrid or three wood can be hit with ease. <\/p>\n

The following holes, up to the 8th, are considered the Amen Corner of Los Arqueros. The 6th is the longest hole on the course, a par five of 486 meters. There is a lake to the right of the tee and hazards on both sides of the fairway. It is straight but narrow and ends in a green that may be the most difficult of all. It is kind of like an egg with steep drops. <\/p>\n

The 7th, a 274-meter par four, is a beautiful but complicated hole. The fairway is very narrow, barely 30 meters wide, and it is preferable to tee off with a medium iron, five or six, and control a lot. The green is tiny and protected by two bunkers, one of grass and the other of sand. <\/p>\n

The last hole of Amen Corner is another par five, 461 meters in this case. It forms a dogleg to the right, with out on the left side of the fairway and water on the right, and it is also crossed by a creek that complicates the third shot. It is a really complicated hole because the drop of the tee shot is narrow. With the second shot we would have to try to cross the creek, which is not always possible, so it is advisable to stay before, and this forces us to a long third shot to a high and protected green. Looking for bogey here is not a bad option. <\/p>\n

After suffering a little in the previous holes, the last hole of the first round, the 9th, a par four of 275 meters, is possibly the easiest of the course, which gives us a break. It is uphill and straight, and what complicates it a little is a green with three planes and quite guarded. Depending on the position of the flag, it is possible to get a birdie or make more putts than we would like. <\/p>\n

The second round, more lively than the first, as we have pointed out, tends to be more enjoyable because it is more immersed in nature, with no buildings to be seen. You have the feeling of playing in the middle of a mountain full of vegetation and far away from everything. Of course, the Mediterranean with its turquoise blue seems to be within reach. <\/p>\n

This course begins with a short hole, a par 4 of 311 meters. It is guitar-shaped, narrow at the beginning and wide at the end. It is straight and without many complications. Leaving with three wood, there will be a second shot of seven or eight iron. On the green is where we can find some difficulty. It has three very soft platforms and is surrounded by bunkers. <\/p>\n

The 11th hole, a 145-meter par three, can be deceptive. It looks easy, but it’s better to give a club or two more than you think because the green, relatively small and very busy, is quite high. <\/p>\n

The next hole, the 12th, a 312-meter par four, is the lowest handicap on the course. The tee-off is very high, with a slope over the fairway of 50 or 60 meters, and a fairly wide drive drop zone, although the fairway is then narrow. The green is again complicated, with a hazard and a bunker on the left and another at the back. <\/p>\n

The 13th hole, a par five of 437 meters, again has a very, very high tee, with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean in front of it. The main difficulty lies in the fact that you have to fly approximately 180 meters to reach the fairway. Once here, the next two shots to the green are no big deal if we do not leave the fairway. <\/p>\n

The 14th, a par four of 263 meters, is, along with the 9th, the easiest of the course. It has a hazard to the right of the fairway, a large green with little movement, and little else. It is another moment to relax. <\/p>\n

The next hole is, with the 3rd, possibly the best par four of the course (345 meters). It has a slight dogleg to the left and also has a very tricky tee shot and a very complicated green. <\/p>\n

The fairway makes a watercourse crossed by a creek that must be flown over. At the drop of the drive, on the left, there is a strategically placed bunker, so you have to lean to the right. Of course, it is necessary to leave with driver without contemplation and to control the following shot. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hole 16 is a very attractive par three of 137 meters, in which, depending on the position of the flag, it is advisable to use a six or seven iron. It has an out on the right and a large lake on the left almost from the tee to the green, which is well protected by bunkers. <\/p>\n

The 17th, a 300-meter par four, could be defined as a bit odd because it doglegs before reaching the green, which is slightly hidden for the second shot. With a wide fairway and a steep slope, the driver is essential. For the second shot, you have to take one or two more clubs than you might think at first glance. The green, smooth, has a slight piano. <\/p>\n

To finish the course, the 18th is a hole with a wide and short fairway, 278 meters, but also very steep. The most outstanding feature of this hole is its enormous green, of more than 1,000 square meters and at least three pianos. Depending on the position of the flag and the tee shot, of course, it is possible to hit a second shot with a short iron or have to use the six. <\/p>\n

This is truly one of the best maintained courses I’ve played lately, and that’s despite being one of the most popular with visitors.<\/p>\n

Its director, Ulf Svendsen, is particularly proud of this aspect and of the positive evolution the course has undergone since it opened in 1991.<\/p>\n

“And we’re going to continue to improve,” he notes. “For this year we have released a fairly large budget to make a series of modifications that will ’round out’ the course. It’s a brave gamble in this crisis situation, but we’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no choice but to keep investing to be better and more competitive.” <\/p>\n

“I believe,” he continues, “that the success of Los Arqueros is based on four fundamental aspects, four stars: the Seve Ballesteros design; the environmental management system we have implemented (ISO 14.001, which undergoes an external audit); the OHSAS 18.001 (a system, also externally audited, for health and safety, unique in Spain), and the new golf-specific quality system (UNE 188.001), which only the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla and we have.”<\/p>\n

“Of these last three aspects,” Ulf concludes, “I am very satisfied. It’s three stars that no other golf course has”.<\/p>\n

Los Arqueros is a mixed club, which has just over three hundred members although it is still mostly pay and play. Its social activity and the atmosphere in the clubhouse are enviable. <\/p>\n

This is a welcoming club where you appreciate things well done and the small and big details that make the difference.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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