Los Arqueros Golf & Country Club is, without a doubt, one of the most popular golf courses on the Costa del Sol. Located at the foot of the Ronda mountain range, its fairways weave through a spectacular hilly landscape – with eagles and vultures flying overhead.

When you immerse yourself in the layout, especially from the 10th hole, you have the feeling of being in another world, in the midst of a rugged natural setting, miles away from civilisation – yet you are just 10 minutes from Puerto Banús, near Nueva Andalucía’s Golf Valley, and 15 minutes from the Marbella town centre.

Designed by Seve Ballesteros and inaugurated in 1991, the course was built to faithfully follow the contours of the land. The result was a quite demanding layout, a challenge for experienced golfers and a true test for high-handicappers. It was the first course designed by Ballesteros in Spain.

The layout and features of the course demand great accuracy, especially on some tight tees, where it is best to sacrifice the distance achieved with a driver and instead opt for irons or shorter woods to keep the ball on the fairway.

The design and focus of Los Arqueros make it stand out notably from other courses on the Costa del Sol. Another key aspect is the club management’s commitment to ongoing improvements, always under the supervision of Trajectory (Ballesteros’ design company).

This constant search for excellence was the key, in 2003, to the course receiving the first official ISO 14001 environmental management system certification – the second in Andalucía and fourth in the whole of Spain.

 

 

This means the course is recognised as using a management system that respects the environment and fulfils all the current norms in this respect.

I arranged an appointment at Los Arqueros with Miguel Jiménez, the club pro, to play the course on one of the few days in mid-January when the sun shone. What a wet month it was! I truly had some good luck because this setting is stunning when the weather is favourable, with views over the whole Costa del Sol, Gibraltar and northern Africa.

I was already familiar with the layout but Miguel warned me about the narrow fairways and abundance of hazards bordering them, though not always water. Scrubland and ravines are marked with red stakes to ensure play does not become too complicated and to enhance the flow.

The course has quite pronounced slopes though not as many as it might seem. On the first nine there is a steep drop on the first and a rise on the ninth. It is almost flat from the second to the eighth. The second nine is more undulating, though most of the holes run downwards.

You obviously need a buggy, especially on the second nine.

Los Arqueros is also a fairly short course, which means that if you play controlled shots from the tees, especially using long irons or hybrids on the par-fours and making sure you stay on the fairway, your second shot will always be comfortable, a seven or eight-iron. On the par-fives you can, and should, bring out the driver.

 

 

It is by no means an easy course. You have to use your head and adopt tactics that suit your game. This gives it an added appeal that you can’t find on too many other courses. You get an idea of how difficult the layout is by the fact that the course record is four or five-under – achieved, if I remember correctly, by Juan Quirós.

The greens are also complicated – undulating and quick. They range from 400 square metres to the 1,200 square metre 18th.

Even though Seve’s design on the land available at the time was impeccable, this year Los Arqueros is going to undertake a major renovation of the tees, widening and re-positioning them.

The first, a par-four of 333 metres from the yellow markers (all distances mentioned here are from the amateurs’ tees), has out of bounds to the left – the practice ground – and a hazard on the right. With the average width of the landing area being between 70 and 80 metres, it is advisable to use a hybrid or three-wood. The second shot is attractive, hit downhill to an open green with two tiers, but there is danger at the back – with a deep ravine.

The second is a short par-three of 139 metres, but a favourite for most players. It is downhill to one of the largest greens on the course. There are two huge bunkers in front, and the best plan is to aim the ball to the left of the ridge, fairly flat on the other part.

The 349-metre par-four third could be considered Los Arqueros’ signature hole. It has a large lake on the left of the fairway that influences your choice of tee shot. The left hand side is bordered by the next hole and a long line of pine trees. It is best to use the driver because if you don’t hit a long enough shot you will have a tough second, to a raised green which is undulating and protected by two bunkers on the right.

The par-four fourth, 316 metres, is fairly wide, and short, but it has a pronounced dogleg left – and you have to make sure you don’t hit past that, or too short. The green is protected by a small carob tree in front and bunkers to the right, left and behind. Using a hybrid or three-wood off the tee, the second shot will be a nine or eight-iron – at the most.

 

 

A par-three of 145 metres, the fifth is similar to the second, with a raised tee and green and a stream in the middle. The wide green has two tiers and is very well protected by bunkers, one large one on the left. With the pin at the back, you can use a hybrid or three-wood with ease.

The next three holes are considered Los Arqueros’ “Amen Corner”. The sixth is the longest hole on the course, a 486-metre par-five. There is a lake on the right of the tee and hazards on both sides of the fairway. It is straight but narrow, and ends at arguably the toughest green on the course – with sharp slopes, like an egg!

The seventh, a 274-metre par-four, is an attractive but difficult hole. The fairway is very narrow, barely 30 metres wide, and it is best to use a mid-iron, five or six, off the tee, and control the shot as much as possible. The green is very small and protected by two bunkers, one of grass and the other sand.

The final “Amen Corner” hole is another par-five, 461 metres in this case. It comprises a dogleg right with out of bounds on the left of the fairway and water on the water, while a stream that crosses the fairway can complicate the third shot. It is an extremely difficult hole because the landing area off the tee is very narrow. You have to hit over the stream on your second shot, which is not always possible, and it is therefore advisable to play up short. The third shot will then be long to a raised and well-protected green. Settling for a bogey here is not necessarily a bad option.

After suffering a bit on the previous holes, the final one on the front nine, the par-four 275-metre ninth, is possibly the easiest on the course – giving some respite. It heads uphill and is straight, though the three-tier green can complicate things a little. Depending on the pin position, you can secure a birdie or end up with more putts than you bargained for.

The second nine is more undulating than the first and, as mentioned before, is perhaps more enjoyable as it is in the midst of a natural landscape – with no construction in sight. You have the feeling of playing in the middle of a mountain range full of vegetation and a long way from everything. Though, having said that, it almost seems like you could touch the azure waters of the Mediterranean!

We begin this nine with a short hole, a 311-metre par-four. It is in the form of a guitar, narrow at the start and wider at the end. It is straight and not too difficult. Using a three-wood off the tee you will have a seven or eight-iron second shot. The green can be complicated: it has three gently sloping tiers and is surrounded by bunkers.

The 145-metre par-three 11th can trick you. It seems easy but it is best to hit one or two clubs more than you think at first because the green, small and fairly undulating, is fairly high.

The next hole, the 312-metre par-four 12th, has the lowest handicap index on the course. The tee is raised high, dropping 50 to 60 metres to the fairway. The landing area is quite wide but the fairway then narrows. The green is once again complicated, with a hazard and bunker on the left and another at the back.

The 437-metre par-five 13th also has an extremely high tee, with stunning panoramic views over the Mediterranean. The main difficulty lies in the fact that you have to hit 180 metres to reach the fairway. Once there, the next two shots are not too hard, provided you stay on the fairway.

The 263-metre par-four 14th is – together with the ninth – the easiest hole on the course. It has a hazard on the right of the fairway, a large, fairly flat green – and little more. This is another moment to relax!

The next hole is – with the third – possibly the best par-four on the course (345 metres). It is a dogleg left and a has raised tee and very complicated green. Crossing the fairway is a stream which you have to hit over. A bunker is strategically placed on the left at the landing area, so you need to aim to the right. You obviously take a driver off the tee and control the next shot.

 

 

The 137-metre 16th offers outstanding views and, depending on the pin position, you will need to use a six or seven-iron. There is out of bounds to the right and a large lake on the left, almost from tee to green, which is well-protected by bunkers.

The 17th, a 300-metre par-four, could be described as slightly strange in that it has a dogleg just before the green, which is marginally hidden for the second shot. With a wide and sloping fairway, the driver is indispensable off the tee. For the second shot, you should use one or two clubs more than your initial option. The green is uncomplicated, with a slight ridge.

To complete the round, the 18th is a short hole (278 metres) with a wide fairway – but rising. The main feature of this hole is an enormous green, more than 1,000 square metres, and at least three tiers. Depending on the position of the pin, and the tee shot of course, the second will be a short or six iron.

This course truly is one of the best maintained I have played recently, and that in spite of it also being a course with the most number of rounds played.

Its director, Ulf Svendsen, is particularly proud of this aspect and the club’s positive evolution since opening in 1991. “And we will keep improving,” he says. “For this year we have made available a fairly high budget to carry out a series of modifications which will ‘round off’ the course. It’s a bold commitment in these times of crisis, but we have reached the conclusion that there is no choice but to continue investing in order to become better and more competitive.

“I believe that the success of Los Arqueros is based on four key aspects, four stars: the Seve Ballesteros design; the environmental management system we have implemented (ISO 14001, which is subject to external audit); the OHSAS 18001 (a system, also audited externally, for health and safety, the only one in Spain); and the new quality system introduced specifically for golf (UNE 188001), only held by Royal Sevilla Golf Club and us.

“I am very satisfied with the last three aspects,” concludes Ulf. “They are three stars that no other club has.”

Los Arqueros is a “mixed club”, with more than 300 members though it is primarily pay and play. Its social activity and clubhouse atmosphere are enviable.

It is a cosy club where people appreciate things done well and the small and big details that make it stand out from the rest.