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The impressive entrance to La Reserva de Sotogrande is no more than a few minutes drive from the Km. 130 exit on the Cádiz motorway and by the time you have passed the security barrier, ogled at some splendid properties on the driveway and eventually parked the car, you are perfectly aware that La Reserva is, in an expression much used by my late mother, “a step above buttermilk”. From the car park, beside a courtyard containing numerous fountains sprinkling merrily away, the view out over the golf course, located in the valley below, is quite staggering and I eagerly anticipated, what would undoubtedly be, a difficult challenge.

La Reserva is unashamedly exclusive and intends catering to the upper-end of the market. The clubhouse is built around a central patio area with a fountain, antique benches and potted lemon trees, while the building has a distinct Arabic flavour which exudes luxury. One-third of the clubhouse area is reserved for members who have their own locker rooms, restaurant and lounge areas. Wandering around I was particularly impressed by the earthen flooring and the discreet wrought iron wall lighting, all of which created a distinct feeling of having strayed into somebody’s country mansion.

It had been years since I last played this course designed buy Cabell B. Robinson – Robert Trent Jones’ outstanding protégé – but I soon felt completely at home. Of the main features, very little has changed, though two new, young managers are running the course in a masterly way during these uncertain times.

They are Lucas de la Puente Uribe, who has been managing the club for two years after learning the trade in-house; and Manuel Ocaña, who joined recently as golf commercial manager.

I had agreed to join the pair – handicap 3 and 7, respectively – for a round at one of the Coast’s finest courses and, possibly, the one with the best-maintained greens.

Before heading out onto the course, they brought me up to date with some of the initiatives being introduced to the club, to enhance and improve the amenities and services for members and visitors.

Among other things, they have created a new annual fee aimed especially at those who do not live all year-long in Sotogrande. Instead of 3,000 euros, it will now be 1,250 euros, but with the option of being able to play for free at Christmas, Easter and throughout August, and a nominal green free the rest of the year.

This is a good option for those who are unable to play at La Reserva 365 days a year. Even though the “normal” annual fee is 3,000 euros, this is by no means exorbitant as it includes vouchers valued at 500 euros for use in the clubhouse restaurant and an additional 400 euros to use at the El Cucurucho beach club – for all the family.

On the way to the first tee I passed the clubhouse terrace where golfers were enjoying morning coffee, a spectacularly maintained putting green and a driving range where triangles of practice balls sat waiting for those serious enough to practise in the unremitting heat. The opening hole measures 329 metres and is played from an elevated tee down into a valley where a vast expanse of fairway awaits, provided the tee shot is relatively straight; a hooked drive will dive into a water hazard on the left while the opposite side is no bargain either. The big green slopes from back to front and is banked on the right. Bunkers guard the left-side but missing them will see the ball whiz off the buggy path and into the hazard.

The par-4 second offers an inviting fairway which dog-legs slightly to the right. At the 150-metre marker the fairway tips downwards and meanders its way towards a green, on the left of which a lake awaits an overdrawn approach shot. The putting surface is well protected by bunkers and an over-hit ball will disappear into a plantation of trees.

The third is a short par-4 (331 metres) which dog-legs slightly to the right and is made to measure for the faded “bread and butter” drive of the average amateur. The fairway dips down into a hollow before rising up again to an elevated green which has a shamrock shaped bunker set in its face. The putting surface contains two levels and a hazard tight to the left which continues around the back.

Standing on the tee of the par-5 fourth the eye is immediately caught by a string of bunkers lining both sides of the landing area while the ancient trees in the background create a delightful picture. The fairway meanders along in waves of humps and hollows until it reaches a green which is severely bunkered on the left but relatively free on the opposite side.

The fifth is a par-4 played from an elevated tee over an arroyo into a valley where there are three good-sized bunkers on the right. A pushed tee shot, which carries the bunkers, will career off a buggy path and wind up in a mishmash of foliage. The fairway moves to the left before arriving at a big green which slopes from right to left.

The target on the par-3 sixth (177 metres) should be the centre of the big green as there is water on the left and bunkers on both the right and at the back.

The par-5 seventh measures 468 metres and offers lots of welcoming fairway but a duck hook from the tee will find a watery grave; about 200 metres from the tee, a stretch of bunkering starts on the left and continues for about 75 metres. After that the fairway is hazard free until it arrives at the green, the front of which is just a sea of sand. The huge green is shaped like an S on its side and at its tip there are about a dozen pine trees.

The par-3 eighth measures 143 metres played from an elevated tee to a huge green in a hollow below. Although the size of the green is a massive target, particularly as the downhill hole will play much shorter than its distance, the lake on the left is certain to create a certain degree of tension.

The tee of the final hole on the outward journey sits nicely beside the shimmering water of a lake. From a valley the fairway climbs sharply upwards and at exactly at the 150 marker a gaping circular bunker on the left greedily awaits its prey while one of its relations lies on the opposite side and, a further one, just 30 metres further on. The wide but shallow green slopes from right to left and has ample run-off areas at the back and sides.

The drive from the elevated par-4 10th tee is quite spectacular as the ball whizzes down and down into a valley guarded on the left by trees while a bunker awaits in the right-hand corner. From there the fairway dog-legs sharply left and continues to a wide but shallow green which has a water hazard stretching across the front. An approach shot carved to the right will probably result in a lost ball.

Although there is a good hike to the 11th tee it is very well signposted and even I did not get lost. The right-hand side should be favoured for the drive in order to avoid the water hazard on the opposite side. Longer hitters should take care off the tee as, at the 200-metre mark, the landing area between a bunker on the right and disaster on the left is a mere 25 metres. After that the fairway opens up again and the designer’s trademark can clearly be seen in the number of bunkers scattered hither and yon. Particular care should be taken to avoid the two set into the face of the elevated green. A hazard area at the back right of the putting surface has been the home of two majestic cork oak trees since Adam was a boy and provides a fine feature.

On the way to the 12th tee some welcome shade from the blistering sunshine is provided by a copse of trees. Again played from an elevated tee into a valley, the hole is a straight forward par-4 where a ball driven up the right will receive considerable help from the shape of the fairway. The green is well protected by bunkers but special note should be taken of the small one lurking at the back.

The 13th is a par-4 measuring 386 metres played onto a fairway climbing sharply upwards until it reaches its peak at about the half-way mark; a drive not reaching the brow could well topple back, a considerable distance, towards the player. From there the fairway flattens out and is bordered on the right by a hazard while just short of the green, on the opposite side, there is a mound with trees and overhanging branches. The putting surface, which slopes from back to front, is delightfully framed with trees.

The par-3 14th is played from an elevated tee onto a green bunkered at the front. Although there is a tree on the left this hole should present little difficulty. It is a very picturesque hole with the Mediterranean glistening in the background as far as the eye can see.

From the tee of the par-5 15th you can just see a strip of fairway which appears to be wending its way through a forest but, at 459 metres, it is sure to tempt the big hitters. For those taking on the challenge, the second shot will be the big test as the long green has a very narrow entrance neck while a lake nestles up to the right-hand side of the putting surface. It is not too difficult to visualise golf ball after golf ball plunging down into the watery depths of this treacherous hazard.

The 16th is a par-3 where club selection will be all important. The boomerang-shaped green is very shallow and three frontal bunkers simply add to the difficulty.

The 17th is a par-4 measuring 386 metres which easily earns its index 1 rating. While the best line, for a somewhat daunting tee-shot, would be straight out over trees and the arroyo behind them it would need to be some hit (a carry of about 250) and the safer line would be left. Although this will leave a considerably longer second shot, at least the ball is still in play. The arroyo runs up the right until it swings away from the green. On the left an old cork oak trees leans over, as if drunk, while the green slopes from back to front.

The tee of the final hole stands beside some elegant houses and the drive is onto a fairway rising up as it moves gently to the right. Two hundred metres from the tee there is a little pocket of steep-faced bunkers on the right which are best avoided. The good sized green slopes sharply from left to right, in a series of steps, and is fronted by two bunkers in which many a player could well expend a couple of shots extricating their golf ball.

Enjoying lunch and some very welcome sparkling water, on a terrace next to a putting green, my memories were of exciting drives from elevated tees onto fairways which plunge downwards, sometimes at an alarming rate, before rising up again to large contoured greens. Memorable also were the greens, which varied in shape from circular to kidney bowl to heart shaped; the contours of which simply added to the torture of trying to find the correct lines for the putts. Then there were the peculiarly shaped bunkers filled with white sand, the personal hallmark of the designer; while trees, bushes and heather gave a feeling of maturity which belied its relative youth. I have played many of the golf courses designed by Cabell Robinson and would have to say that this creation is right out of his top drawer.

Now under the direction, and watchful eye, of Lucas de la Puente, La Reserva is a well managed golf course which will captivate and fill the memory bank with exciting images of any attempt to conquer its unremitting challenges.