I’m not quite sure why but it had been several years since I last played at Royal Sotogrande Golf Club, one of Andalucía’s classic courses – a jewel in the crown of Spanish golf, together with Valderrama, El Saler and others.

The first impression you have of this course is that no two holes are the same. It is impossible to become bored because the first and second nines are also completely different as far as landscape and layout are concerned. It’s as if the course has a double personality.

The first nine holes are more difficult, narrower and in the middle of a huge cork tree forest; while the second nine are more American-style, especially the 12th, with a lot of water and abundant pine trees.

You have the feeling that you are playing two different courses. It is, above all else, a very fair course. If you play well, you are certain to achieve a good result; and if you have a bad day, it is very difficult to gain ample reward for your efforts. One way or the other, however, you will always leave with a good taste in your mouth and a certain level of satisfaction – and, of course, with the keen desire to return.

On this course, more than others, putting is the key, because even though the greens are not all that undulating – as is the current tendency – they have moderate slopes that you have to know how to read. It is not difficult to make two putts, but neither is it to end up with three if you lose your concentration.

 

 

A good short game is also essential, among other reasons because the greens are not very large, and play from the tee is not excessively complicated.

Opened in 1964, the course was designed by legendary North American architect Robert Trent Jones, based on a philosophy that varies considerably from the current one in vogue at many courses. Joseph McMicking, who created Sotogrande, told him: “Build the course where you want to and how you want to, and I’ll develop the urbanisation later.”

The freedom given to Trent Jones is not common these days. The homes were integrated afterwards, without entering into play; and, far from intruding, they actually improve the landscape as – in addition to being of a high quality – their gardens open out onto the course, creating the sensation of wider fairways.

This was the first course the American designer built in Europe. Later came Las Brisas, Valderrama, La Duquesa and others. “I believe,” says Royal Sotogrande Golf Club manager Rafael García Buitrago, “that this course is a true work of art.”

The club has 1,445 members, as well as direct family members, making a total of 2,800. However, as most don’t live in Sotogrande, the course is able to take 48 green fee players a day – that is, 12 groups (slightly fewer in August) – and has a fairly flexible schedule of tee times.

You play here at a fast pace, no longer than four and a quarter hours per group, which should be the norm anywhere. This is a commitment made by all players before teeing off; and furthermore you can, and “should”, walk. It’s not the same to use a buggy.

 

 

In 2004 the course was slightly lengthened, mainly from the white and blue markers, as its age had left it a little short taking into account the current golfing materials. Now, at 6,300 metres, it could be said that the course has been updated. Nevertheless, in matters of distance the Sotogrande climate has a major influence. It is easy to find yourself with two different courses from one day to the next, especially with the winds that prevail in the area: the Levante (easterly) makes the first nine more bearable and complicates the second; the Poniente (westerly), the opposite.

On this occasion I had the good fortune of playing a round with the young and efficient golf club manager, who – in addition to being a magnificent player, one of those who intimidates you – has the advantage of knowing the course inside out.

The day of my visit, Sotogrande was truly magnificent, one of those days that pumps you up to play golf and makes you suffer if you are unable to – especially with a course like this so close.

The par-4 first, 347 metres from the yellow markers (all distances mentioned here refer to the amateur tees), was one of the holes lengthened in 2004, about 15 to 20 metres, which allows you to put everything into the drive. There is water to the right, which with the Levante can be a danger, and two bunkers on the right, as well as a pine tree area at the landing area – which can cause some difficulties on the hole. The second shot, 130 to 140 metres to a large and gently sloping green, is relatively simple.

The second, an attractive par-5 of 454 metres, was modified slightly two years ago. The fairway was moved a little to the left with the idea, among others, of expanding the cork tree forest on the right (100 cork trees are planted on the course every year to renew the forest). It is a wide hole: on the right there is a lot of fairway, and on the left you can try to hit past the bunkers at the landing area. If you don’t make it this far you have an easy enough shot to a well-defended green, slightly elevated and with significant slopes.

 

If you don’t make the green, you won’t struggle to secure a birdie – you’ll struggle to secure a par! – as there is an out of bounds area at the back which can leave the ball unplayable. You have to play this hole aggressively, but with a cool head. You can reach the green in two hitting well but, if not, you have a difficult chip as your feet won’t be at the same level as the ball, in semi-rough that makes controlling the ball on a lively and very inclined green quite difficult.

 

The 389-metre third offers two options: use a short wood or an iron to the centre of the fairway and then hit a wedge to a well-defended and complicated green; or use a driver or 3-wood off the tee, closing the shot a little, and leaving virtually a chip to the green. The trouble is, the green is surrounded by bunkers and this makes it a difficult shot. It can be a birdie hole if you play it well.

The fourth, a 175-metre par-3, handicap index 1, has to be played perfectly; if not, a bogey is guaranteed. With a rising fairway, you have to make the green and, even achieving that, two putts are not easy.

The 307-metre par-4 fifth requires a wood and iron off the tee as, hitting a driver, will leave a second shot to the green sloping down and in semi-rough. There is a dip in front of the green – which is elevated – so leaving the ball short of this ensures a flatter shot. Wind affects play here a lot. The first part of the green slopes up, so if you hit a good shot, with backspin, you are well placed in front of the pin. This means the second shot is the key. If you miss to the right you have an almost blind approach; and if you do so to the left there is a bunker and you have to stop your chip quickly.

The sixth, a 449-metre par-5, is a recovery hole. With a good drive, to the right, beside the rough, you have a relatively easy and short second shot to the green. As the hole is a dog-leg right, if you close the shot a little you are left with a true par-5, making it difficult to reach the green in two.

The 330-metre par-4 seventh changes considerably depending on if you play it from the white or yellow markers. From the professionals’ tee (382 metres) the fairway is spectacular, an authentic “tube”. The holes slopes down, with a dog-leg left. You will almost certainly have to play the second shot with your feet below the ball. There are also two bunkers at the landing area, and if you hit into one of them your second shot is hell. The green is very narrow, defended on the left by bunkers and cork trees, with a lake on the right, the direction in which the hole slopes. The hole is considered one of the best in the world, in those rankings that rate every aspect.

The eighth, 177 metres, is another tough par-3 though perhaps the most anodyne hole on the course. With a rising fairway, it forces you to hit a long iron or wood and put everything into the shot. If you miss the green, a par is difficult as it is a devilish shot: rising and with the pin always in a complicated position.

The 317-metre par-4 ninth offers an interesting drive: if you hit a poor shot the hole becomes difficult; if you hit it in the right place the fairway widens and the ball sits up 70 to 80 metres from the green that is not particularly complicated. It can be a birdie hole.

The 10th, a 379-metre par-4, is another of the more difficult holes at Royal Sotogrande Golf Club (handicap 2). It is a 90-degree dog-leg right, and there are two options: hit to the fairway opening the shot a little, which leaves a second shot of 170 to 180 metres, rising to a green with a narrow opening; or try to hit over the cork tree forest at the dog-leg and then, if you make it – and this isn’t easy – be left with an 80-metre shot. The wind also has a significant influence on this hole.

On the other hand, the 11th is a recovery par-4, 302 metres, handicap 18. It is an attractive hole with an elevated green, reachable (or at least able to get close) when the Poniente is blowing and hitting a good drive.

The American style of the course really begins from the 12th. The next three or four holes are truly spectacular.

The par-5 12th, 504 metres, has a very wide fairway, almost 60 metres, and a margin of 30 more metres to a beautiful lake. It is not easy to hit into the water from the tee, but it can happen. Trying to reach the green in two, no matter how big a hitter you are, is a serious risk as there is water in front and the green is very short, though not overly difficult.

The 13th, a par-3 of 166 metres, can trick you on first sight. With wind in your face it can be especially tough as there is water everywhere, and that has a psychological effect. You have to hit a powerful shot and straight. The green is fairly flat.

The 438-metre 14th is another par-5, which could also be considered a recovery hole. There is a large lake in the middle of the fairway, making it difficult to reach the green in two, and hitting over the lake would be almost a miracle – only possible for the biggest hitters. The green is elevated once again, meaning you will need one or two clubs more.

The par-4 15th, 383 metres, can be interminable when the Levante is blowing. The fairway is wide but with out of bounds on both sides at the landing area. With a good drive from the tee, the second shot will be about 170 metres to a green that is very small and flat, but extremely hard. Stopping the ball here is difficult.

The 341-metre par-4 16th is a straight hole, with water on the right but which hardly enters into play as the fairway is wide. The second shot to the green is very open but with few reference points.

The 17th, a 142-metre par-3, is very much designed in an American style. There is water in front of and behind a green whose slopes are difficult to read.

 

 

The final hole was also lengthened with the renovations a few years back. It is a par-4 of 374 metres which invites you to put everything into the drive. The second shot is long and with virtually no reference points. The green is fast and complicated. It is not a spectacular hole to finish the round but you have to hit the ball hard and straight

Playing at Royal Sotogrande Golf Club is a privilege and a true joy. The course is impeccable and at all times you have the indefinable feeling that you are playing on one of the finest courses in Spain. A classic which very few have been able to surpass or even equal.

But the recent nostalgia of playing the course ends when you reach the 19th. The clubhouse is a real delight and, as to be expected, there are also two options here: stay in the cafeteria, which has a superb terrace overlooking the first tee and 18th green, or head to the restaurant. Without a doubt, one of the best in Sotogrande and possibly on the Costa del Sol. The relationship between price and quality is incomparable. The cuisine, created by Basque chefs who have lived on the Coast for many years and Andalucian colleagues achieves a spectacular fusion predominated by fish but also featuring excellent meat and very attractive creative dishes.

Royal Sotogrande Golf Club also has a short course described by the manager as “like a Formula 1 wind tunnel… We have such a variety of holes,” he says, “that it is possible to play more clubs here than on the main course, as you can find yourself in all kinds of situations.”