Some friends and I had spoken, for what seemed like ages, about treating ourselves to a game at Valderrama and recently came to the decision, “There is no time like the present.” A tee time at Europe’s leading golf course cannot be obtained “at the drop of a hat” but, with fingers crossed, an application was made for a date in September. Our prayers were answered by Mercedes, who confirmed the reservation, and when the big day dawned the weather was simply perfect. Driving down the motorway I realised that very shortly our fourball would be walking the same fairways as the world’s best have done in recent years and wondered what other sport offers a similar opportunity. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio García, Padraig Harrington, to mention just a handful, have all taken on the challenge of this golf course with varying degrees of success. The chat in the car recalled the numerous difficulties encountered by Woods on the 17th hole and suddenly a feeling of total golfing inadequacy descended like a black cloud.

Valderrama is, well, just “different” and this becomes apparent when the first hurdle is faced: the strict security at the entrance gates. We were allowed through the barrier, although not before our tee time had been verified, and were then met and indeed made to feel very welcome by the genial general manager, Derek Brown. The average visitor to Valderrama feels a degree of apprehension about playing Europe’s leading golf course but Derek is the perfect host and his easygoing manner does much to quell the butterflies performing handstands in the tummy. While checking-in at the professional’s shop we were advised that Valderrama is a cash-free zone and if any in the party intended making a purchase we would need to fund a smart card, any balance remaining on the card being refunded on our departure. After that it was into the Spike Bar for coffee and a bite to eat and it has to be said that the service was first class. On display in the bar there are many memorable photographs from the 1997 Ryder Cup, while the smiling features of past Volvo Masters champions gaze down from the walls.

The moment of truth soon arrived and when we collected the buggies our clubs were already onboard so we headed to the first tee where a smiling starter wished us an enjoyable round. With start times at 15-minute intervals the match in front had departed the green before we were given the nod to drive off. Standing on the tee everything looked immaculate; indeed, the tee itself was in better condition than some of the greens recently encountered elsewhere. Stretching out in front there was a plentiful supply of inviting fairway; in fact, the opening hole did not appear to offer any threat. How appearances can be deceptive was all too soon apparent, as only one of our four walked off the green with a par.

The second has a big cork oak tree standing sentinel in the middle of the fairway and, although the trees lining both sides of the fairway have been cut back, it is perfectly obvious that position off the tee is all important. Indeed, this is true of practically all holes if the course is to be negotiated with even a modicum of success. Valderrama is not especially long and, most certainly, is not the type of course where you jump up on every tee with the driver in your hand, as each hole requires careful thought.

The ravine, which used to lie in wait at the end of the fairway on the left of the par-3 third, has now disappeared and in its place stand 100 mature olive trees; in addition, the putting surface has been increased by almost one-third.

Standing on the fourth tee the visual delights of Valderrama become obvious. Called “La Cascada”, 55,000 cubic metres of earth were moved in order to change it dramatically from a fairly mediocre hole into the signature hole of the golf course; so good were the alterations that the designer, Robert Trent Jones Sr., referred to it as among the top 10 par-5s in the world. Straight hitting is the key (or part of it!) but getting on in two is fraught with danger. The green has two distinct tiers and is guarded on the right by a lake, complete with waterfall, while the opposite side has an overhanging tree which is sure to catch any ball coming in from the left.

Standing on the forward tee of the seventh hole, the green appeared to be “miles” away and for amateurs it is a par-5. During the Volvo Masters the hole is played as a par-4 and, looking back at the championship tee, one can only marvel at the vast distances professionals can hit a golf ball, a fact that does not really come across on television.

The eighth hole is called “El Bunker” for the very simple reason that the elevated green is guarded on the front by a vast expanse of particularly steep-faced bunkering. Standing on the tee we welcomed the arrival of a refreshment buggy, carrying a selection of sandwiches and drinks, and settled for sparkling water prior to tackling the awkwardly shaped hole.

The ninth is an absolutely straight par-4, with a decidedly generous expanse of fairway, which provides a gentle finish to the outward journey around this magnificently presented golf course.

Then it was back around by the putting green and clubhouse to the 10th tee where memories of various play-offs during the Volvo Masters came to life. The one clearest in my mind was the year that darkness brought a halt to the sterling battle between Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer and it was decided that they would share the title. The left-hand side of the fairway must be favoured for two good reasons. First, from anywhere else there is no sight of the green and, second, any drive down the opposite side runs the risk of toppling down a slope into a waiting lake. A second lake guards the front left of the green so, on the approach shot, it is imperative to err on the long side.

The very severe left-to-right slopes on the fairway of the par-5 11th have already undergone major structural changes which make the landing area for amateurs more user-friendly but, such is the extent of the work still to be carried out, the professionals will have to wait a little longer before their task becomes any easier.

The short 12th is a well sheltered, delightful par-3 played to a green closely guarded by bunkers; while the following hole is a tree-lined par-4 which, incidentally, is the only bunker-free hole on the golf course.

The 14th is made difficult by the fact that you cannot see the elevated putting surface whilst playing your approach shot; while the 15th fairway gently meanders to the right where a large green is well protected by bunkers.

Sufficient club is the secret on the par-4 16th as the fairway slopes away to the right and a ball landing short will trickle away into places best avoided.

While the fourth hole may be the signature hole, the 17th is the one which gets the most mention, and is both revered and reviled in equal measure. With out-of-bounds lurking on the right, and not a much better fate on the left, the tee shot is crucial. Then the player is faced with the big decision: go for the green or lay-up? Even if the safer option is chosen a par is by no means guaranteed as the green slopes back towards a lake and many golf balls, having pitched on the green, have spun back slowly, sometimes ever so slowly, down the slippery slope and into the waiting water. Over the years this hole has come in for severe criticism from various top players, with one of them even suggesting it should be “dug up”. Tiger Woods had to fish his ball out of the greenside lake on a number of occasions, while Miguel Angel Jimenez brought the fans to their feet when he bagged that rarest of birds, an albatross, some years ago. Suffice it to say the penultimate hole at Valderrama has been the scene of many a disaster, not only at numerous Volvo Masters but also during the American Express tournaments and the Ryder Cup and, no doubt, there are more just waiting to happen.

The final hole has a huge cork oak standing at the front left of the tee, and what a crime it would have been had anybody listened to the cries of anguish from competitors during a recent Volvo Masters who suggested it should be cut down. Thankfully, Valderrama’s then president Jaime Ortiz Patiño remained totally deaf to the outbursts and the tree remains where it has stood, “since Adam was a boy”.

So a round of golf, walking the same fairways as the world’s best, came to an unforgettable end. What a day! What an experience! Valderrama is, indeed, just “different”.