Old Holts Golf Society
THE COURSES
MIJAS LOS LAGOS
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On arrival to Malaga we make the short 25 minute trip to play our first round of golf at Mijas Golf Club. We have played at Mijas before but this time round we will be taking on the longer of the two courses Los Lagos which translates to 'The Lakes' in English (enough said!). Los Lagos is currently the 22nd best course in Southern Spain and the 46th best course in Spain.
Los Lagos is a 7,148 yard, par 72 course, one of several Robert Trent Jones designs that are strung out along the Costa del Sol. The course was opened in 1976 and it is set in 150 acres and was completely refurbished in 2012. The gently undulating landscape with wide, open fairways, huge greens and several large lakes that feature at half the holes on the course.
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Los Lagos has many memorable holes and a contender for the best of thse is the 617 yard, par 5, stroke index 1, 5th (see video) where the fairway is restricted by a boundary wall all the way down the left. The hole narrows to a large waste bunker on the left at the landing area with water further along on the right, in advance of the offset green - risk/reward golf at its best.
SANTANA GOLF
Friday we head back up the coast to another new course Santana Golf, which is an 18 Hole golf course par 72 of approx.6,788 yards in length, set in 138 acres of picturesque parkland. The course, sympathetically laid out by the architect Cabell B. Robinson, is set in a former avocado plantation. The final result is a magnificent course with wide and well defined fairways on level terrain, hence easily walkable, where water features play an important albeit not excessive part in the overall design. Santana Golf is currently the 22nd best course in Southern Spain and the 46th best course in Spain.
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It is difficult to speak of a signature hole at Santana Golf as they all have something special to offer. The long Par-4 18th is one of the most demanding finishing holes along the coast according to the designer, with the lake along the right hand side and a narrow approach to the green. The 4th hole can only be defined with one word: spectacular. The views from the tee are magnificent and the ‘Campillos’ stream provides a challenging approach to the green; or what about the 8th hole, with a length of 602 metre (658 yards) considered to be the longest hole of the Costa del Sol and favouring the longer hitter; not to forget the 12th Par 3, playing downhill, with a very large undulating green, many a golfer would be happy to walk away with a three here... One of the most outstanding features of Santana Golf is without a doubt the variety in design, as each and every hole is differentiated by its own characteristics.
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Santana Golf is a demanding course with the unique design of each hole giving a continuous challenge. The layout of the greens, well protected by greenside bunkers, as well as the many water hazards spread throughout the course, will challenge every golfer and require good course management as well as the use of every golf shot in the bag. This course will please Mr Taylor as the Calzada (or Booted) eagle, which can occasionally be seen soaring on the warm Spanish thermals.
Its name comes from the gully (“cañada” in Spanish) which as we all know is on the 18th hole. This course has no big difficulties except the wind factor that comes into play at certain times and will give all level of players an interesting game that will require the use of all your clubs.
The front 9 are laid out near the main road, whilst the back nine occupy the more undulating landscape, characterized by fine bunkering and interesting greens.
The better holes on the course are undoubtedly the par five 10th and (stroke index 1) hole 12, but the best is saved until the last where a brave tee shot is called for at the 18th, across an intimidating ravine, with fine views of the Guadiaro river and Mediterranean Sea in the background.
LA CANADA
On the Saturday we take the short trip back to La Canada Golf Course ranked the 55th best golf course in Southern Spain. La Cañada Golf Course is the Costa’s first municipal golf course. Located in a raised area of Guadiaro, this is a very pleasant course to play with amazing views of the Mediterranean, the local mountain range and the River Guadiaro. This 18 hole, 6,150 yard long off the yellow markers, par 71 course offers a good mixture of shots and features plenty of water and well thought out obstacles.
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La Canada is something of a hidden gem and the final three holes are a pure joy. The 18th caused plenty of us to shit our pants when arriving at the tee.The huge abyss which has a carry of about 197-yards (great shot again Mr Walker) before it arrives out onto the fairway; anything less will require a re-load (Tommo) and three off the tee, and so on! The buggy-path brings you right around the edge of the gorge which must be an egg hunters paradise. The fairway slopes severely from right to left as it rolls down onto a plateau from where you can see the green, while over the back does not look in the slightest bit inviting (which I can confirm is correct, nil points).
Although not of 24-carat quality, the variety of the holes, and dramatic views of the countryside, makes La Canada a delight to play hence why we are returning again this year. It could be suggested that the course keeps its best until last and, with golf being a game of memories for most of us, those final three holes provided moments of exhilaration, or possibly despair, which will last for some time.