e.mail info@casaresreal.com

On-site at Casares Real, cars are left in a secure underground car park and we have our own securely locked storage area near your car to safely leave your clubs. Local information on golf costs etc can be found in the apartment.

We asked Christian Horwood, a PGA Professional, to spend some time at Casares Real and check out the local courses. Please read on for his personal comments on five courses that he played.

Map of Golf Courses

SUMMARY OF 5 COURSES CLOSE TO CASARES REAL 

ALMENERA

While driving to Almenera on the Sotogrande estate I had my reservations of playing this course. I had been told that it was good value for money (only 85 Euros) but that set my cautious alarm bells ringing! However, on seeing the course on a beautiful blue-sky day I was not disappointed at all - I was itching to get out there.
The course itself is kept in very good condition and well maintained. The strong southerly wind can play havoc with trying to keep some of your tee or approach shots out of the well positioned and inviting water which is situated on half of the holes. The greens are of fantastic quality but not as fast as they look. There are a few elevated tee shots on this course allowing for the long hitter to get some serious hang time if you fancy trying to unleash one of your big drives! If you’re having a bad day on the course the stunning views will certainly make up for it; they are just breath taking, catching the North African coast on a good day. Due to water coming into play a lot, the holes do appear to be a little tight off the tee, the course is not very long but a good challenge for all standards as positioning is the key here!

Almenera sports fantastic practice facilities indoor and out, finishing off the Almenera experience. One not to be missed, being well worth the 85 Euros to play.

Almenera course rating        8/10 

LA DUQUESA

La Duquesa golf course encumbers a Spanish housing estate so due to this type of design most of the holes are sloping from one side to the other. If a slice or hook is your weakness then this course would be a tough challenge for you. The course is very attractive to the eye at the same time as making you somehow feel quite tense hitting your approach shots into these very small flag holding plates (greens). The greens run smooth and are of a medium pace and La Duquesa has well positioned bunkers dotted around the course ready to catch any off line shot! This course sports some dangerous holes so make sure your bag is stocked with golf balls! The course has beautiful looking fairways off the tee but take note not to loose your concentration as the slopes will crucify you. The views match the look of this course - just stunning - and for 90 Euros per round between May and September & 60 Euros at other times offers, I feel, very good value for money. A good score here would be from someone who has hit the ball very straight all day as again be careful to note the narrow fairways. This is a course I feel you will want to play again and again and is very near by too!

There are not very good practice facilities but a fantastic club house to drink away any frustration that you may have acquired from your stroll in the Spanish sun!

La Duquesa course rating        7/10 

SAN ROQUE 

If you’re choosing to play San Roque make sure that you book your game at least 2 days beforehand or earlier if possible as this is one of Spain’s most famous courses.
Playing San Roque was a great experience as the course was in tip top condition, but then the Spanish open had been held there three weeks earlier! I would say this is a course that should not be missed out if playing the Costa del Sol. The 155 Euros green fee does seem a little steep but does somehow carry it off as you can’t but imagine the world's best stroll down these beautiful tight narrow tree lined fairways. The course plays fairly long and the slick greens lead the way with climbing banks before them ready to catch that short approach shot from a duff strike or wrong choice of club! You will experience some delicious tee shots looking down some of these funneled fairways. Water does come into play a great deal and is very well positioned. There is some building work taking place around the course but the well maintained grass will certainly pull your attention away from all of that. For the short hitter this course may seem hard work as it does play long leading you to use lots of long irons but hey, we all need to practice with these! The greens are very receptive so if your game is on song then a good score could well be within your grasp here leaving a satisfying feeling when you depart that you have tamed this course! 

San Roque has great facilities and friendly staff helping to finish of a day which I’m sure you’ll really enjoy. A course that can’t be missed out!

San Roque course rating        8/10

SOTOGRANDE

I came away from this course feeling so elated as I knew I had just experienced four wonderful hours of golf on a morning I did not want to end! Having been lucky enough to play golf all over the world, I have to say the 160 Euro green fee was too cheap in my opinion! The green keepers here all deserve gold medals as this was up there with the best I have personally played. The course is short, enabling you to test your ability on those 80 yards approach shots and helping you to pick up a few possible birdies. You’ll love this target golf, hitting shots into these amazingly receptive, billiard and glass like putting surfaces. Don’t play this course if you have the yips as it will not cure your problem, only making it worse as these greens are very, very fast but satisfyingly very true though. Even walking down the fairways you can feel the sponge-like sensation under your golf shoes, the grass here is like velvet. I hadn’t seen grass this well maintained in ages. The fairways being soft are also fantastic to hit off, sporting low cut tight fairways helping you to produce that low rising ball flight, just waiting for the ball to land on its destination to see the ball suddenly show some serious back spinning! Half the course is tree lined and there are a couple of blind shots thrown in also to leave you with a very possible not so easy sixty footer on glass! Sotogrande sports lots of character even though the course is somewhat reasonably flat and leaves very generous space off the tee.

This course is so well designed and the club has great outdoor practice facilities and is a delight to play, a course that I personally could play everyday with pleasure. The dent in the pocket for the large green fee is well worth every single Euro and I feel one of the best on the Costa del Sol.

Sotogrande course Rating       10/10

ATALAYA

One of the slightly harder courses to find but worth that little bit of extra time map reading! This will be not the best course you’ll play but for only 60 Euros it will leave you with change for some refreshing cold beers to sink afterwards. This is a short course but does have some good challenging holes; the greens are fairly slow but still smooth and better than what you would normally play back in the UK. The sand traps here are deadly as they are very deep making the departure from these very difficult for the average golfer and still hard work for even the advanced player. The tall trees here help to make you feel very confused judging what club to use for your approach shots so choose your club wisely and commit to it 100%. Watch out too for the hidden creeks which appear from nowhere just waiting to swallow up your golf ball.

This course is not the best maintained that you’ll experience but still beats the weekend golf back home. Atalaya offers good value for money still even tough being at the lower scale of rates you’ll pay to play a course you will still enjoy and relish to play in the Costa del Sol sun.

Atalaya course Rating        7/10

Golf Clubs on the Costa del Sol

For further golfing information try www.andalucia.com/golf/home.htm, or contact us on info@casaresreal.com

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Last modified: 11 January 2007