John and I arrived at the security gate at the entrance of the Santa Clara community. The guard smiled and cordially waved us through. As we turn into the car park I notice how well decorated the car park is. Mediterranean plants and bushes of every imaginable hue. Large parking bays affording us plenty of room to open the car doors wide enough to easily extract golf bags, drivers, 3 woods and other golf related detritus . Very thoughtful!
Walking from the car park towards the pro shop and caddy master we walk alongside the driving range. I see 8 golfers in pre-round warm up and one poor soul having what might be his first lesson. Located adjacent to the clubhouse, the first and tenth tees and the 18th green, Santa Clara has made the driving range an integral part of the experience. I like it.
With golf bags deposited in the convenient bag stands outside the pro shop we enter and are met with a beaming smile from the caddy master. We are a little early for our tee time. The caddy master invites us to make ourselves at home, “Mi casa es tu casa”. A glass of complimentary cava is offered, a seat on the clubhouse terrace is preferred. I usually turn to drink for support immediately after a round of golf, so, I order a coffee, sit on the terrace and soak up the atmosphere.
I am blown away by the cheerful and positive ambience around the clubhouse and absolutely mesmerised by how pretty the golf course looks from here. My first impressions are tremendous.
JW and I watch a poor soul suffering through an early lesson from the terrace. If he is lucky he will get to the end of the lesson without hitting a single good shot in which case he will walk away from the driving range and remain a free man. If he hits just one ball that soars into the air then he will be hooked. Years and years of character building frustration ahead of him. The professional makes a couple of tweaks to the students grip and “crack” – the ball is perfectly struck, another new golfing brother is born!
He could not have chosen a better family to have been born into than Santa Clara Golf. This is a golfing utopia.
Designed by Enrique Canales Busquets who also designed Santa Clara Granada and opened in 2002 Santa Clara Golf is a charming facility that will bring smiles to all who play here. This is a golf experience that is imbued with kindness and a generosity of spirit.
At 5500m this is not a leviathan golf course designed to make DeChambeau tremble. There are other courses along the wondrous Costa del Sol to take care of that.
Santa Clara Golf is all about the experience. Fun. Laughter. Joy. They want you to have a good time. Irrespective of how good or bad your golf is, they want you to have fun, to relax and to be happy whilst you are amongst the Santa Clara family. Golf is a part of the experience, the hospitality , the atmosphere and the fun factor provide the truly memorable things which make a good day into an unforgettable day.
Location
Santa Clara Golf is a few hundred meters from the glamour and bustle of downtown Marbella. Thirty minutes from Malaga airport, 60 minutes from Gibraltar. Santa Clara Golf enjoys the perfect location for Marbella based golfers.
Facilities
Clubhouse
Golf Academy
Lockers
Changing Rooms
Showers
Bar
Restaurant
Bar Snacks
On Course Drinks
Driving Range
Practise Ground
Santa Clara Golf – Players review – Santa Clara Golf Course White Tees 5863m Yellow Tees 5511m Blue Tees 5189m Red Tees 4765m
Santa Clara Golf First 9 Holes
Santa Clara Golf Hole 1 Par 4 Stroke Index 14 White Tees 340m Yellow Tees 321m Blue Tees 321m Red Tees 310m
Everything at Santa Clara Golf is tidy and well presented. It is an exceedingly pleasant place to be. Especially this first tee. The tenth tee is immediately on your left separated by an ornate hedge and the cart path. The 10th,1st and 9th fairways are effectively one. There is a thin line of rough between each for purposes of demarcation, however, for purposes of overcoming first tee nerves you can consider it to be one glorious prairie like fairway impossible to miss!
A short par 4 to get started.The ideal line to take is at the bunker which is to the left of the putting surface. A tree sits on the right edge of the fairway 230m from the tee, make sure to play to one side or the other, don’t get stuck behind it. A small green awaits. Only one bunker guarding the rear left, otherwise it’s open affording good chances to chip and putt for your first par of the day. A rather pleasant way of getting your round under way.
Santa Clara Golf Hole 2 Par 4 Stroke Index 12 White Tees 262m Yellow Tees 257m Blue Tees 224m Red Tees 219m
A rather testing hole! Originally a tough unforgiving par three the management team at Santa Clara Golf have improved the course hugely by changing this to a par 4.
This is a cracker of a hole is a dog leg following the cart path around to the left. Beyond the cart path is the river marked by red stakes. The safe line is to play towards the end of the fairway where it turns to the left and leaves a short chip into the small green. The heroic or perhaps Quixotic amongst us may try to muster a high draw with a driver or 3 wood to deliver the ball to the green in one blow. A huge risk for little reward. Most of the pars and birdies will come from laying up and then hitting a short iron into the pin.
The green is guarded by a pair of column-like palms forming a grand entrance to the green. At the base of the palm trees is a shallow bunker. Thoughtfully all the bunkers here are friendly to those of us with a sand phobia and by and large you can putt to safety.
Like the first this is a gentle hole which will yield as many birdies as it does pars.
Santa Clara Golf Hole 3 Par 3 Stroke Index 18 White Tees 186m Yellow Tees 168m Blue Tees 161m Red Tees 160m
A long climb up to the tee box will reveal a daunting par 3 ahead of you. The green is 15m below. The river which features on so many holes at Santa Clara Golf runs along and close to the right side of the hole. A bunker sits on the right edge of the green, the last chance of salvation before the river bed.
Two bunkers guard the front and left but are 20m short of the green and will only catch those that elect to lay up on this par 3 and over cook the tee shot.
The green is well contoured and perfectly presented running fast and holding its line.
This is the first of four outstanding par 3’s.
Santa Clara Golf Hole 4 Par 4 Stroke Index 8 White Tees 329m Yellow Tees 317m Blue Tees 307m Red Tees 274m
It’s a short drive across the river crossing adorned by the thatched roof providing some shade and looking rather lovely.
Now the river runs along the left of the hole on its journey to the green. A straight hole, the green is visible from the tee. The line for the tee shot is at three rust colored turrets sited on the right of the green.
The fairway is banked on the right side and will send balls back towards the closely mown grass. The river encroaches into the fairway 180m from the tee creating what appears to be a narrow point. Don’t let this optical illusion hamper your confidence. Aim right – as far as you want and everything will work out just fine!
Anything that is hit to the left probably is not going to have a happy ending!
Any form of reasonable drive will leave a short shot for your second shot into the green. The further right you aim to avoid the water will make that second shot more difficult as you will have to contend with a side hill lie.
A bunker set between the greens edge and the river is the only other defence on this hole. The river itself is scary enough! A small green with a tier running through the middle of the green asks that second shots be precise if you wish to pursue a birdie.
Santa Clara Golf Hole 5 Par 4 Stroke Index 10 White Tees 317m Yellow Tees 304m Blue Tees 263m Red Tees 241m
The path from the fourth green winds and rises to the elevated platform that makes the fifth tee. This is a tough hole. The green is visible across the valley shaped fairway. The green is narrow and cut into the bank with sheer drops over the back and to the right making it a tricky target to hit. The fairway is narrow, threading a needle is a good image to carry. The 6th fairway is above you on the left and the 4th below on the right. Whilst this hole looks terrifyingly tight, there is in fact enough room to hit your tee shot and be sure of having a decent shot at the green with your next.
From the fairway to the green is an elevation of 15m which in turn might add 2 or even 3 clubs to the second shot. Distance control now becomes an issue as being short or going over the back are certain ways to drop at least one shot.
The first two opening holes were very gentle affairs offering elementary pars or better. The third a superb par 3 demanding an excellent strike from the tee, then comes this hole! A terror set in a beautiful surrounding!
Santa Clara Golf Hole 6 Par 3 Stroke Index 6 White Tees 186m Yellow Tees 176m Blue Tees 166m Red Tees 139m
John and I both noted that the par 3 holes here at Santa Clara Golf are very special. Nothing less than 160m required with the tee shot with dreadful danger located on one side or the other! Superb!
This hole is no exception. Playing 180m today to a long thin green cut into the steep mountainside. A miss to the left and you will be playing from the bottom of the mountainside back to this slender green. There is a lay up point 40m short of the green slightly to the right of it, if you feel unsure about your chances of success from this tee then I urge you to lay up and take your chances of saving 3 with a good chip and putt. If you miss to the left then a bogey is the best you can hope for.
This is an excellent par 3 of the toughest challenge but offers less skilled players an option to walk away with their score card intact.
Santa Clara Golf Hole 7 Par 4 Stroke Index 4 White Tees 318m Yellow Tees 303m Blue Tees 290m Red Tees 249m
This is a wonderfully challenging driving hole. This par 4 is not long at 318m, however the elevation from the tee to the green make its playing length more like 360m. The view from the tee up the steep fairway is designed to test your nerves. Steep banks rise either side of the narrow avenue of light that your drive must follow before the hole widens to more generous proportions. Such was the intimidation factor on this tee that both JW and I were unable to hit it past the red boxes. Two dreadful drives veered immediately to the left devoured by the steep sided walls of rough.
A good tee shot will get you 200m up the fairway and leave you with 120m to the green. Add three clubs to compensate for the elevation and you will have conquered a most ferocious looking hole!
The green is a large target surrounded by a close cut apron. Bunkers on the front left and right will catch mis judged 2nd shots that did not allow for the elevation.
Santa Clara Golf Hole 8 Par 5 Stroke Index 2 White Tees 499m Yellow Tees 489m Blue Tees 458m Red Tees 440m
We are at the high point of the golf course. The view from here is spectacular. Take a moment or two to soak it up, it’s good for your soul!
This is a technical par 5 that offers clear options based upon risk and reward. I white sighting pole sits on the right of the fairway as you see it from the tee, this denotes where the middle of the fairway is should you elect to take the tiger line. A successful drive on this line will leave you with a very “do-able” second shot into the green and an almost certain birdie!
JW and I elected a more conservative strategy as both of us were swinging like a broken bathroom door! A bunker on the left edge of the fairway on its crest line before it falls to the valley floor was our chosen line. JW found the center line perched on the top tier of the fairway with a 3 wood to the green. The less said about mine the better!
The fairway is saddle shaped with both left and right edges raised. The banked rough on the right will help slightly errant shots. Anything pulled significantly left will never be seen again!
As the fairway journeys towards the green it remains consistently narrow offering about 25m of cut portion. It’s narrow enough to make defensive play an attractive option. The key thing here is to hit whichever is your most comfortable club for your second shot. The closer you get the easier your third will be. This tough looking hole can be friendly if you are able to stitch together a couple of good shots!
Santa Clara Golf Hole 9 Par 4 Stroke Index 16 White Tees 337m Yellow Tees 306m Blue Tees 293m Red Tees 262m
The ninth fairway runs alongside but in the opposite direction to the first fairway on your right. You are playing towards the clubhouse. A well timed wave will get you the attention you need to have a couple of cold beers in the pipeline to sustain for the back nine!
The green is tucked to the left behind a small copse of cork trees. The monstrous hitters may attempt to carry the trees or shape a ball around them in order to reach the dance floor. The easier approach is to play directly at the club house to the right of the trees and leave a straight forward pitch into the green.
A bunker and a lovely cork tree guard the front of the green. Your second shot needs to clear the tree to qualify for a birdie putt. Such a pretty hole.
This front nine has been a joy. We have waved hello to 20 greenkeeping staff on our way around, each of them busily tending to the beautiful gardens, trees and flower beds that make Santa Clara Golf a place of outstanding beauty.
We have not played sterling golf, but the golf course was kind to us, forgave us some of the terrible errors and whilst our scoring was lamentable it is of no measure when compared to the pleasure of being here.
A quick beer and then on to the 10th!
Santa Clara Golf Golf Back 9 Holes
Santa Clara Golf Hole 10 Par 5 Stroke Index 3 White Tees 459m Yellow Tees 451m Blue Tees 439m Red Tees 429m
This is a beast of a hole. From the tee you see the river crossing the fairway about 80m short of the green, certainly no danger to you from the tee. You have the first fairway on the right, to your immediate left runs the 18th fairway separated from your fairway by a single line of palm trees. The sense of open space is nothing more than a trap!
That familiar river snakes its way alongside the 18th then running alongside the 10th dangerously close to and obscured by the line of trees on the left fairway predating on drives hit too far left of the centre line.
The best line from the tee is on the right side of this fairway avoiding any curvature to the left. Your next thought is how to navigate the difficult second shot.
Option 1 is to lay up short of the point where the river crosses the fairway. This is the safest, or most negative strategy. The plus sides are that it leaves you on the flat part of the fairway with 140m or so up a steep incline to the green.
Option 2 is to for your second shot over the river crossing leaving a much shorter shot into the hugely elevated green but from an uphill lie.
Option 3 is to attack the green with your second shot.
We can discount Option 3 unless spinach is a major part of your diet.
Be brave, get yourself over the river crossing, make your 3rd shot as stress free as possible!
The green sat atop the steep hill is tricorn in shape and deliciously contoured. Getting yourself on the wrong side of the green can leave an alarming putt! The green is banked at the back and sides giving a rather attractive amphitheatre effect.
This is a great hole and demands that you decide upon a strategy as soon as you step on the tee. You need to get the “right” drive away in order to hit the “right” second shot which in turn facilitates the third shot that makes you most comfortable.
Matched with its splendid and imposing vistas this is a wonderful way to begin the back nine!
Santa Clara Golf Hole 11 Par 4 Stroke Index 11 White Tees 289m Yellow Tees 281m Blue Tees 266m Red Tees 258m
A short wide and almost vertical par 4! As I stood on this tee I had an irresistible urge to go for the green. After a few high speed practise swings I gave it my best efforts and uncorked a cracker. Nowhere near! I still had 50m to go, with the steep incline that played close to 90m. So this innocuous looking par 4 measuring less than 300m actually plays more like 350m!
It’s a wide fairway with banked rough on the extreme right which helped nudge my ball back towards the fairway and OOB on the extreme left as only the most miserable of shots will discover.
If you happen to throw one over the fence then I suggest you crack open a beer, watch your playing partners come up short with their second shots and take a moment to enjoy the sheer natural beauty that surrounds you at Santa Clara Golf.
This is an exquisitely pretty place, beautifully adorned with flowering trees and bushes providing iridescent flashes of red, yellow and purple blossoms. I later learned that the rough has been landscaped and laid out to display all of the natural flora found in Andalucia.
Santa Clara Golf Hole 12 Par 4 Stroke Index 5 White Tees 418m Yellow Tees 352m Blue Tees 345m Red Tees 266m
This hole too is a visual treat. From the tee looking down the hillside to the green your eye is taken by the aureate waterfall running underneath the hand built wooden bridge into the lake below. Fabulous!
Sited to the right of the green this beautiful feature poses little threat to your golf ball unless you are a long way off line!
The out of bounds fence runs close to the left side of the hole for the first 200m until the fairway widens.The ideal drive to be aimed directly at the flag and cover a minimum of 200m leaving a reasonable second shot into a generous sized target.
Aside from the water feature the green has 3 bunkers rear left, front right and front left which are all sited 10m or so for the putting surface. The green runs from the back to the front giving very quick putts if you find yourself above the cup. This is another great hole.
Santa Clara Golf Hole 13 Par 3 Stroke Index 9 White Tees 204m Yellow Tees 184m Blue Tees 174m Red Tees 142m
This is an excellent par 3! Playing slightly downhill from the tee to the green this demands total commitment with your tee shot.
A lake runs obliquely across the hole 120m from the tee making the strategy choices obvious. Commit to a long iron or wooden club and fly the ball all the way to the green, or lay up short of the lake and hope to make a par with a chip and putt.
The green is large as you would expect on such a long par 3. There is quite a lot of room between the far side of the lake and the green. If your prospects of keeping the ball airborne for 160m are low then the lay up option makes more sense. This is a great hole, walking off here with a par brings with it a real “feel good factor”!
Santa Clara Golf Hole 14 Par 5 Stroke Index 1 White Tees 546m Yellow Tees 522m Blue Tees 493m Red Tees 487m
A rifle straight par 5 of 522m. The flag is visible in the distance which seems to make this hole appear even longer than it actually is!
Downhill from the tee to the mid way point then a gentle climb up to the green there is nothing to fear with the drive other than fear itself – it’s a wide fairway offering plenty of room, but, as wide as it is the out of bounds lines lurk on both sides of the fairway. Those weakened by the previous hole might allow a negative thought to restrict their swing if the drive is over thought!
Olive trees, Cork trees and rustic flora abound on the left side of the fairway as we advance towards our drives. This is a wealthy area of Marbella, some beautiful homes have been built on the periphery of the golf course. Santa Cala Golf is a wonderful place to live or have a second home.The peace, serenity and beauty of this place add such pleasure to the overall experience.
From the bottom of the fairway looking up towards the green it immediately becomes clear that this fairway is in fact much wider then perceived from the tee, all those thoughts of disaster were a waste of energy. Only one caveat – do not go left! Left is death! This is a great driving hole.
The fairway narrows as you get closer to the green, but please understand , it is by no means “narrow”, at its tightest point there is still 60m of fairway to use. There is no benefit in laying up with your second shot, just bash it as far up the fairway as you can get. In order to make a mess of my second shot I would need to hit it 30m offline to the right or 70m off line to the left, this is not narrow! Yet I still feel a little apprehension as I prepare to tonk my 3 wood for all I am worth!
A huge bunker guards the front of the green from 30m out to 15m short of the green. The green itself is shaped like a three leafed clover giving the greenkeepers plenty of scope to tuck the pin away! This is another superb hole at Santa Clara Golf. Beautiful to behold and beautiful to play!
Santa Clara Golf Hole 15 Par 3 Stroke Index 15 White Tees 170m Yellow Tees 165m Blue Tees 149m Red Tees 139m
We drive from the 14th green to the 15th tee going through a property development called The Residences.
The first thing that strikes about this hole is that it is again surrounded by the most beautiful Andalusian vegetation. This is the final par 3. This is the shortest at 165m but is nonetheless a long par 3.
The lovely homes of The Residences sit along the left of the hole. Bunkers guard the right front and centre of the green. 15m right of the bunkers is death, your ball will be absorbed by the beautiful countryside.
Out of bounds on the left is 20m for the green centre. Even though it is a long par three, your target is generous. Thoughtfully there is a lay up area short of the green in the wide part of the fairway for those that would rather play the percentage game!
This is a perfectly clear par three that will reward a great strike from the tee.
Santa Clara Golf Hole 16 Par 4 Stroke Index 17 White Tees 322m Yellow Tees 284m Blue Tees 242m Red Tees 231m
We drive over another of the pretty bridges that criss-cross the river running through Santa Clara Golf. I became conscious of how very pretty it is here. A perfect resort golf course of the highest standard. As we approach the tee we pass another team of green keepers busily keeping the course in pristine condition.
This is a short par 4, but for me is a chilling prospect. The river sweeps along the left edge of the fairway with out of bounds on the right. This is narrow and I am susceptible to trouble on the left!
JW relentlessly despatches a perfectly straight drive on the perfect line directly at the green. I am now a broken man. I discard my driver, reject the 3 wood, eschew my 2 iron and elect to poke a 5 iron up the fairway towards the bunkers that sit on the left edge just above the river gorge. Adios dear Srixon it was nice knowing you. I really have to fix my hook.
I found this hole imposing from the tee, not because of its length, but its perceived narrowness. All in my head!
The line to take is at the right side of the green, the terrain will knock your ball to the left. With a drive totalling anything more than 180 a short iron is your reward into the long slender green. A green length bunker sits on the left flank and will give a second chance to those who miss the green denying the river its coveted golf balls.
A short, elegant par 4 that tells you clearly what needs to be done. No advantage in being a long hitter, this hole is a certain win for those that hit it straight!
Santa Clara Golf Hole 17 Par 4 Stroke Index 7 White Tees 311m Yellow Tees 302m Blue Tees 285m Red Tees 221m
This is amongst the most interesting par fours I can remember! With many different (and obvious) strategies presenting themselves to you as you view the hole from the tee. Get it right and this is a strong birdie chance. Get it wrong and certain bogey will stain your card.
The fairway runs to the right following the high ground in a crescent shape arcing from the tee in a scimitar-like semi circle finishing at the green sat exposed on a headland.
The line of sight from the tee to the green runs into a deep valley, 20m below the tee box and the distant green. Thirty meters short of the green at the other end of the valley is the sheer face of the valley wall.
Option 1. – Driver directly at the green. It is almost certainly in range for many players, as the crow flies the distance to the green is 260m. The issue is can you hit it straight enough and can you hit it high enough to fly all the way over the valley and stop on the green. If you can’t then you can expect a score worse than bogey. If you are successful an eagle or birdie will be your reward.
Option 2. – Aim directly at the green. Leave your tee shot far enough back from the valley wall to be able to hit a lofted wedge into the green. From the valley floor it is a blind shot – very tricky but safer than going with a driver.
Option 3. Hit a hybrid or iron shot 170m to the corner of the dog leg and leave a level, easy wedge onto green. The safest option, but requires an accurate tee shot to find the fairway
The green is exposed on the highest point around. A large bunker sits on the left edge ( the front edge as you view it from the tee) of the green. A wonderfully technical hole that can seal your success or dash your hopes – Outstanding!
Santa Clara Golf Hole 18 Par 4 Stroke Index 13 White Tees 354m Yellow Tees 321m Blue Tees 315m Red Tees 300m
The river crosses the fairway 40m in front of the tee and runs obliquely across the fairway until it exits on the right side 160m from the tee. The river runs close to the right of the hole all the way to the green.
The tenth fairway is on your left giving plenty of emergency room. The danger here is that your tee shot needs to fly 160m to be sure of getting over the river, and also cannot afford to drift to the right.
There is plenty of room here, but the designer has used the features of the terrain to deflect your attention and to focus on the hazards! Similarly, as you view the green in preparation the green suggests that it is an island green surrounded by the ornamental lake that is such a beautiful feature visible for the clubhouse terrace. In fact the lake is behind the green and will only punish you if you hit it long. Very clever!
A reasonable drive will afford you a shortish iron into the green which is desirable. The lake might not be as threatening as it looks , but it is still a lake and we are still golfers with a healthy phobia of water!
A flat green that in common with all of the greens at Santa Clara Golf runs true and fast will bring your game to a most satisfactory concussion.
I did not play my best golf today, far from it. JW commented on both of our games, “The pair of us, we could not hit a cow in the arse with a banjo!” – sums up our current form very well.
This poor form has not left us with any vexation or other frustrations. The golf course is such a pleasant place to be it truly was a pleasure just to be here!
Summary
At 5500m Santa Clara Golf is not a long course, It has been well thought out so the par 4’s and par 5’s will yield birdies to those skilled enough to unravel the complexities of each hole yet not so punishing as to confound and frustrate the typical handicap golfer.
Santa Clara Golf is a kind, largely gentle golf course. At no point does Santa Clara Golf attempt to break your spirit or make you have a miserable day. Everything about Santa Clara Golf is focussed on giving you the best possible experience.
It’s not just about golf. It’s the warmth of hospitality, the kindness of the people, the care they have taken to make everything right for you. The ambience, the comfort, the view, even the way they have integrated the driving range so as to make it fascinating viewing from the clubhouse terrace. Santa Clara Golf is addictive, one visit will wet your appetite for more..
The Santa Clara Golf family wants you to come here and have fun. Come. You will.
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