Real Club Valderrama — Local services in San Roque

We played Real Club Valderrama on October 5, 2016. Our experience, from parking in the members parking lot with the assistance of staff, to a simply delightful late lunch in the superb grille, was pure bliss. Valderrama strikes you as larger (and sandier) than life. Like all the "renowned" (some deservedly, some not so much) courses in Spain and Portugal, the course is looong (6100 yards for SENIORS, only 6900 from the tips). The course was in pristine conditions, perfectly manicured and flawlessly landscaped. There were in excess of 200 workers busy on the grounds during our round. There is sand abutting nearly every landing area and nearly every green. The traps are huge and deep; the sand is consistently excellent. The greens are fast, but not excessively so, and they run true. They are, however, almost all contoured and the pin positions on some were sadistic. With a few exceptions, the landing areas are generous, but as noted above, well-trapped if you stray too wide. And there's the rub. On an early hole, you could smoke it down the left side of the fairway, ten yards off center and have an impossible shot to the green because you are coming in from the "wrong angle". If you chance the right side of the fairway, you risk the sand if you stray off the fairway by a few feet. The par threes are excellent. Each is challenging and requires precision. My only double bogey of the round came on a par three where I was a yard short. The design philosophy seems to be to force you to play your second shot long and putt downhill and downgrain. On greens running 9 or 10, that's doable. On Valderamma's greens running at 11-12, it is very difficult. Anticipate three putt greens. If I seem to be suggesting that Valderrama is a very difficult golf course, its only because I am. But it is fair – you can see (or anticipate) the trouble and you have conservative but safe options. You get into trouble when you try to score by forcing shots. And despite its difficulty, the course is IMHO a great golf course and a great golfing experience. One of my favorite one liners on new golf courses on distant shores is "I didn't come all the way from Michigan to lay up". At Valderrama, I should have and after four holes, I did. Valderrama is a great golf course because its tests every aspect of your game and challenges your ability to think on the golf course. We had a truly great golfing experience. One of the golf courses that deserve to be on any serious golfer's bucket list - and I haven't even talked about the great pro shop, practice...

Arriving thrue the security gate in to the back side of the magnificent facility and golf course. In the shaded parking two golf cars appear with staff gathering our golf equipment and kindly advice where to enter in to this fabulous course.

In the shop you are met with sophisticated kind personnel helping you register and guide you in the luxurious golf shop.

Entering the terrace with view over the most perfect ranch, training area and golf course I’ve ever seen it’s well worth starting with a lunch in the Spike bar just in the left corner of the terrace with reserved and polite waiters serving you. A friendly and relaxed tune in to this cocoon of golf tradition and money until you get your 45 minutes of warm up before tee time.

Tee up with the course host and your caddie of the day. Yes, you have to have a caddie if you’re new to the course and you need one to help you place the balls and to read the insanely fast and smooth greens. A car gives you the extra time to keep pace and enjoy the course even though I rarely use it other vice.

If golf is a main interest in your life or if you just have around 750€ or more to spare for a round of golf, lunch, caddie and cart you should do this! It’s 100 out of 100. An utterly luxurious experience, but most of all…The best golf course I’ve...

Valderrama is a cathedral of golf and it was absolutely a privilege to play here. The staff were incredibly accommodating with moving my tee time on short notice when my passport got stolen in the UK back in May.

The restaurant on property was wonderful as well and the showers were really nice have after my round.

Unfortunately my experience was completely ruined by the worst caddie I've ever had in my life. Caddies are human so the occasional misread is expected, but both myself and another person on my tee time felt he repeatedly gave terrible reads. What was worse was that, on multiple occasions, he started coughing loudly in the middle of my swing and didn't seem to have any awareness about his actions.

At the end of the day I'd be thrilled to play here again and would recommend it to anyone, but would also advise you to avoid Esteban...