Most visitors to the Costa del Sol
bring little more than a bathing suit. But consider carting
your clubs along as well. Spain's Golden Triangle of
exclusive golf courses now welcomes visitors.
Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world. Yet, in four out of
five rounds during last November's World Golf Championship at
Valderrama in Spain, he put his ball in the pond fronting the 17th
green. He wasn't alone. Most of the players on the leader board
that Sunday likewise challenged the pond and lost. Valderrama
inspires such drama: It's the type of course the pros hate and the
fans love.
Until recently, it was also very private, as were most of the best
links in Spain's Costa del Sol. Today, however, travelers can pack
their 6-iron as well as their swim trunks, as Valderrama and other
fine courses nearby have started rolling out their green carpets
for visitors.
The Costa del Sol, or Coast of the Sun, is aptly named. The region
receives approximately 320 days of sunshine each year, and is famed
for its sandy beaches and touristy nightclubs. While much of the
50-mile strip along Spain's southern coast, stretching west from
Malaga, is overbuilt, the far western end, where the top golf
courses are located, has remained tasteful and exclusive.
Valderrama, the self-proclaimed "Augusta of Europe," consistently
ranks highest among the courses in continental
Europe in most major
golf magazines. It is considered one of the preeminent designs by
one of the world's preeminent designers, Robert Trent Jones Sr.,
who has completed close to 500 courses worldwide. Valderrama burst
onto the world scene after television coverage of the 1997 Ryder
Cup, the first time the tournament was held outside the British
Isles or the U.S. The club has few members and is only open to
outside play two hours a day, so the course is kept in exquisite
shape (to the point of closing down for maintenance during the
month of June). With its signature stands of twisted cork trees,
huge bunkers, carefully tended flowerbeds, and assorted lakes,
ponds, and waterfalls, Valderrama is truly one of the most
beautiful courses in the world.