6719 Yards
Par 72
Designers: Dave Thomas, Seve Ballesteros

Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Bermeja mountains, the San Roque Club occupies a sprawling 340-acre estate of lush Mediterranean countryside. Once the summer home of the Domecq sherry family, the centerpiece of the club is the palatial mansion which served as host for the 1997 Ryder Cup teams, as well as the event’s gala dinner. The setting serves as an instant reminder that here on the Costa del Sol, time moves just a little slower, and the Spanish afternoons seem to stretch just a little longer.

San Roque is home to a pair of championship courses, the first of which opened in 1991 and established the club as one of Europe’s leading resorts. The course was designed by Dave Thomas, a stalwart on the European Tour who went on to stamp his name on a number of courses on this corner of the globe. Most notably, the offerings found at The Belfry, where the Ryder Cup has been contested a record four times since 1985.

Now known as the Old Course, the original San Roque links winds its way through an ancient forest of cork oak, placing a premium on accuracy off the tee. Thanks to the rolling terrain, many of those tees are perched on elevated ground, offering both superb views and a dash of distraction in equal measure. Things open up a bit on the back-9, but that relief is offset by a host of pesky hazards and the bunkering scheme put in place by Seve Ballesteros.

In addition to the demands off the tee, the collection of par-3s can quickly become problematic for the scorecard. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than the pint-sized 3rd hole, where a postage stamp green is fortressed by trouble left, right, and long. Laying up on a par-3 may not be a common strategy, but here it’s often a wise one. Ahead on the 7th, the steep uphill approach could require driver if the wind is unfavorable on the 200 yard hole. And then there’s the 16th, where a punchbowl-style green offers an interesting, albeit elusive, putting surface.

Simply put, from the magnificent setting to the delightful links, San Roque Old offers the quintessential Spanish golf experience. It’s a course which can challenge the professional ranks – as it did as host of the Spanish Open – while offering an enjoyable test for the amateur player. The finest of combinations for a leisurely afternoon on the Costa del Sol.

For more insight on planning your golf trip across the pond, visit the pages below, read our reviews, or have a look through our Yardage Book, where you’ll find answers to many of our most frequently asked questions.

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