6990 Yards
Par 72
Designers: Robert Trent Jones, Sr.

The story of Valderrama began over two decades before the course stepped onto the game’s global stage. Officially the Real Club Valderrama, after King Juan Carlos bestowed it with the “Royal” title, the club opened in 1975 and was called Los Aves, featuring a relatively lackluster course by Robert Trent Jones. Much of the prime land around the links was earmarked for residential real estate, preventing the architect from making the most of the canvas he was given. In the mid-1980’s, a new owner with deep pockets and big dreams purchased Los Aves and the surrounding property and recalled Trent Jones to unlock the true potential of the course now known as Valderrama.

The dramatic transformation of the original course left no hole untouched, with the primary objective being to turn Valderrama into a test for the best in the world. The two nines were reversed for dramatic effect, and the mundane 17th was turned into a proper penultimate hole thanks to the addition of the now notorious pond short of the green. What didn’t change with the new Valderrama, however, was the demanding task of finding the fairway.

Like many courses throughout the Costa del Sol region, Valderrama is carved through a dense forest of ancient cork. The trees are an ever present aerial hazard which are relentless in their quest to wear down even the most accurate of golfers. At times their presence will feel both excessive and annoying, with poorly placed shots in the fairway still contending with looming limbs. To imagine Valderrama without them, however, would be akin to Pinehurst without the Pines or the Monterey Peninsula without the Cypress. Come prepared for a number of punch 4-irons and choose your position off the tee wisely.

Aside from the 2,000 cork trees, perhaps the most defining characteristic of Valderrama is its impeccable conditioning. From the superb bunkering to the finest putting surfaces on the continent, the painful battle with the cork trees is at least partially offset by the realization that this is truly a masterpiece. It may seem like hyperbole to call Valderrama the “Augusta of Europe,” yet it’s a label which has been applied many times over.

Of course, Valderrama’s crowning moment was the 1997 Ryder Cup, which marked the first time the event was contested on Continental Europe. The sight of a jubilant Seve Ballesteros celebrating the victory in his home country was a scene ripped from the pages of a Hollywood script. Yet it was precisely the moment envisioned by Jamie Ortiz-Patino when he purchased a tired old course and transformed it into Spain’s preeminent club.

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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