La Reserva: A sampler of golf on Spain's Costa del Sol

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Valderrama maybe the only golf course on Continental Europe that American golfers recognize by name. The overnight fame this superb layout received after hosting the 1997 Ryder Cup matches - the first Ryder Cup to ever be held outside of Britain or the USA - was quite unique. But Continental Europe has an abundance of wonderful courses and many of the very best are located in Spain.

The Mediterranean Sea a plush clubhouse and one of Spain's premiere layouts makes La Reserva a must play for one and all.

La Reserva - Golfing splendor under the Costa del Sol's endless warm sun.

A temptation for big hitters La Reserva will penalize any inaccuracies severely.

Picture perfect La Reserva still presents a serious challenge for all.

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The course names may be unfamiliar, but in this part of the world, course designers take on a special significance and there is none better known for consistently producing the highest quality layouts than Cabell Robinson. Find a Robinson design and chances are you have found a winner.

Opened in 2003, La Reserva has a maturity way beyond its tender age and is already proved to be yet another winner from the house of Robinson. The prospects of hosting major international tournaments in the not too distant future seems to be written in the stars.

Measuring a hefty 7,370 yards from the back tees (one of the longest on the Costa del Sol) this is high quality Spanish golf on a Texan scale with views of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding mountains to match. It seems everything about La Reserva is grand. Generously wide fairways offer an irresistible temptation to the big hitters, but be wary, reaching the similarly large, multi-tiered greens in regulation is only half the battle. Where you arrive on greens of this size and subtlety makes the difference between a two putt and bogey, or even worse.

This is a layout that chomps at the bit in its eagerness to test all-comers, with a particular desire to push the tough guys to the extreme. Brawn without finesse is not good enough and the ability to use every club in the bag intelligently, is essential if you are to walk off of the 18th green with a respectable scorecard.

Water hazards are a major feature at La Reserva and come into play on six of the holes. The design is intelligent in allowing the average golfer, lacking in the bravado department, a more conservative approach, taking the water out of play. Always a friend of mere mortals, Robinson has also provided a selection of tee positions, allowing higher handicappers to reduce the rather scary length considerably and play within their own game.

Visually spectacular, La Reserva manages to be equally impressive in the challenge it presents. The scratch golfer playing from the back tees will be confronted with the sternest of golf examinations and a never ending variety of tests that demand careful thinking from start to finish. Frazzled and weary at the end of the round, the sense of achievement will stay with you for years to come.

There's an air of graciousness about this stylish, yet totally unpretentious layout that sets every players nerves at rest, yet it still sports a sense of humor, as if to let everyone know that golf is only a game and games are to be enjoyed. Attack this thinking man's golf challenge, too aggressively, with any lack of finesses and appreciation for the art of the game and the end result is all but guaranteed to be reflected in your score card.

Seldom do we find a layout with this kind of sensitivity toward all of its contestants, no matter whether high handicapper or scratch golfer. It's a rare privilege and one that should be (and can be) savored by players of every level. But that is a rare quality, which Cabell Robinson manages to integrate into each of his designs.

After playing La Reserva, save a little time for reflection in the bar or restaurant of the clubhouse, a plush, palace of a 19th hole, that fits in ideally with the grand scale of everything that is La Reserva. Very private, very exclusive and certainly, very special, enjoy this magnificent course and its unique surroundings while you may, it's an experience that shouldn't be missed. Visitor times are already in short supply and only becoming scarcer as the membership builds.

This small corner of the Costa del Sol, has long been known as the Golden Triangle, after its three most fabled courses, Valderrama (of Ryder Cup fame), Sotogrande (probably Spain's # 2 ranked layout) and the classic, San Roque Old Course. The addition of La Reserva and two others mentioned in the accompanying article, has certainly transformed that trio into at least a sextet of truly superb layouts.

It's a temptation too strong for any visiting golfer to resist, so take full advantage of your visit and play all six and if you have the time, linger a few days longer to sample a few more of the other golfing treasures that make this very appealing corner of the Costa del Sol, their home.

For a more ideas on how to include La Reserva and other top ranked courses of Spain's Costa del Sol in your trip ,together with the many other, non-golfing attractions of this delightful corner of Andalucia that has plenty of everything to appeal to one and all, click here.

©2009 David Brice / Golf International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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