The Costa del Golf Tour begins
The Costa del Golf Tour, one of the principal amateur golf circuits in Andalucía, is about to take place, with three tournaments and a grand final between now and July. The tour, which is organised by SUR and its Costa del Golf publication, begins at Guadalmina on 21 May and then goes on to San Roque Club (4 June) and Río Real (25 June) before the final, which will take place at Los Flamingos, the golf course at the Villa Padierna Hotel, on 16 July.
The circuit will be played under ‘Individual Stableford’ rules and access to the final will depend on the results of the three previous competition days, although players can register for one, two or all three days with a chance to play in the final. This championship, which has always been very successful, normally attracts around 500 amateur golfers.
José Duarte and Samuel Galván were last year’s winners in first and second category respectively, while Patricia Márquez topped the female table. Pedro Ortega, Javier Pérez, Fernando Hermana and Peter Zhivilo completed the ‘top 5’ of the competition in the first category, and Manuel Carlos Hernández, José Antonio Moreno, Juan Benítez and Antonio Ramírez did the same in the seond. Carolina Pérez-Estrada and Chara Cantone completed the first three women’s places.
The rules will be unchanged and this year it will once again be permitted to place the ball on the fairway, and the use of laser gauges to provide information about distance in a straight line.
The circuit starts off at Guadalmina, the course in San Pedro Alcántara, Marbella. The south course, which is the older of the two, consists of two 18-hole courses and one with nine holes. They were designed by Javier Arana, the grand architect of Spanish golf, in 1959 and are renowned for their difficulty. This makes them ideal for experienced players, thanks to their wide fairways with no ‘rough’ or water.
The north course was designed by Folco Nardi in 1973 and runs almost parallel to the southern one. It is shorter, with more undulating terrain and numerous water hazards which require straight drives down the centre of the fairways.
The other courses
The second stop for the Costa del Golf Tour will be at the San Roque Club, between Jerez and Marbella. Here the two 18-hole courses in the foothills of the Sierra Bermeja hold some surprises for golfers. The old course was created by Dave Thomas in 1990, with bunkers designed by Severiano Ballesteros, and it is considered one of the finest in Europe. The new course, which was inaugurated in 2005, has impressive panoramic views and large greens.
Before the grand final the players will head for Río Real, in Marbella, another of the most emblematic courses in the country. Open in 1965, it is popular because of its variety of trees and its 6,000-metre length. Some of the holes at Río Real are close to the sea, with spectacular views from the highest points and the course is suitable for professional players as well as amateurs, who will find that they need to use all the clubs in their bags because of its diversity.
Any amateur golfer can register for the circuit. They can choose to play on one or two days, or take up the Oferplan promotion and play all three for only 149 euros. For further information visit the Oferplan website.source surinenglish