San Roque Golf Club (OLD & NEW)
The first of the two courses, built about 10 years before San Roque New, opened in 1990 and was designed by Dave Thomas and Tony Jacklin.
This corner of Andalucia is home to some off Spain’s top golf courses. With San Roque Old and New, Sotogrande Old and La Reserva and the most prestigious being
Valderrama, making this a premier destination for golfers.
San Roque Old opened in 1990 and was designed by Dave Thomas and Tony Jacklin.
Dave Thomas is famous for the Brabazon course at the Belfry, host of the Ryder cup and this is evident in the design quality of this course.
The hotel on the complex is first class and an ideal location for pure golf enthusiasts. Although most of our recreational golfers prefer to stay in Puerto Banus and travel the
30 minutes to the courses in this area, incorporating great golf and varied nightlife!
The course is set within the old Domecq sherry family’s summer estate. Built amongst rolling cork forests against the backdrop of the Sierra Bermeja Mountains, ensures magnificent scenery as well as top quality golf.
The old house has been tastefully converted into the club house and hotel, with
the initial impression being that you have arrived at a class golfing establishment.
On arrival you feel immediately welcomed to the exclusive environment, quality class,
For all its grandeur the staff are very friendly and will give you a warm welcome.
There is a bit more real estate development on the San Roque Old Course than San Roque New but this has been quite well done and is not too over bearing.
The Old course is technically less demanding than the New, which as been set up for lower handicap golfers. The old course green fees are more expensive that the new though, but this seems to be based more on its appeal to a wider base of players than any difference in quality.
The first nine wine through the cork woods. The landing areas are quite forgiving but approach shots into elevated green means careful club selection is needed. The surrounding cork trees line many of the fairways meaning that accuracy off the tee is important.
The elevations also require that fairway woods along with long and medium irons must be well struck to the required distance if you are going to post a decent card.
The second nine drops through ravines and winds itself back around to the club house.
Water on the 18th makes for a testing finishing hole if you have to hold your nerve.
There are a couple of weak holes on the back nine but overall the course proves a stern test of golf. So much so that it has been a regular host on the European PGA
qualifying school.
The greens on the old course are larger that than the new, making it easier for the average holiday golfer to get there in regulation, but the presure does not end there. The greens here are usually in superb condition, very fast and full of subtle contours – any pars will be well earned.
Your views.
Lovely setting in which to play golf. You really need to experience both courses if you are coming down this way, both different and both extremely enjoyable.
Ian Powell – October 2009-11-18
Not too long for a championship course and well within the limits of a club golfer.
We found it a lot more forgiving that the San Roque New. Tough greens though - so no relaxing until you can see the ball drop in the hole.
Bob Williams - April 2009.
Great course, we had asked Golf Malaga to put us a championship course into our package as a bit of a treat and we were not disappointed. All the buzz of a top class course but playable by some of our high handicap group. Only advice I can give is make sure you have a early night before you play !!!
Simon Harris - March 2009.
Have played the two San Roques, Valdarama and the Sotogrande courses. I personally thought they were not quite as well manicured as the latter two but they make for a great golf bonanza in this area.
Richard Mcdonald March 2009
Came down for the weekend and stayed at the suites for a wedding.
2 great days of golf, resort staff looked after us, excellent food. Would suggest you
fly into Gibralter though and not Malaga airport if you are just down for a weekend.
Henry Wyatt - June 2009
San Roque New is the best value course, out of the top class golf venues, on the west side of the Costa de Sol. So if you want to add a Championship Course to your holiday itinerary and at excellent value have a look at San Roque New.
San Roque chose Perry Dye, from the renowned American family firm of golf architecture Dye Design to develop the new course.
Dye’s courses are renowned in the US and Asia but has built relatively few in Europe. He is known for developing tough, visually stunning and ecologically friendly golf courses. For example, Whistling Straits which will host the US PGA in 2010 plus the Ryder Cup in 2020 and Kiawah Island Ocean Course in South Carolina, which will also host the US PGA in 2012.
Both these courses have a “British links” feel to them and Dye has used similar techniques at San Roque New, using pot bunkers and a wispy love grass on the banks of many of the holes to give it a seaside feel.
Visually and technically it is very different from the Old course. Many of the fairways appear very narrow, though they do open up somewhat in the landing areas.
Approach shots are particularly tough, not so much because of the size of the greens but in the way that fairways narrow to funnels. Testing use of mounds and bunker are also used to protect the entrances.
Water is limited on the course but comes into play on the 7th,9th ,14th and 18th holes.
On this part of the coast, close to the straits of Gibraltar and the Atlantic there are often strong winds blowing inland, many of the holes run adjacently causing additional challenges from the tees.
The par 3’s are all tough, especially the 4th which plays into a dome like green, all of which is carry.
As one would expect of a course of this calibre the greens are full of subtle contours. A new hybrid Bermuda grass, Tifeagle has been used, this coupled with the borrows makes a real test for the putter.
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The New course is exceptionally good value, and a rare opportunity to play a course designed by Perry Dye in Europe. The course is a tough test from the back tees and set up for low handicappers, attracting the EPGA to hold it qualifying school here on a number of occasions. That said the use of multiple tee systems and landing areas makes it open to all players.
Your Views
A stern test of golf. It was very quite when we played in early summer which meant we seemed to have the course to ourselves, which made for almost a surreal atmosphere. Very long, loads of bunkers to catch you out.
Gary Clements - May 2009.
For me Dye’s new course at San Roque is a cut above the old. I didn’t think it was at all manufactured and thought it felt more mature that the Old. I loved the links feel to the course, it was walkable and an excellent track for decent golfers.
Robert Cragg - March 2009
I expected more from San Roque New I must say. I found the course to manufactured compared to some of the others in the area and a bit cramped. That said the fairways, greens and tees were in excellent condition.
Mark James - Feb 2009
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