Santana - an unforgettable walk with avocados!

By the year 2000, the Costa del Sol could already boast more than forty golf courses between Málaga and Gibraltar. Due to the natural geology of the area, many of these were euphemistically described as "undulating", but since buggies are usually the order of the day, this has not been a serious problem. But for those who prefer to walk eighteen holes, the choice has always been somewhat limited if one is thinking of a fairly flat, but interesting course. Those which immediately spring to mind are Parador's Royal Málaga Golf Club and Mijas Golf's Los Lagos course, but these were constructed in 1925 and 1976 respectively, when plenty of suitable land was available at low cost. During the late nineteen nineties, several landowners had decided that avocados would be the next "big thing" (what's that got to do with the price of fish? you may ask). The answer is that avocados never really did become the next "big thing" and suddenly, a prime piece of land became available, soon to become home of Santana Golf Club. The new Irish owners, employed the services of American course designer Cabell B.

Robinson, who learned his trade under Robert Trent Jones senior, as his European director. When Cabell decided to go it alone, his first assignment in Spain was to design the South & North courses for the La Cala Golf Club on a tract of land which resembled a lunar landscape. His achievement in producing two excellent golf courses secured his reputation as one of Europe's top golf course designers.

The land which was home to a huge avocado plantation was obviously destined to be a golf course right from the beginning and Robinson has produced a gem, the equal of any course on the Costa del Golf. Avocado trees still line many of the fairways, along with bountiful orange trees - many a golfer has returned home with a kilo or two of both. But the course itself has been designed as a fair test for golfers of all abilities, with its generous fairways and large undulating greens. With very little rough, the course is exactly as a resort course should be; not too long, rewarding good shot-making but not penalising the odd stray shot too severely. Green fees at Santana are a little higher than most east of Marbella, but those who have played there agree it is excellent value for money. A visit is strongly recommended and you can book your start time with Golf Leisure Breaks, by calling Julie or Leila on 952 582 943.