Above par? Of course it is
When it comes to playing golf, Las Colinas is a world apart
ANOTHER day’s golf at Las Colinas is drawing to a close. As our shadows start to stretch across the balcony, there is just enough sunlight left for something to be pointed out to us. We are in a bar in the nearby coastal town of Campoamor, which, perched right on the edge of the Mediterranean, arouses your eyes from the moment you arrive.
‘Look down there,’ says a colleague, pointing towards a small speck a few miles further south. ‘That’s La Manga.’
It is an appropriate sight. For so long, sun-seeking golfers have viewed La Manga as the go-to destination not only in Spain but arguably in all of Europe. But the pecking order has now changed.
Las Colinas may not quite have the same global reputation but that’s only because it’s still relatively new. Opened in 2010, its list of awards is already quite staggering.
Still in its infancy, it has been named Spain’s leading villa resort for the past three years, the country’s best golf course and now Europe’s finest villa resort.
The fact Las Colinas has now surpassed so many of its com- petitors is perhaps best shown by the fact the European Tour continues to select it each year to host the second stage of its Qualifying School.
As rookie professionals fight it out to win their card, they are able to sharpen their skills at a short game facility designed by Spanish Ryder Cup legend Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Proprietor of the most gloriously unselfconscious warm-up routine in world sport, Jimenez appreciates the finer things in life. Style, class and sophistication; he wouldn’t choose to associate himself with the resort if it didn’t have all three in abundance.
The thing that strikes you when you arrive is the sheer enormity of the complex, nestled in a picturesque valley. A road snakes through the vast expanses to connect the villas and the clubhouse, surrounded by sand and lush greenery.
THE level of detail is what sets Las Colinas apart. Before I’ve hit my first shot of the day, I realise the small things matter. As I limber up on the first tee with all the grace of a malfunctioning JCB, the GPS on our buggy very kindly tells me the exact yardage of the bunkers into which my ball shall inevitably be deposited in a matter of moments.
But the back nine is where Las Colinas really comes into its own and justifies the 100 euro green fee. In an unusual layout of three par-threes, three fours and three fives, two holes really stood out.
At just 163 yards, the 14th only requires a mid-iron to the green. But, with a lake on the left and a stream short of the green, a watery grave awaits the inaccurate.
But Las Colinas saves the best for last. At a shade over 500 yards, the 18th is not the longest par-five you’ll ever play – but by God, is it difficult.
If you’re feeling bold, you can go for the green in two. But even if you lay up, the approach shot into a very shallow green guarded by a huge lake is still devilishly tricky.
Should you find the water, the terrace overlooking the final hole means your fellow guests will have ample opportunity to rejoice in your misfortune.
The course itself isn’t overly long but the undulations and heat are such that a buggy is definitely advisable.
Once you finish your round, you can dine in the clubhouse if you wish. But the year-round temperatures mean that, no matter how late you come off the course, al fresco is invariably an option at the Enso Sushibar. The vast majority of the warm and friendly staff speak fluent English.
Golfers will always judge a course based on others they have played. In that respect, Las Colinas has established itself as the benchmark in Spain.
Its official slogan is: ‘A World Apart’. By the time your stay has come to an end, you realise it is in no way misguided.