La Reserva Club Sotogrande

The verdict

Sotogrande is hallowed ground, the address of Valderrama and the Real Club de Golf, and La Reserva is the part of it built for the modern age. Cabell Robinson opened the course in 2003 on rolling, elevated land, and used every contour of it, with tumbling fairways, generous landing areas and large, boldly contoured greens. It is a par 72 of around 7,000 yards, and from the higher ground the views stretch to the sea, to Gibraltar and on a clear day across to the mountains of Morocco.

It plays as a big, confident resort course rather than a fiddly members layout. The width invites you to open your shoulders off the tee, but the approach shots, into elevated and well guarded greens, are where the round is won and lost. Add the polished clubhouse, the beach club and the wider lifestyle offering of Sotogrande, and La Reserva is the natural luxury base for a Costa del Sol golf week that wants both quality golf and a sense of occasion.

The holes worth the trip

La Reserva opens onto the kind of width that encourages a free swing, and the early holes reward the player who takes on the drive and sets up the right angle into the green. The land moves throughout, so judging the slope of the fairway and the run of the ball is part of the test, and the elevated tees give you the views that make the round so memorable.

Water comes into play on several holes, framing greens and forcing a committed approach, while the large putting surfaces ask for precise distance control rather than mere accuracy. Three putts come easily here for the player who lands on the wrong tier, so reading the slope and flighting the iron to the right portion of the green is the difference between a good number and a frustrating one.

The closing stretch climbs and falls with the terrain and brings the water back into the picture, a finish with enough drama to settle a match. La Reserva does not pretend to the old world subtlety of its neighbour Valderrama; its appeal is scale, spectacle and a generous, enjoyable test that suits the travelling golfer who wants to swing freely and drink in the views.

Where to stay nearby

Sotogrande is the obvious and the most luxurious base, a discreet, low rise resort community of villas, marinas and beach clubs that puts La Reserva, Valderrama and the Real Club within a short drive of one another. It is the place to stay if golf and quiet luxury are the priority over nightlife.

For more variety, the towns along the western Costa del Sol toward Estepona and Marbella add a wider choice of hotels, restaurants and beaches while keeping the Sotogrande courses comfortably within reach. Gibraltar airport is the closest, with Malaga around an hour away for more flight options.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Sotogrande.