Valderrama Golf Club -- Hole-by-Hole
Posted: Mon September 22, 1997 at 12:02 p.m. EDT
HOLE PAR YARDS NAME/DESCRIPTION
1 4 389 "Sol y Sombra" - A relatively fair opening hole
featuring a well-protected and elevated green;
a good tee shot down the left side of the fairway
will leave a wedge or lofted-iron approach.
2 4 399 "El Arbol" - This hole takes its name from the
corked oak which stands in the middle of the
fairway; a well-positioned drive to the left of
the tree will open up the approach to the green.
3 3 173 "El Tunel" - Trees and bush line the fairway of
this par-3 and bunkers to the left and right
await errant shots; the entrance to the green is
narrow and any shot over the green will make bogey
likely.
4 5 535 "La Cascada" - If the wind if blowing the wrong way,
even the longest hitters will not get home in two;
the uphill drive must avoid a bunker on the left side
of the fairway and the lake to the right of the
two-tiered green may make many players settle for a
safe approach.
5 4 381 "Los Altos" - A dog-leg left with plenty of trees
and bunkers guarding the green; the tee shot should
carry the bunker guarding the left edge of the
fairway, but come up short of the one guarding the
right side at the dog leg.
6 3 163 "El Vallejo" - Six bunkers of crushed marble surround
a large green which slopes from left to right; the
hole plays shorter than the posted distance due to an
elevated tee.
7 4 461 "El Mirador" - The longest of Valderrama's par-4s;
long and straight, with olive trees lining the
right side of the fairway; the elevated green is
guarded in front by a series of bunkers.
8 4 345 "El Bunker" - The first obstacle is the trees which
block the path to the green of any tee shots hit left
of center; dodge the trees and there it is -- a huge,
semicircular bunker guarding the front of the green,
awaiting under-clubbed approach shots.
9 4 441 "El Muro" - Trees pinch in along the right side,
but the landing area is fairly generous; from there
- depending on the wind - players may use anything
from a wood to a 9-iron for the approach to a large,
raised green which slopes from front to back.
10 4 389 "El Lago" - A lake runs parallel along the right side
of the fairway on this dog-leg right; tee shots should
be aimed left of the bend; five bunkers ring the
elevated green and a small lake looms off to the left.
11 5 547 "Un Sueno" - Valderrama's longest hole is straight,
but uphill all the way; players will not see the
green until they reach it; the fairway slopes to the
right, but the hole is wide open; winds will affect
this hole more than any other.
12 3 212 "Las Camelias" - There's little room for error on
this narrow and tree-lined par-3; trees guard the
left and right sides of the green and two pairs
of bunkers protect the front and back.
13 4 402 "Sin Bunker" - No bunker, but plenty of trees from
tee to green; the tee is located amidst a cluster
of trees and more trees pinch in along the right
side, blocking the path to the elevated green; a
drive to the left of center sets up the approach.
14 4 370 "La Piedra" - The second shortest of Valderrama's
11 par-4s is wide open off the tee, but places
an emphasis on the approach; the green sits atop
a raised plateau and is protected all around by
bunkers.
15 3 225 "El Puerto" - The elevated tee provides a magnificent
view of the nearby Mediterranean; the 45-yard long,
narrow green slopes towards the back and is guarded
by bunkers on the other three sides.
16 4 422 "Muy Dificil" - Those who don't get the translation
-- "very difficult" -- may well understand when they
are done with this hole; the fairway on this dog-leg
right slopes from right to left; the green slopes
from back to front and right to left and is protected
by one big bunker on the left and three smalleer ones
on the right.
17 5 511 "Los Gabiones" - Seve Ballesteros re-designed the
original Robert Trent Jones layout to produce a
par-5 offering both risk and reward; a good drive
will gain yardage on the down-sloping fairway, but
the lake cutting in front of the green may prohibit
some players from trying to reach the green in two;
bunkers placed 70 yards from the green come into
play for those who decide to lay up.
18 4 454 "Casa Club" - The final hole features more of the
same -- trees and sand; trees line both sides of
this dog-leg left and bunkers guard both sides of the
green; a drive placed in the left portion of the
fairway at the turn will provide a good angle into
the green.
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