Hmm, a VERY early alarm call at 6.30am, thanks John! Not that I actually got out of bed till 7.10am. I can’t say I was feeling that bad this morning after the afternoon post treasure hunt meeting yesterday, but then again the girls were pacing themselves more so than the men. The early start is my excuse for the poor golf today. I must have found every bunker today. I obviously did not drink enough yesterday!!

After registering in the pro shop, we found out what tees we were starting from as it was a shotgun start. I found out I was teeing off from the 14th hole which just so happened to be the longest distance away from the clubhouse. So, my usual café con leche in the clubhouse (to wake me up!) did not happen due to the long walk to my tee. I actually arrived at the tee with plenty of time to spare. This was much to my annoyance after having missed out on coffee.

I played in a 4 ball with a Spanish man, an English man (who is on the Playa Serena Competition Committee) and a very friendly Czechoslovakian lady who spoke good English and fluent Spanish. She had not been able to play golf for some time due to having 3 children all under the age of 3 (nightmare!). However, even with her lack of recent play, she drove the ball miles and said after how she enjoyed getting back out on to the course.

So, to summarise, all in all a pleasant day and good value for money with the meal, drinks, bag etc.

John´s view

An early start with a 6.30am alarm after a heavy afternoon watching the rugby the day before is not the best preparation for a golf competition. We eventually left around just before 8am for Playa Serena. It is about a 20-25 minute drive away from Almerimar through the greenhouses. In good time to register for the competition which has a shotgun start just after 9am.

The competition today was in two categories, one for men and one for ladies. With a maximum handicap of 20.4 for men and 24.4 for ladies so no high handicappers taking part.

My golf was very variable and a number of putts just missed the hole. I eventually came in with only 29 points which put me around the middle of the field. 10 points less that the two winners of the mens competition who have qualified for the national final on the Costa Del Sol. The two winning ladies had 33 points.

The entry fee was 45 euros each as we got a bit of a discount being members of Bahía San Miguel golf society. For this we got a round of golf; a sandwich, banana and a small bottle of water as we were playing; a very nice sports bag advertising El Corte Inglés and a really good 4 course lunch with drink included. The lunch started with mixed salad, followed by Asparagus wrapped in ham and breadcrumbs with a tomato and cream sauce, then white fish in a lemon sauce and finally a fruit salad. All very healthy and for me washed down by a tiny bit of normal beer and a couple of bottles of sin alcohol beer as I was a little delicate from the day before.

Almerimar is a great place to live as an expat amongst the expats, or to work amongst the Spanish. There are all kinds of properties including villas, apartments and town houses for rent or sale. It is a very traditional part of Spain, with traditional Spanish foods so if you plan to travel to Spain either to look for jobs, for your company to trade with companies in Spain, or to learn Spanish and enjoy the Spanish weather then come and take a look.

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