Almerimar Golf - Review of Playa Serena Golf Course
March 10th, 2008 - Chris MarshallThis is the second of a series of reviews of golf courses in Almeria that Jacqui and I will produce when we visit the various courses in the area.
Layout
Playa Serena is an 18 hole, par 72 golf course with the standard layout of 4 par 3s and 4 par 5s. It is quite long at 6226 metres off the whites, 5985 off the yellows and 5314 off the reds.
The course is very flat but has a number of water features and bunkers that make it quite a challenge. Like the Master Course at Almerimar, it is made up of 9 holes divided on either side of a road. There are apartments and villas around the outside of each of the 9 holes but they are set back far enough so they are not very intrusive.
Score Card
The golf course score card is very informative, including the slope ratings for the white, yellow and red tees as well as a view of the layout.
Clubhouse
The clubhouse is the jewel in the crown of Playa Serena. It is very modern, having been built only a few years ago. There are reasonable sized guest changing rooms with showers. There is also a lovely bar and an excellent restaurant.
Pro Shop
The pro-shop is well stocked with a wide variety of equipment and clothing.
Practice Facilities
There is a reasonable sized putting green just outside the pro shop. There is also a good practice range together with chipping and bunker practice areas.
Tees
The tees are in reasonable condition at present although Jacqui said some of them were a little hard to get a tee into.
Fairways
At present the fairways are in reasonable condition. A couple of them have some small stones showing through. Particularly on the 5th fairway which is a relatively new hole and still needs to mature a bit. Nearly all of the fairways are relatively flat so you are just about guaranteed to find a good lie. Also, most of the sprinkler heads in the fairways have distance markers to the front of the green. Very useful for golfers that like to know exact distances.
Greens
The greens let the course down a little. They are in good condition but the design lets them down. They are all built up higher than the fairways and all have steep slopes from front to back. They all feel the same and are virtually impossible if you get above the hole.
Also, if you just miss the greens you tend to fall down a hill as they are elevated in most cases, alas that really punishes a reasonable golf shot.
Rough
The rough is not very thick. It is only about a couple of centimetres long. However, there are lots of little hillocks in the rough that make approach shots quite difficult if you miss the fairway.
Bunkers
The design of the bunkers is good and the quality of the sand is excellent. This is one of the best features of the course.
Trees
There are lots of reasonably mature trees on the course that can catch you out if you stray off the fairway. In most cases the rough beneath the trees is kept well trimmed so there is a good chance that you can find your ball.
Water features
Water plays a part on 9 holes. Two of the par 3s feature water between the tee and the green. The majority of the rest of the water are either lakes that you tee off over or lakes close to greens. However, there is one par 5 that features water to the side of the fairway on the second shot.
Toilets
There are 2 sets of toilets situated on the course, one on each 9 holes. The toilets are kept in reasonable condition, usually stocked with plenty of paper towels and spare toilet rolls.
Buggy Access
There are no buggy paths and no restrictions on where you take your buggy apart from avoiding the approach to greens.
Cost
The list price is 65 euros for most of the year but 55 euros from mid-May to mid-September according to their website. With good discounts if you buy a package of a number of green fees. See the website for more details.
Overall Summary
We enjoy playing this course. It is always a good challenge although the design of the greens let it down a little.
About Almerimar
Almerimar is located in the region of Andalucia, Spain. The nearest airport is 30km away in Almeria. Other airports that are within 3 hours include Malaga, Murcia, Granada, and Alicanti. Other holiday resorts in the region include Mojacar , Aguadulce and Roquetas de Mar
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.
If you are interested in purchasing a property in Almerimar please visit our sponsor Mirror of the Sun
Almerimar is also one of the largest marinas in Spain with over 2,000 births and excellent boatyard facilities.
March 10th, 2008 at 9:21 am
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