Posted by: Martin Wachter | hcp: 16

Nice Course but overrated. It´s really in a Valley and the fairways goes up and down. The surrounding with empty plots is not very spectacular.

Posted by: David Wilding | hcp: 12

After hearing many positive comments about Valle Romano I finally got to play it on Thursday 7th April 2001. On the day I played I was fortunate enough to play with two friends and former European Tour winner who was getting his game in shape ready to join the Senior Tour next year and I would take on board his thoughts of Valle Romano. The course is situated just to the west of Estepona and is very easy to find off the N340, as you drive along the road you will see the grand entrance to the resort.

When driving up to the Clubhouse the first thing that hits you is the hundreds of empty apartments build during the construction boom, you will also see plenty more when you play the course. On arriving at the clubhouse we were greeted by friendly staff who appeared well trained and well informed. We were advised by the Caddymaster to leave our valuables either in the car or in a locker because they had experienced items being taken while players are on the course. We then had a warm up on the excellent practice range ( balls 1€) and a putt on the practice green before setting off to the first tee.

COURSE – On arriving at the first tee there was no starter which was a shame because the first hole is a sharp dogleg left and even with a course planner in your hand you are not sure where to go. However between us we did pick the right option and did take on the bunkers that protect the fairway, a good straight drive to the right of the bunkers here would put you in trouble. With a good drive away the second shot is straightforward down the centre which should leave you a short iron in to the slopping green. The front 9 here are all nice holes as you would expect from a Cabell Robinson designed course. Then on to the back 9. This starts with a very nice par 5 followed by a very pretty par 3 with a difficult green to hit followed by a downhill par 4 protected by a lake to the left. The back 9 is in my view better and prettier than the front 9 due to the landscape the course designer had to work with. The greens were fast and true and the fairways were ok but will need a few more years before they are in first class condition, our visiting pro did complain about the stones in the bunkers that did damage one of his clubs. A buggy is recommended.

CLUBHOUSE – Very large impressive building which I would expect would be the centre of the community if ever the empty apartments were sold. Prices were reasonable but service was poor we had to go to the bar on two occasions to get a waiter to spare the time to come and serve us.

CONCLUSION – Valle Romano is a welcome addition to the Costa del Sol golfing scene. The course is still young and needs time to mature but the greens are excellent. A lot of investment has gone into this place and I would say that the green fees are on the high side during the golf season. Overall a nice experience and I would certainly go back and play Valle Romano. As for our visiting Tour Pro, he was not that impressed, but that could be down to his damaged club and the fact that my golfing partner and I took his and his partners money.