⛳
The Global Golfer Top 100
Club de Golf Valderrama
Sotogrande, Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain · #21 in the World
Location: Sotogrande, Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain | Ranking: #21 — The Global Golfer Top 100
Type: Parkland | Partner Stay: SO/ Sotogrande; La Reserva Club Villas
Editor’s Note: Robert Trent Jones Sr. called it the finest course he ever designed. Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and every great European player of the last 50 years has competed here. The famous 17th — a short par 5 with a waterfall, cork tree and pond protecting the green — is as strategically brilliant as any hole in world golf. Valderrama is the Augusta of Europe: immaculately maintained, fiercely protected and utterly unique.
Travel & Logistics
- How to Get There: Sotogrande is 30km west of Marbella on the A-7. Gibraltar Airport (GIB) — 20 mins. Málaga (AGP) — 1h 20m.
Contact & Booking
- Tel: +34 956 79 12 00 | Website: valderrama.com
- Green Fees: From €350 | Rating / Slope: 75.2 / 138 | Handicap: max 28
Championship Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| Yards | 388 | 420 | 176 | 536 | 382 | 179 | 430 | 440 | 412 | 3,363 |
Par 4
Par 3
Par 5
Total
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 71 |
| Yards | 399 | 508 | 212 | 404 | 377 | 560 | 225 | 536 | 450 | 3,671 | 6,951 |
Key Strategy Notes
- Hole 6 — Par 5, 536 Yards: The first of the great Valderrama par 5s — the approach must negotiate a stream running across the fairway. Long hitters can attack in two; the green slopes severely toward a back-left bunker. Seve birdied this hole consistently during the 1997 Ryder Cup captaincy.
- Hole 17 — Par 5, 536 Yards: The most analysed hole in European golf. The cork tree guards the left approach; the pond protects the front. The green slopes violently back toward water. The decision: lay up short, or fly the tree and hold the green? Tiger went in the water here in 1999. Golf’s most strategically fascinating short par 5.
- Hole 18 — Par 4, 450 Yards: A strong finisher back toward the elegant clubhouse — a slight left-to-right dogleg demanding accurate positioning. The approach to the slightly elevated green must avoid the bunker complex front-right.
The 19th Hole
- SO/ Sotogrande (5★): The resort’s flagship hotel — redesigned in 2021 with the best cocktail bar on the coast. Book via Expedia →
- Valderrama Clubhouse: Post-round lunch in the clubhouse is a ritual — one of the finest dining rooms in Spanish golf.