Thanks to Cantabria’s climate, the golf courses are well-watered and well-kept. Probably the best of them is the Real Club de Golf de Pedreña, with its position overlooking the Bay of Santander, making it one of Spain’s finest. It was designed by Severiano Ballesteros, who was born in Cantabria. Here are some notes about the most interesting, taken from the Royal Spanish Golf Federation’s excellent website (available in Spanish and English).
Campo de Golf Abra del Pas
In the small town of Mogro, situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the Cantabrian coastline, is the Abra del Pas golf course, which is named after its location, at the mouth of the River Pas. It is easy to get to as it is just 8 km from Torrelavega and just 15 km from the provincial capital, Santander.
At Abra del Pas, you will be able to enjoy not only a game of golf but also the peaceful and lovely natural setting, surrounded by woods and dunes of fine sand, which endows the fairways of the course with an incomparable beauty. Abra del Pas has nine holes and is open to the general public. It also offers beginners’ courses for those interested in taking up this thrilling sport, as well as advanced courses for more experienced players. Its practice and approach course, bunkers, putting green, changing rooms, cafeteria and rental equipment will ensure a pleasant day at Abra del Pas for all lovers of golf.
Campo de Golf Nestares
The recently built Nestares golf club is the only 18-hole course in Cantabria, apart from the one at Pedreña. Its main feature is the length of the course with extremely long holes and fairways. The Nestares golf club is situated right in the heart of nature, very close to the Alto Campoo mountain/ski resort and only 2 km from Reinosa, and is a great place to enjoy a round of golf. The 18-hole par-72 course offers a very versatile round and is extremely attractive technically. It is suitable both for experienced players and for beginners, and runs over terrain which has been used to maximum advantage. The installations at the club are modern, have everything you could wish for, and are situated in a beautiful natural site offering wonderful views of some of the highest mountain peaks in Cantabria.
Campo de Golf Santa Marina
The Santa Marina golf course is one of the latest courses to be designed by the Cantabrian Seve Ballesteros.The round at Santa Marina has given Cantabria a modern and competitive golf course, situated in on beautiful estate with spectacular views. The course offers a wide variety of holes and blends perfectly with the natural surroundings. The first 9 holes are more complicated than the second. The first part of the round is wider, and rewards the long game more, whereas the second part is more hemmed in by the water hazards and is completely flat. However, it is precisely on this second part of the round that strategy and accuracy are more important, as there are several gullies and other hazards that affect play directly on these holes (from the 11th the 18th). As Seve himself has said, the greatest difficulty of the course lies on the 13th,14th and 15th, which he compares with the famous "Amen Corner", and once you get past these you’ve got the match in the bag. The course is designed to be suitable for players of all levels. It is fun and entertaining for the higher handicaps and can prove to be a real challenge for professionals, and you really will find yourself using all of the clubs in your bag!
Campo Municipal de La Junquera
The La Junquera municipal course is situated on the road from Astilleros to Pedreña, right at the entrance to the beautiful village of Pedreña which belongs to the Municipality of Marina de Cudeyo. The course is surrounded by wonderful scenery and has been adapted to the natural terrain of La Junquera. The name (“Junquera” is Spanish for “bulrush”) comes from the fact that in former times all of the land was a marsh with a peninsula to the south of the bay of Santander. Today, the course offers fantastic views of the bay and the city and the distant Picos de Europa Mountains. The municipal course at La Junquera de Pedreña golf club was inaugurated in May 1997 and is very demanding. The way the course has been designed means the highest degree of concentration is required because otherwise it will be raining double and even triple bogeys. It is a short but very technical course and accuracy is the key. Along with the 6th, it is the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th which are surely the most difficult, because the first part of the round is flanked by the bay all along the right-hand side. You won’t be playing many woods on this course as it’s more for players who are good with their irons and for those who are good at the short game and on the green.
Club de Golf Mataleñas
This was the first municipal course in Spain. The course has nine holes and was built on a patch of ground (about 12 hectares) that runs down to the sea. Situated at sea level, with wonderful panoramic views, the course offers the player a great chance to combine peace and quiet with the extraordinary beauty of the landscape and enjoy a pleasant day´s golf.
Real Golf de Pedreña
The Real Club de Golf de Pedreña is located in one of the most beautiful parts of Cantabria. The location, the scenery and the design make Pedreña one of a kind. The layout of the course has been adapted to the natural topography of the terrain. This natural 18-hole course designed in 1929 by Harry S. Colt, is surrounded by pinewoods and has magnificent views of Santander Bay and the Cubas estuary. It was extended in 1991 with new 9 holes designed and built by Severiano Ballesteros. The extension consists of 7 holes running along the banks of the river Cubas estuary and finishing on the 8th and 9th inside the pinewoods, which are a typical feature of Pedreña. A demanding course requiring some pretty accurate golf. |
