TRAVEL FEATURE: ALMERIA – Golf News

For a similar, yet sufficiently different desert-style challenge, head over to nearby Valle del Este, where the rise and falls in the landscape have been used to great effect by architect José Canales, with most tee boxes played from an elevated position where the landing area for the tee shot is wide and in full view.

There are uphill fairways and the occasional semi-blind approaches, but in the main, the challenge is laid bare.

The course is an integral part of a large hotel and residential complex and its fairways are routed in a figure of eight between and around these buildings with water hazards incorporated into half a dozen of the holes.

And any golf trip to this part of Spain should not miss out on a round at Aguilón Golf. Located less than a 15-minute drive inland from San Juan de Los Terreros, the most easterly coastal village in Andalusia, the 6,350-yard course is set on a narrow strip of land wedged in between a dramatic mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea.

Highlights include the first of the par threes, the 190-yard 3rd, which feature a pond to the front and right and five bunkers to the left and rear of the green, and the 520-yard, par-5 9th, where the fairway crosses a dried-up creek twice before heading between two lakes to a long, narrow green.

On the shorter back nine, you’re treated to a thrilling tee shot across a deep barranca at the par-3 12th; a couple of water-threatened approaches to the par-four 13th and par-three 14th; then more shots across another barranca between the short par-four 13th and the par-three 17th.

The round culminates in the 508-yard 18th which veers past water on the right then another couple of lakes on either side of the fairway before arriving at the final green.

Whether exploring the historic city, enjoying local cuisine, or immersing yourself in the stunning landscapes, Almería promises an enriching and enjoyable visit.