Golfers visiting Almerimar can look forward to a course of wide fairways, with a profusion of trees and plants which afford plenty of shade and, at the same time, serve as natural hazards, protecting the fast greens. The course was designed during the period that Gary Player had just embarked on a second career in golf course architecture and was working in association with the experienced Ron Kirby. The layout is unquestionably American in style but the 18 holes of the par 72, 5892m (yellow tees) course, quite long at its inauguration in 1976, now plays shorter due to the technological advances of equipment, and the tendency for the ball to roll a long way on the generally flat fairways. Beware, though, that your ball doesn't carry on rolling into one of the five holes affected by huge water hazards and fair-sized sand traps charged with protecting the approaches to large greens.

Although technical advances in ball and club manufacture have been huge in the 25 years since the course opened, the passage of time has also seen trees mature so that they have become hazards on many of the fairways they de mark. Being open to the sea, quite a few of the holes are exposed to breezes blowing in off the Mediterranean - an additional hazard that is, nevertheless, often welcome during the 300 days of sunshine Almería annually basks under. In fact, the lush vegetation affords a pleasant oasis-style feel to a round as the palm trees and lakes create spots of singular beauty set against the arid mountains that are the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

The par 3, 12th is a place where many a fourball takes stock of round. The island green is marooned in the centre of a lake, giving a tee-shot over 100m of water - will it spoil a good card? Or, will it redeem an otherwise forgettable round? The daunting challenge of facing up to what was possibly the first island green in Europe, is a topic that often arises at the Almerimar clubhouse, set within the Golf Hotel Almerimar between the first and tenth tees of the course. As the conversation mixes with the thousand natural aromas of an Almería evening, green, blue and white are the colours of golf at Almerimar.

Holes 18
Architect(s)  Gary Player  Ron Kirby 

Year built 1976 
Guest Policy Visitors welcomed. Handicap limit: 54
Golf Season High Season: October - April; Low Season: May - September
Driving Range Available Yes
Putting Green Available Yes
Rental Carts Available Yes
Rental Trolleys Yes
Caddies Yes
Rental Clubs Available Yes
Pro Shop Yes
Pro Available Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Golf School Yes - Almerimar Golf Academy
Tee Times Welcomed Yes
Price Range Weekdays EUR 40
Price Range Weekends EUR 40
Credit Cards Accepted Yes
Other facilities hotel, clubhouse, restaurant, bar, refreshments on course, swimming pool, tennis courts, changing rooms, showers, horseback riding

HOTEL GOLF ALMERIMAR CCA. 50 M