La Manga Club
Tuesday 5 June 2012 17:26, UK
Everyone has heard of La Manga Club but what do you really know about the iconic Spanish holiday resort?
Everyone has heard of La Manga Club but what do you really know about the iconic Spanish resort? Dave Tindall sets off to find out more
La Manga Club. If it came up in a word association game, the knee-jerk response would be "golf". That's certainly how I would have answered but, when it came to adding further details, my knowledge of the place was extremely hazy. Was it just a place for groups of lads? How many courses were there? Where exactly in Spain was it? The vibes were certainly good when I spoke to friends and colleagues who had been to La Manga Club but, of course, there's no substitute for seeing a place for yourself. So here's what I found when I visited the iconic Spanish golf destination which, this year, celebrates its 40th birthday. Getting there La Manga Club is set in an area three times the size of Monaco and sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea on the sunny south-eastern Costa Calida. By car it's just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante. We (myself, wife and kids aged 6 and 3) took Monarch's early flight (07:15) from Manchester to Alicante (2hrs, 20mins) and, after being served a tasty breakfast, enjoyed a nice leisurely drive to La Manga Club after picking up a hire car at Alicante airport. Note: there is a small toll to pay along the way (3 Euro) but the plus side is a modern, lightly populated road. The car is also a good idea for getting to the many beaches (15 minutes away) while he also enjoyed an enjoyable evening in the nearby coastal city of Cartagena (25 minute drive) which boasts some impressive shops and classic buildings. Accommodation We stayed in a lovely self-catering two-bed apartment in the onsite village of Las Lomas. This was perfect for our family of four. Once the kids were in bed in their own room, we could relax and watch TV in the spacious lounge area or sit out on the balcony with a book. We also stocked up the fridge and cupboards from the big supermarket (five minutes in the car) and, obviously, eating in is a good way of keeping costs down. With a playground and swimming pool just a few hundred metres away and Las Lomas Village (restaurants, deli, crazy golf, another swimming pool) a two-minute walk, this was an ideal base. And what a great view from the balcony too!The courses
The South: 6,700 yards, Par 73 I wasn't sure initially if I'd enjoy the South. I never seem to score well on longish parkland courses and 6,700 from the yellows seemed plenty for a short-hitting 20 handicapper like me. But, from the very first tee shot, I was a real fan. The palm-fringed fairways are generous and five par fives gives you plenty of chance to really open up the shoulders and swing away with driver. With only one of the four par threes under 183 yards, the 'short' holes also provide a stiff challenge although the big putting surfaces at least give you hope of hitting the dancefloor. I appeared to be way right with my tee-shot at the second but caught the tip of the green - the 100 foot putt wasn't much fun though! Modified by Arnold Palmer in 1992, the South has held five Spanish Opens and hosted stage 2 of Q-School last year. The West: 6,050 yards, Par 72 Two days later I tested my game on the West and, despite being just a minute or so up the road, the Dave Thomas-designed track was a complete contrast to the South. The scenery is stunning as the course winds through pine woodlands and up into the hills, and the constant changes of elevation made me glad I'd taken on the challenge in a buggy given that temperatures were in the high 20s. Course management and strategy are key and driver often stays in the bag as you play to the corners of dog-legs. And as the only back-to-back par fours come in a stretch from 10-12, variety is very much the name of the game. It was quiet the day I played it and I later found out that many of the locals shy away from the West given its toughness. However, if I lived here I'd be on it all the time. It's an absolute gem, was my favourite of the trio and the spectacular view from the 18th tee is reason alone to make it a must-play! The North: 5,937 yards, Par 71 Perhaps, because it was my third round in five days, I'd found some rhythm. But it's also probably fair to say that the North is the most scoreable of the three courses. I actually kicked off my round with a tap-in birdie at the par four opener and was only two over after five. I kept my card pretty clean from thereon, racking up 38 Stableford points, and closed with a nice par four at the 18th where the green backs on to the swish five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The North is situated right next to the South and the two courses share the same designer, Californian Robert D. Putman. However it's more undulating than its neighbour and the par threes are easier to get at so there's a very real feeling of difference despite their proximity. All in all another very enjoyable and impressive course. The strength of the three courses at La Manga Club - and I was surprised by this - is that they're all very different. Anyone thinking they might be three samey, bland resort courses is very wrong. All three provide a good test for all levels of golfer although, for me, the West is the jewel in the crown. However, to prove that, like a quality box of chocolates, different folk will have their own favourite, I posed the "which did you like best?" question on Twitter. As you can see, there was no definitive answer and all three courses got voted for top spot... Twitter comments south best but west more fun. quite enjoyed 'west' actually #quirky W.course v.undulating. - Take ammo. N. and S. similar, but S. more obvious what you face. North and South both pretty good. West is very hilly and pretty tricky! N S W would be my preferred order. West is the most fun, you don't need to be long its more course management. Plus the view from the 18th tee is the best. south is best, then north and finally the west course West the best. @top100golf will always point you in the right direction west is tough! But south course is just glorious!!! More golf The golf doesn't stop there. As well as the three courses, there is also a par 47 18-hole pitch and putt course designed by Seve Ballesteros, a Golf academy (adults and juniors), a Lee Westwood Junior Golf Academy (run in the spring half-term and the summer holidays), an 80-bay floodlit range and a VI digital analysis and Explanar swing training system. We also found two crazy golf courses (one near our Las Lomas apartment and another near the La Plaza area, a few minutes' drive away). Given its reputation as a top venue for ladies events, La Manga Club has also bid to host the prestigious Solheim Cup in 2015. It's also worth mentioning here La Manga Club's impressive free shuttle bus service. To get to anywhere on site, including the three courses, you just order a shuttle and nine times out of 10 it turns up in less than five minutes. Great for kidsLa Manga Club won the 2011 Best Family Friendly Resort Hotel at the Sunday Times Travel Magazine Reader Awards and, after a week there with my own family, it was easy to see why. The idea of whizzing around in a buggy was enough to lure my son into coming golfing with me in the mornings (he also had a few chips and putts on the West Course where we played alone). And he was happy to swim and play crazy golf in the afternoons when we took the short walk from our apartment in Las Lomas. The smaller circular pool was perfect for my three-year old daughter and she spent many an hour in there splashing around with new little friends she made. My son preferred the bigger pool right next to it where the presence of a lifeguard gave us added assurance. As a parent you also appreciate the little things, so we were more than happy to find CBeebies on our TV and welcomed the always friendly staff in the restaurants (we dined out at Luigi, Sol y Sombra and La Bodega) who instantly delivered a puzzle sheet and crayons as soon as we'd sat down. Our two seemed so happy and occupied that we didn't actually get round to trying out the kids clubs (run 9am to 6pm) where activities included football, golf, tennis, Wii competitions, Circus and Creative Workshops but clearly they would be ideal for parents wanting to go off and do their own thing for a day or so of the holiday.
