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
