Malaga's Monte
Mayor gets points
for difficulty, beauty

(March 24, 2006) - Monte Mayor Golf Club in Malaga, Spain is a stunning course in quiet surroundings. Playing off 8 I found myself feeling like I had never played before, as the course destroyed my confidence hole by hole. I had to laugh (and it was not an easy thing to do in the mood I was getting in) when on the 8th, when I had only 1 point and was contemplating suicide, I heard a group in front discussing their round: "John is on 8 points and winning at the moment, I have 3 points, Fred has one point and Derek has none." It sort of cheered me up and put things into context.

• Surreal landscapes at Costa Ballena • A Spain golf introduction • Seville: Tapas and tasty golf • Andalucia course guide

If you are scared of heights, this course is a bit scary in places. To walk the course would be like running two marathons, as it is so hilly. In a buggy I found myself frequently wondering how many people had died on the course, as even on a sunny day the buggies struggled to brake on the very steep inclines. The ball seller on the 14th was far too late for many of my colleagues.

In fact, I could talk for hours on end about this course. Interesting? Yes. Difficult? Extremely. Fair? No! Should you play it? Yes ... but just the once, so that you can see the fantastic scenery, realise how bad we are all at the game and drive 500 yards off the 17th. Not one for me, as I thought the course was not playable or fair, but I scored 11 points, which may cloud my judgment in this review. Pleased to say I would have beaten four people in the group in front when we chatted at the pleasant but expensive bar at the end! Put this one in your schedule - no other golf course you ever play will seem hard again.

Ian Bennett

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of management.