All Areas

Morocco

Named after a Berber Queen, Amelkis Golf Club first opened in 1995 as an 18-hole facility, hosting the Moroccan Open five years later when England’s Jamie Spence won the event by four strokes from Sebastien Delagrange, Thomas Levet and Ian Poulter.

The Blue and Red nines formed the original 18-hole layout and they were joined in 2009 by the slightly longer Green nine. Architect Cabell Robinson has informed Top 100 that a fourth nine has been designed and will be constructed as soon as favourable market conditions prevail.

Four tough holes feature from the 4th to the 7th on the 9-hole Blue loop, with each of these par fours measuring in excess of 400 yards from tee to green.

The signature hole on the Red circuit is the double doglegged par five 6th which dips to the right then turns left alongside an enormous 200-yard long bunker that acts as a buffer between the fairway and a large lake protecting the green.

On the Green nine, the closing hole features a lake all the way down the left with huge bunkers on the right to catch those who shy too far away from the water. A closing birdie might just be possible here if a cautious three-shot approach strategy is taken to a green that’s tucked into an amphitheatre setting.

England’s Bronte Law certainly feels at home at Amelkis Golf Club. She won the Lalla Aicha Tour School in December 2018 with a new Ladies European Tour record score of 26 under par for five rounds which included nine consecutive birdies in round three.

Amelkis (Blue & Red)

Africa

Named after a Berber Queen, Amelkis Golf Club first opened in 1995 as an 18-hole facility, hosting the Moroccan Open five years later when England’s Jamie Spence won the event by four strokes...

Cyprus

American golf course architect Cabell B. Robinson had been involved in course design for 35 years when Aphrodite Hills opened early in the new millennium and he considered his Cypriot creation to be the culmination of his work over that time.

The 18-hole Aphrodite Hills course is part of a 290-room hotel and residential development just a 10-minute drive from Paphos airport in sunny Cyprus and it’s a very popular golfing attraction for holidaymakers.

Five years in the making and opened in 2002, the course is routed over two relatively level landforms, separated by a deep canyon which Robinson has incorporated into the design to fashion two spectacular holes (3rd and 7th) on the front nine. Indigenous carob and olive trees on the property were supplemented with additional planting to complete a mature Mediterranean landscape.

If typical Robinson design traits like horseshoe greens, cross bunkers, ponds (at holes 10 and 18) and doglegs were not enough, the architect even included an 18th century kiln and an old olive press in the middle of the fairways on holes 1 and 8 to add further character to the course.

Cabell Robinson commented as follows: “If you can carry 200 metres with your driver, you should try the back tee on the 3rd. It looks forever over the gorge, but it is only that far to reach safety. It is a thrill of a lifetime shot if you succeed. The 7th deep within the bowels of the canyon is another dramatic shot, while fantastic sea views are to be had at the 8th and 15th… reaching for the back pin position on the 12th needs the most courage, while the 16th is my pick for the toughest par-4, and the 18th is a reachable and wonderful par-5.”

The European Tour notched up a half-century of countries visited in October 2020 when Aphrodite Hills staged the inaugural Cyprus Open. Englishman Callum Shinkwin claimed the title (his maiden European Tour victory) after defeating Finland’s Kalle Samooja in a play-off.


Aphrodite Hills

Continental Europe

Aphrodite Hills is routed over two relatively level landforms, separated by a deep canyon which Cabell Robinson incorporated into the design to fashion two spectacular holes (3rd and 7th) on the front nine.

Northern Spain

Spain

Cabell B Robinson, the well respected American golf architect, is better known for his more recent Spanish courses – the likes of La Reserva, Santana and Finca Cortesin – but it must be remembered that he’s been constructing courses on the Iberian peninsula and beyond for over twenty years (his work at La Cala dates back to 1990) and the course at Castillo de Gorraiz is one of his creations from 1995.

Situated just to the north of Pamplona, in the Navarre region, the golf course of Castillo de Gorraiz is an integral part of the city’s leisure facilities, with a swimming pool and tennis courts also sharing the same complex.

The 18 holes are parkland in nature, with wide, open fairways (six of which are doglegged) winding their way round a residential development. The four par threes on the card are not exactly short, varying between 175 and 220 yards in length and one of these, hole number 8, is the second of three consecutive holes where water comes into play. The round ends with a 450-yard par four that is rated stroke index 1... a tough hole to end any match.

Castillo de Gorraiz

Situated just to the north of Pamplona, in the Navarre region, the golf course of Castillo de Gorraiz is an integral part of the city’s leisure facilities...

South East Spain

El Bosque is one of several courses designed by Robert Trent Jones during his most prolific spell in Spain from the mid-60s to mid-70s – others include Sotogrande (1964), Las Brisas (1968), Mijas (1976) and Las Naranjes (1977).

Club de Golf El Bosque opened in 1975, the same year as another RTJ creation, Sotogrande New (which became Las Aves before Jaime Ortiz-Patiño subsequently gained control and transformed it into Valderrama) so Mr Trent Jones and his team were at one time very much in demand in Spain.

The course is located in a residential estate, some 20 kilometres to the west of Valencia, on pine-clad foothills to the north of Chiva and the terrain can be tricky in places with golfers occasionally facing hanging lies on some of the fairways, despite the earth moving that was carried out during construction to level parts of the landscape.

The toughest hole on the course is the 540-yard par five 7th which slopes gently from left to right and doglegs to the right. Two bunkers lie on either side of the fairway to pressure the tee shot then another three sand traps await errant second shots further along the fairway. To crown it all, the long, narrow putting surface has a very tight entrance and is protected by another three greenside bunkers.

The 6,900 yard, par 72, course is laid out in classical style with two par threes and two par fives on both the outward and inward loop of nine. Most fairways are tree-lined and water comes into play in front of the greens on the 8th, 12th, 13th 14th and 15th holes. Several holes are doglegged (including the first three on the card) and there is an average of five bunkers per hole on the course. No holiday golf here, then!

Don’t imagine El Bosque is always played in picture-perfect weather conditions either. A good bit of ball shaping will be demanded if the summer Levante, a southeasterly warm wind, is blowing. The recommendation? Plot your way carefully round the property.

In 2019, the club commissioned Cabell Robinson to update the course. The layout was re-grassed with Bermuda 419 and all bunkers rebuilt using the Better Billy Bunker method. Work on the front nine completed in October 2020 and back nine renovations (including the reconstruction of all nine greens) finished in November 2021.


El Bosque

El Bosque is one of several courses designed by Robert Trent Jones during his most prolific spell in Spain from the mid-60s to mid-70s.

The coastal city of El Jadida – known as Mazagan under Portuguese rule from 1502 to 1769 – was established by its colonial rulers as a West African staging post for explorers heading to South America and beyond. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, the city’s fortification, with its bastions and ramparts, is a fine example of Renaissance military design.

The El Jadida Royal course lies right next to the sandy bay that stretches north from the city towards Azemmour and it’s part of a 121-bedroomed hotel and spa complex that recently changed hands from Sofitel to Pullman. Playing to a par of 72 with an overall length of 6,848 yards, the fairways of El Jadida Royal were carved through a small forest of pine and eucalyptus trees by American architect Cabell B Robinson in 1993.

Robinson, a former associate of Robert Trent Jones, set up his own business in 1987 to pursue the European projects that were coming his way like La Cala which opened in Spain in 1990 and Limère, France in 1992. His other Moroccan projects include Golf les Dunes in Agadir (1991), The Royal course in Fez (1994) and Amelkis in Marrakech (1995). In more recent times, Robinson’s Royal Palm course to the south of Marrakech opened to much critical acclaim in 2013.

The El Jadida course was the venue for the European Challenge Tour’s Moroccan Golf Classic over a three-year period, starting in 2008 when Michael Hoey won the first of these events. The layout has since hosted three Alps Tour and four European Professional Development Tour competitions.

El Jadida Royal

The El Jadida Royal course lies right next to the sandy bay that stretches north from the city towards Azemmour and it’s part of a 117-bedroomed hotel and spa complex...

South East France

France

The course at Evian dates back to 1904, when the Société des Eaux Minérales d’Evian commissioned Willie Park Jr. to construct a 9-hole layout on a wonderfully scenic site overlooking Lake Geneva. Eighteen years later, the number of holes in play was doubled, with each and every fairway on the extended course enjoying fantastic views across the shimmering waters of the lake.

Cabell B Robinson revamped the hilly course over a two-year period shortly before the inauguration of the Evian Masters in 1994, when Helen Alfredson of Sweden claimed the first of her three victories in this Ladies European Tour event.

The course was completely overhauled by Dave Sampson of European Golf Design in preparation for its staging of the first Ladies Major – the Evian Championship – on the continent of Europe in 2013.

As part of EGD’s major renovation work, hole 5 was changed to a par three, the 13th was extended to a par five and the closing four holes were all redesigned. Dozens of new trees were planted and more than seventy small pot bunkers were installed around the course to intensify the challenge for the best women professionals in the world.

Evian

The golf course at Evian dates back to 1904, when the Société des Eaux Minérales d’Evian commissioned Willie Park Jr. to construct a 9-hole layout on a wonderfully scenic site overlooking Lake Geneva.

Fairmont Royal Palm Golf & Country Club lies to the south of Marrakech, next door to Samanah Golf Club, a short 25-minute drive from the city centre. Residents of the luxury Beachcomer hotel and villa owners within the Royal Palm Domaine have priority on the 1st tee but casual visitors are also accommodated here without any problem.

Designed by Cabell Robinson, with input from former French professional and then Director of Golf Michel Besanceney, the course extends to 6,608 metres from the back markers, playing to a par of 72. Holes are routed around five sparkling lakes on a property that extends to around 185 acres, with Bermuda fairways and tees and A4 bent grass greens in play.

Opened in 2013, it’s hard to now imagine that more than three quarters of a million square metres of earth was moved during construction because the fairways blend so well into the landscape. In addition, a variety of shrubs, flowers and trees that bloom at different times of the year have been planted around the course, giving it the ever-changing appearance of a botanical garden.

Feature holes include short par fours at the right doglegged 3rd and the left doglegged 14th, whilst the par four 8th and par three 12th share a large, crescent-shaped double green. Michel Besanceney's favourite hole is the long par four 15th – rated stroke index 1 – which veers left and downhill to a long green that’s guarded by bunkers on three of its four sides.

Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech

Cabell Robinson designed the course at Fairmont Royal Palm Golf & Country Club, with input from former French professional and then Director of Golf Michel Besanceney…

Southern Spain

With more than 50 golf courses on the Spanish Costa del Sol any additional layouts need to be very special to succeed in this market. The course at Finca Cortesin Golf Club opened for play in early 2007 and has already received promising accolades attracting the serious golfing aficionado.

Finca Cortesin is set a short distance inland from the Mediterranean Sea and is routed through a dramatic valley. Cabell Robinson designed the course, which is one of Europe’s longest layouts measuring almost 7,000 metres from the tips. Robinson’s vision was to create a golf course where “no hole has less than championship quality”. This vision is rapidly turning into a reality.

The absence of property development around the course provides a welcome change and with so many great holes at Finca it’s really difficult to pick out the best. However, a few holes deserve special mention and the 3rd is a delightful par five with an approach over water. The 10th, a long down-hill par three, has far-reaching views of the Estepona Mountains and then straight after is the 11th, a long double doglegged par five which is a great test and thrilling to play.

Probably the pick of the holes at Finca Cortesin is the par four 13th, driving to a wide fairway with a water hazard cutting across the hole. The approach shot to the green then crosses water again as the same creek now runs diagonally across the front of the green. The pleasing greensite is also bunkered left and right and surrounded by trees.

Finca’s practice facilities are based around the ‘Jack Nicklaus Academy’ which include revolutionary methods based around swing characteristics of the student. Clearly Finca Cortesin is already an excellent facility, but couple this with a relaxed atmosphere and excellent customer service and you have a truly memorable experience. The new five star hotel and spa opened in 2008 placing Finca Cortesin firmly on the world’s golfing map.

Finca Cortesin Golf Club is now well and truly on the world stage. In June 2008, it was announced that the World Match Play, usually held on the West course at Wentworth in Surrey, was to move to Finca Cortesin as part of a raft of changes to the competition. Click here for more. England’s Ross Fisher claimed the 2009 World Match Play Championship title by defeating America’s Anthony Kim 4&3.

After a one-year break, the World Match Play Championship returned to Finca Cortesin in 2011. Ian Poulter claimed the title, beating fellow Englishman Luke Donald 2&1 in the final. The following year, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts beat Graeme McDowell on the final hole to claim the World Match Play title.

In 2018, Finca Cortesin became the first Spanish course to relay all its greens with environmentally friendly Ultra Dwarf MiniVerde Bermuda grass. The facility also reconstructed all its bunkers using the ‘Better Billy Bunker’ system.


The Ladies European Tour fittingly announced In October 2020 that the 18th edition of the Solheim Cup is to be staged at Finca Cortesin in 2023. Spain will become the sixth European nation to host the biggest team event in women’s golf after Scotland, Wales, Sweden, Ireland and Germany.


Finca Cortesin

Finca Cortesin is set a short distance inland from the Mediterranean and has been routed through a dramatic valley. It's one of Europe’s longest layouts and will soon become a household name.

The three 9-hole loops at les Dunes occupy a large 250-acre site adjacent to the du Soleil golf complex, to the south of Agadir, and the courses first opened for play in the early 1990s. Designed by Cabell Robinson, each nine has its own character: the fairways of the Oued are very tight and undulating, the Tamaris brings water into play at several holes whilst the Eucalyptus is more open, with wider fairways.

The championship 18-hole configuration at les Dunes consists of the Oued and Tamaris combination, stretching to 6,243 metres from the back tees, though the Eucalyptus nine shouldn’t be easily dismissed as it possesses a fine set of holes, the best of which is probably the 587-metre 8th, doglegging right and up to a raised plateau green from an elevated tee position.

The Oued nine, also known as the Jaune (yellow) circuit, lies within the more heavily forested portion of the property so tall, mature trees flank the fairways. Indeed, the only hole with a little width is the closing par five 9th hole, which is routed around a large irrigation pond. The par five 4th is the pick of the holes on this loop, veering left and up to a raised green from another elevated tee placement.

The Tamaris nine, also called the Rouge (red) nine, possesses an imaginative collection of putting surfaces, highlighted by the wonderful Biarritz green on the par four 7th hole, though the long, narrow three-tiered green on the par three 2nd comes a close second for ingenuity. Water also comes into play at the 4th, 5th and 8th, where small ponds protect the greens at each of these holes.

Golf Les Dunes

The Cabell Robinson-designed 27-hole layout at Golf Les Dunes in Agadir occupies a hilly, wooded site where three strong loops of nine holes, named Eucalyptus (Blue), Oued (Yellow) and Tamaris (Red), are regularly rotated to form the 18-hole course of the day.

Open Golf Club’s current complement of French golf courses numbers twenty-one, with no fewer than eight of those layouts situated within the Provence-French Riviera region. Set in the foothills above Cannes, Golf de la Grande Bastide is located five and a half kilometres to the west of another Open Golf Club facility at Golf Opio Valbonne.

Designed by Cabell Robinson, a former associate of Robert Trent Jones Snr, the course at Golf de la Grande Bastide lies close to Grasse, the town that’s world famous for its perfumes, and the wide, gently sloping fairways are set out around a number of ponds and lakes. Greens have been sensibly contoured and they’re protected in the main by large, intimidating sand traps.

The 507-metre 4th is by far the most difficult hole on the front nine and it plays to a wide, shallow green that’s benched into the opposite side of a blind gully – golfers marking a par “5” on the scorecard here will definitely walk to the next tee with a satisfied smile on their face. On the inward half, the par fours at the 15th and 18th are really strong holes, where water must be avoided on both the right and left side of either fairway.

Grande Bastide

Designed by Cabell Robinson, a former associate of Robert Trent Jones Snr, the course at Golf de la Grande Bastide lies close to Grasse, the town that’s world famous for its perfumes...

South West France

Tucked away in the south west corner of France, near the Spanish border, Golf Club d'Hossegor is the perfect venue for golf and it is reminiscent of the sparkling heathland courses, which are in abundance to the west of London. With sandy subsoil, it’s a perfect all-year-round venue that winds its way across heather and through avenues of trees in a large pine forest.

Designed by Englishman John Morrison in 1930, this is a classic and historic Basque course that was frequented by the greatest French golfers of yesteryear. One of France’s all-time sporting greats, Arnaud Massey, was involved in the creation of Hossegor and he brought a wealth of golfing knowledge to the construction. He won the French Open for the fourth time in 1925 and was the first overseas Open champion in Britain – and one of only five men to claim the Claret Jug between 1894 and 1914 when the Great Triumvirate of Vardon, Taylor and Braid won the championship an astonishing sixteen times.

Cabell B. Robinson, an American designer and former Robert Trent Jones employee who broke away to set up his own golf course design company in 1987, has been involved in remodelling work at the course since the start of the new millennium. These changes – mainly to improve the visibility of fairway and greenside bunkers – have, in the words of the architect, “rendered the course less penal and more enjoyable for the general level of play of the resident members and visitors.”

The short par five 15th has been radically altered with the construction of a new, elevated putting surface at a slight angle to the fairway. As Cabell says, “three large bunkers to the left of the green must be carried if attacking the green in two, but there is an open entrance albeit narrow if a player chooses to lay up down the right side on his second or third shot. The overall effect was to create a more exacting par five where length was not a real factor.”

Further modifications to holes 16 to 18 are due to be carried out on an ongoing basis, certain tees are to be reconstructed throughout the course and all putting surfaces will, in the fullness of time, be revamped – all under the watchful eye of Cabell B. Robinson.

Residential development is changing the look and feel of Hossegor, but it will always be a timeless course.

Hossegor

Hossegor is the perfect venue for golf and it is reminiscent of the sparkling heathland courses, which are in abundance to the west of London.

in southeast Spain as the largest golf resort in the country. In addition to the three championship 18-hole courses here, there is a 6-hole par three practice course, Golf Academy and a 107-room hotel on site.

Located at the foot of the Mijas mountains, slightly inland from the Costa del Sol between Marbella and Malaga, the original Campo America was known as the North course when it opened in 1990 (just after the South course – now the 

The America and Asia layouts were two of the first projects undertaken by the American golf course architect Cabell B. Robinson after he moved from the Robert Trent Jones company and he has since added a third course, Campo Europa, in 2005.

There are many changes in elevation on the hilly, par 72, America course with many of the Pencross grass greens raised above the level of the Bermuda grass fairways. Strategic sand bunkering – crushed marble filled traps, in fact – add to the degree of difficulty.

The round starts and ends with a par five – there are five of these in total – and the course measures a respectable 6,547 yards from the back tees. Many consider the best hole to be the 135-yard, short par three 16th where the elevated tee overlooks the whole property and the view extends over the pond in front of the green, past the putting surface to the coast several miles away.

Cabell B. Robinson, course architect, commented as follows: “The campo America course was laid out at the same time as Campo Asia, but construction and the course opening were a year or so later. There was far greater change in elevation across the America site and in this regard it was the more difficult of the two sites on which to create an acceptable course routing. The result is some topographically spectacular holes, notably numbers 6, 9 and 18 – all par 5s – and the photogenic par 3 16th. Nearly 20 years later I am still rather proud of what I was able to achieve there at the outset of my solo career.”

La Cala (America)

La Cala has overtaken La Manga in southeast Spain as the largest golf resort in the country. The America and Asia layouts were two of the first projects undertaken by the American golf course architect Cabell B. Robinson...

Situated in the foothills of the Mijas Mountains between Marbella and Malaga on the Costa del Sol, the Asia course is one of three 18-hole courses on the sprawling La Cala estate and it was originally named the South course when it opened in the late 1980s.

The old North and South (now America and Asia) were two of the first courses created by American architect Cabell B Robinson when he formed his own company on leaving the Robert Trent Jones design group and he has since added the Europa course to the La Cala portfolio in 2005.

With a landscape similar to that on the hilly America course, there are many pleasant elevation changes over the modest 6,500-yard length of the Asia. Both fairways and greens are proportioned accordingly, with strategically placed greenside bunkers in place at many of the raised putting surfaces.

The four short holes on the card are between 160 and 185 yards long, with three of them played from elevated tees to greens of various shapes – the 2nd hole has a two-tiered, L-shaped green protected by three bunkers at the rear whilst the triangular green at the 8th hole sits in a valley surrounded by sand traps and grass hollows, the 12th hole has a pear-shaped putting surface with a swale running through the middle.

La Cala has an exceptional 6-hole par three course on the property, which is located next to the Golf Academy. The course is aptly named the Academy and is routed across a windy hilltop with ravines and tricky elevated multi-tiered greens. Cabell B Robinson designed the Academy course too and it’s perhaps the best par three course on the Costa del Sol and an ideal warm up for any of the three main 18-hole La Cala courses.

La Cala (Asia)

With a landscape similar to that on the hilly America course, there are many pleasant elevation changes over the modest 6,500-yard length of La Cala's Asia course.

James originally nominated the Europa course as a Gem and his words follow:

Opened in 2005 and designed by Cabell B Robinson, the architect responsible for the America and the Asia courses on the property, the Europa has matured wonderfully well and is now more than the equal of the other two.

Maybe it was natural progression for Robinson to return to the site of two of his earliest designs and lay down a challenging course that shows how he has matured into one of the best designers out there.

The 4th hole is one of the strongest par fours you will ever play. You tee off to a narrow fairway in the distance requiring a not inconsiderable carry over a river and scrub; the river runs along the entire left flank and mountain scrub guards the right flank. Brutal. Then you have a long iron or wood back across the same river to a picturesque green protected by Robinson’s signature bunkering. Fantastic.

The rest of the course is very solid with lovely par threes including the 14th, needing a long carry over river and scrub. There are demanding par fives that snake around more ravines and scrub and as a whole it is a stern and unremitting test of golf.

It enjoys spectacular far reaching mountain views and is far less quirky than the other two layouts having long, gently undulating fairways carved over less challenging topography for a golf course. As a consequence it is far more playable. There are fine stretches of holes that are exhilarating and more than a little demanding.

This is a fine addition to the complex and by no means a poor third. I think it is more than a match for his previous work and gives the other two a run for their money. It would be my pick as the best of the bunch in fact.

La Cala (Europa)

The Europa course is a fine addition to the La Cala Resort and it’s by no means a poor third. It’s more than a match for Cabell B Robinson’s previous work at the property and gives the other two courses a run for their money.

La Reserva Club de Golf is the latest prestigious golf course to be constructed in this corner of the Costa del Sol, joining near neighbours 

in a formidable quartet of quality golfing destinations.

Yet another design of the prolific American architect Cabell B. Robinson, the course only opened for play in 2004 but many already consider it capable of hosting a national or international competition.

It is located within two valleys which join in the form of the letter "Y" and when the site was first cleared of scrub, all trees and plants with ecological and aesthetic interest were moved to a nursery then replanted in their original place.

La Reserva is long – more than 6,700 metres from the back tees – but fairways are wide so you can afford to open your shoulders on the tees to aim at relatively generous fairways. Greens are on the large size but it is one thing to be on the putting surface in regulation and another to avoid three putting when a long way from the pin position! Water features at half a dozen holes, but apart from one hole, it does not present itself as a frontal hazard.

Both the outward and inward holes have par threes separated by long par fives. On the front nine, the green on the 164-metre 5th is guarded by a lone bunker while the 145-metre 7th is played from an elevated tee to a shallow putting surface. On the back nine, water to the left of the green on the 222-metre 15th pressurises the tee shot and the 187-metre 17th also features water to the left of the putting surface, with bunkers further protecting the right and rear of the green.


The European Tour returned to Sotogrande in 2014 for a new tournament that was hosted by La Reserva Golf Club. Some may think a waste management company sponsored the NH Collection Open, but NH Collection is, in fact, a hotel chain with around 400 properties in their global portfolio. Marco Crespi won the inaugural NH event, claiming his maiden European Tour title after eventually progressing through Qualifying School in 2013 at the Italian’s eleventh attempt.

In May 2019 the club staged the inaugural La Reserva de Sotogrande Invitational (hosted by World Golf Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam), which resulted in Céline Herbin claiming her second Ladies European Tour title.

In 2021, La Reserva hosted the second of four stages of the Aramco Team Series – the first team event of its kind on any professional golf tour – when three female professionals team up with an amateur. In Sotogrande's team event Ashleigh Buhai led her team to victory while Alison Lee won the individual title. The unique series spans three continents with tournaments in London (

La Reserva

Cabell Robinson designed La Reserva and it’s a brutal 6,700 metres from the tips but with wide fairways and a hot driver it can be tamed.

Located close to the well-established Villamartin course (which hosted the 1994 Mediterranean Open, won by Jose Maria Olazabal), Las Colinas is a modern Cabell Robinson design that’s set within an upmarket 815-acre residential development on the Costa Blanca.

Fairways are generally wide and forgiving and they’ve been laid out in two returning nines that twist out and back along the floor of a valley with the back nine somewhat unusually configured with three par threes, three par fours and three par fives.

The forested hills that overlook the course offer a feeling of seclusion with holes routed around a handful of lakes which help to stiffen the challenge, particularly on the closing six holes where only the par three 17th is free of any water hazard.

It’s too early to designate a signature hole for a layout that only opened in 2010, but the 544-yard 18th is a real contender with a fairway that snakes past a small lake short and right of the home green.

Las Colinas

The fairways at Las Colinas Golf & Country Club are generally wide and forgiving and they’ve been laid out in two returning nines that twist out and back along the floor of a valley...

North West France

Golf de Limère is located just to the south of Orléans and is set in the delightfully secluded Sologne Forest. It’s a modern, thoughtfully designed Cabell B. Robinson layout which opened for play in 1992 and can be enjoyed equally by golfers of all abilities. Naturally you’ll need to select your tee box carefully. From the back tees Limère measures a modest 6,221 metres but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a pushover as the course tests the very best during annual National Championships held at the club.

Routed across relatively flat and easy walking terrain, the Limère challenge really starts at the greensites which are invariably well bunkered, large and rather tricky to read. But you’ll also need to safely negotiate the trees which can cause a fair few dropped shots if you are wayward from the tee.

The course is nicely balanced, you can expect to use all the clubs in your bag, and the 18th is one of the finest closing holes in France with its island green. The whole Limère experience can be summed up as a very pretty picture, so don’t forget your camera!

Limère

Limère is a modern, thoughtfully designed Cabell B. Robinson layout which opened for play in 1992 and can be enjoyed equally by golfers of all abilities.

Switzerland

German aristocrat Erwin von Riedemann and his wife Josefa moved to Lugano during World War I. To please his wife, who was a keen golfer, Erwin engaged an architect named Percy Dell to design a private 9-hole layout that she could play on. The course opened for play in Magliaso on 24th November 1923.

Donald Harradine expanded the layout to eighteen holes in 1970 then Cabell Robinson carried out some modifications in the early 1990s. Peter Harradine was then involved in new millennial renovation work on the course. The Magliasina River runs through the course and it’s brought into play on several holes.

Occupying a rather restricted 80-acre property, the course extends to around 5,500 metres from the back markers, playing to a par of 70, with holes arranged as two returning nines. There’s only one par five on the shorter back nine, which also features three par three holes.

Highlight holes on the front nine include the left doglegging par five 5th and the short par four 6th. On the inward half, the river fronts both the par three holes at the 14th and 16th, and this water hazard also has to be negotiated on the last hole, as it cuts across the front of the home green.

“Lugano’s tight but very playable… an absolute masterpiece – especially as it was built on only 33 hectares! Cabell Robinson didn’t alter the routing which was designed by my father. He added a lot of bunkers but only changed one hole, a par 3 that now plays over the river.

Many of the bunkers (40 of them) were closed by me in 2019/20. I also re-re-modelled some of the new greens to create more pin positions and facilitate maintenance. The scores for high handicappers improved slightly, probably as they were not constantly hacking away on the beaches of St. Tropez!”

Lugano

Madeira & Porto Santo

Portugal

Madeira – “the pearl of the north Atlantic” – is a popular holiday choice for many and visiting golfers make full use of the two top golf complexes on the island; the 27-hole 

layout that Robert Trent Jones designed and the wonderful 18-hole course here at Palheiro, where the tree-lined fairways are routed in a figure of eight from an impressive clubhouse that overlooks the layout.

Laid out by Cabell Robinson, the course is set within a beautiful 200-year old property that sits a few miles to the east of Funchal, overlooking the sparkling waters of the bay and the distant uninhabited Desertas Islands. Holes wind through pine forest and around botanical gardens in the Palheiro Estate where frequent changes in elevation offer great ocean views.

Four of the five par five holes are played on the back nine so it’s not surprising to learn that the inward half plays more than 700 yards longer than the front nine. The 140-yard 13th is the only one of the five par threes that plays uphill and it heralds a tricky run for home that ends with a pair of stout par fours and a downhill par five at the 18th.

Palheiro

Palheiro is set magically within a pine forest and is bordered by glorious botanical woodlands. Factor in its elevated location, high above the town of Funchal and you have the recipe for perfect golf.

Lisbon & Centre

Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, has been heralded for many years as a wonderful city break destination. A beautiful city blessed with amazing architecture, history and culture, not to mention restaurants serving delicious local dishes and fresh seafood. However, that’s not the end to the interest the Vale de Tejo and Oeste regions can offer. If you can bring your clubs and stay a little longer you will experience some of the best golf courses in Portugal.

 that all rate highly in the Top 100 Golf Course rankings, Praia D’El Rey Golf and Beach Resort is one of the area's top courses and shouldn’t be missed. An hour northwest of Lisbon on the Costa de Prata, and not far from the attractive medieval town of Obidos with its whitewashed houses, Moorish castle and natural lagoon, Praia D’El Rey occupies a wonderful and privileged position.

Designed by the renowned and respected American architect Cabell B. Robinson who has been responsible for a number of excellent European courses, Praia D’El Rey opened for play in 1997. The course is set in two loops of nine holes, has a par of 72 and measures 6,405 metres from the championship tees. It is reported that having viewed the site for the course at Praia D’El Rey, Robinson modestly said "This is the kind of landscape we architects try to create, but at Praia D'El Rey it's all here, naturally. Now it's my responsibility to protect it". He has made an excellent job of doing just that.

Rather like the excellent layout at Oitavos just down the Portuguese coast, Praia D’El Rey mixes great holes cut through lush vegetation with a number of holes that run along the coastline and encompass sand dunes and links-style challenges whilst at the same time providing amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean and the nearby Berlenga Islands. With large threatening bunkers and thoughtfully designed and located greens the course will make the golfer think from tee to green.

The early holes head gently uphill and then downhill towards the coast and the amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean but don’t let them distract you, after a reasonably comfortable dogleg opening hole the 2nd is a cracking par five measuring 463 metres with water on the right and bunkers and rough ever present.

From the 4th hole the course turns inland for the rest of the front nine and the pick of the holes include the long par four 5th measuring 441 metres and the great par three 8th requiring an accurate shot to carry the large lake to an oval green protected by bunkers at the back. Finally, the 9th is a great finish to the front nine. It may be pretty straight, but it measures 393 metres and it’s all uphill with a narrow fairway and there are no fewer than nine bunkers to contend with.

The back nine starts with a superb par five measuring 460 metres with a tricky green protected by a deep bunker left and an even deeper lake right! From here the back nine just gets better and better and every hole is worthy of note. If any have to be picked out for special accolade then it must be the stretch from 12-15 that all run along the coast and are superb tests with or without the often present Atlantic breezes. A mention must also go to the 17th, a monstrous uphill par five measuring 570 metres – for those using yards that’s over 620 of them!

Gold World described Praia D’El Rey as "A mix of holes – some in the mighty dunes, others among fragrant pines – that are an assault to the senses. Wild and wonderful" and we can only concur with them and we thoroughly recommend a visit to this great course.

 is one of our Top 100 Golf Resorts of the World


Praia D'El Rey

Praia D’El Rey is "A mix of holes – some in the mighty dunes, others among fragrant pines – that are an assault to the senses. Wild and wonderful"

Robert Trent Jones Snr is sometimes credited in publicity articles with creating yet another ”golfing masterpiece” but in this instance at least, we think this description is actually appropriate for the fantastic 45-hole golfing playground he crafted at Royal Dar Es Salam Golf Club for King Hassan II of Morocco back in the late 1960s.

Such was the size of the wooded landscape that the old master had to work with to the south of Rabat, he was able to fashion two wonderful 18-hole championship layouts (the Red and Blue) and a short 9-hole course (the Green) for the late monarch’s golfing pleasure.

The Red course is acknowledged as one of the finest in the world (with its signature par three 9th regarded as one of Trent Jones’s best short holes) so it’s fair to say the Blue course is somewhat overshadowed by its better known sibling, even though it’s a mightily impressive track in its own right.

Extending to just over 6,800 yards from the back markers and playing to a par of 72, the Blue course boasts a sparkling set of par threes (at holes 3, 4, 13 and 17) and a smattering of water-protected holes (at 2 to 4 and 16 and 17). The 450-yard par four 2nd and the long par five 15th are the toughest holes on the front and back nine and their respective degree of difficulty is reflected in the low stroke index number assigned to each hole on the scorecard.

The tree-lined fairways of the Blue course at Dar Es Salam hosted the Lalla Meryem Golf Cup between 1993 and 2008. There was no tournament held in 2009 before the event restarted the following year at Mohammedia then it moved on to Golf du Soleil in 2011 before taking up residence for four years at Golf de l’Ocean. In 2016, the competition returned to its spiritual golfing home on the Blue course at Royal Dar Es Salam.

Following the success of the recent renovation work on the Red course, a similar project was undertaken on the Blue by Cabell Robinson, assisted by club official Michel Besanceney. The main part of the work – involving the re-shaping of tees and greens, along with some fairways and bunkers – was completed in 2019. Large-scale tree clearance was also carried out to widen angles and perspectives and the nines were reversed.

Further planned improvements include introducing a stream at the new 18th “to create drama on the finishing hole,” according to Michel, who also told us; “we’re quite proud that this Sleeping Beauty doesn't pale against the Red Monster across the road”.

Royal Dar Es Salam (Blue)

For many years the tree-lined fairways of the Red and Blue courses at Royal Dar Es Salam co-hosted the Trophée Hassan II competition until the event moved to Mohammedia in 2010.

Santana Golf & Country Club is situated slightly inland from the Mediterranean coast between Mijas and Fuengirola. Set amidst 140 acres of oranges and avocados groves – part of the property was once an avacado farm – and with the backdrop of the majestic Mijas Mountains, Santana really is an outstanding natural beauty.

Designed by Cabell B. Robinson and opened for play at the beginning of 2004, it has taken a year or two for Santana to become recognised as one of the Costa del Sol’s leading courses. Measuring fractionally more than 6,200 metres from the back tees, Santana is not the longest course in the area but it’s a potentially dangerous layout, especially if you find yourself stymied behind one of the multitude of avocado pear trees which line many fairways.

The routing is intelligent and the bunkering truly magnificent with brilliant white crushed marble-like sand. The deep greens are devilishly tricky, some are unusually shaped and not a single one could ever be described as flat. Factor in the odd water carry and stunning tee to green conditioning and you have the recipe for excellence which is evident throughout Santana Golf and Country Club.

The gently rolling, former farmland makes for easy walking, unlike one or two other notable courses in the area, for example 

. Undoubtedly Santana is maturing rapidly into one of Robinson’s finest layouts and will soon be sitting at the very top of everyone’s must-play list. Keep your eyes peeled for the occasional Calzada (or Booted) Eagle which can be seen soaring on the warm Spanish thermals. But we suspect you won’t have time to spot one on the 4th hole as you’ll be unable to take your eyes off this incredibly spectacular long par five with its profound bunkering, ball gobbling stream and treacherously sloping green. The 4th is perhaps one of the best, if not the best par five in Spain.

Santana

Designed by Cabell B. Robinson and opened for play at the beginning of 2004, it has taken a year or two for Santana to become recognised as one of the Costa del Sol’s leading courses.

Inaugurated in 2010, the course at Valle Romano Golf & Resort is a Cabell Robinson design that quickly came to prominence through hosting a couple of Challenge Tour events. Thankfully, generously proportioned fairways make it playable for all golfers. 

from the back markers, this 18-hole layout plays to a par of 71 (36 out then 35 in) with holes arranged as two returning nines, each of which begins with a par five. Unusually, a round here ends with the last three holes played as a par three, par five then a par three.

Even more unusually, the opening two holes are laid out above a short, tunnelled section of the Autopista Ap-7 which runs along the coast between Malaga and Guadiaro. A nice touch here is the naming of all the holes after famous Spanish golfers, starting with Álvaro Quirós at #1 and ending with Seve Ballesteros at #18.

Highlight holes include the 344-metre 3rd (which plays to a green protected by a pond to the left of the putting surface); the 391-metre 6th (doglegging left with out of bounds on the right); the 408-metre 12th (out of bounds left and right, rated stroke index 1); and the 229-metre 18th, where four large bunkers guard the diamond-shaped home green. 

Valle Romano

Cabell Robinson was born in Washington DC and grew up in the suburbs of Maryland. He attended the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virgina then enrolled at Princeton University, graduating with a degree in history. He went on to study landscape architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, becoming friends with another student, 

“After a year together studying at Harvard, Cabell convinced Rees to leave Harvard, move out to California, and enter an undergraduate degree program in landscape architecture offered at the University of California at Berkeley… After the first year, however, Rees lost his draft deferment and was about to be drafted into the Army, choosing instead to go into the Army Reserves.

In 1965, following a year of training, Rees returned home, where he joined his father’s firm, soon taking over supervision of the East Coast office in Montclair. When Cabell Robinson graduated from the Berkeley program in June 1967, Rees persuaded him to come to work with him in New Jersey.

In 1970, with prospects for a number of Jones courses in Europe, 

 sent Cabell to Spain to organize a European office. Over the next seventeen years, Robinson handled most of the Jones projects done in Britain, Europe, and North Africa.”

In an interview before the one-off NH Collection Open at La Reserva in 2014, Cabell gave his version of the transition he made from the United States to Europe:

“I came to Spain in 1970. I’d started working for Robert Trent Jones in 1967 but after three years I told him: ‘I really like working for you but I want to move.’ I did not enjoy at all living in New Jersey. He asked me to open his office in Europe to which I responded: ‘No!’ So he said: ‘Why, have you ever been to Europe? No, you haven’t so don’t give me a stupid answer and go!’

At that time, Trent Jones had already done Sotogrande and Las Brisas and was working at Las Aves (known as Valderrama), where I was involved. I ended up opening the office in Fuengirola (Málaga), which Mr. Jones could never pronounce and used to call ‘Funny Gorilla’. I worked in all his projects in Europe until I went on my own in 1987.”

Although Robert Trent Jones Sr. is credited with designing more than a dozen courses throughout Europe during the 1970s and 1980s, you can bet your bottom dollar that Cabell Robinson also played a big part in their creation.

The list is impressive, including Continental Europe Top 100 layouts such as Troia in Portugal and Royal Park I Roveri in Italy. Other well-regarded courses include new build assignments at El Bosque and Los Naranjos in Spain, along with remodelling commissions at Geneva in Switzerland and Chamonix in France.

Robinson’s base on the Costa del Sol has served him well over the last thirty years or so, with more than half his output emanating from Spain and Morocco.

La Reserva (2004), Finca Cortesin (2007), and Las Colinas (2010) are the best offerings among the nine courses he has built in his adopted Spain, while the two 27-hole layouts at Golf Les Dunes in Agadir and Amelkis in Marrakech are probably the pick of his six layouts that lie across the Strait of Gibraltar in the Western Kingdom.

Elsewhere in mainland Europe, Cabell has designed several courses in France, in addition to setting out the highly regarded Praia D’El Rey on Portugal’s Atlantic coast. Offshore, he fashioned Palheiro in Madeira in 1993 and Aphrodite Hills in Cyprus in 2002.

Unhurried and deliberate in his speech, with an amiable countenance highlighted by the distinctive moustache that has remained with him all his life, and wearing an eye-catching, ethnic-style, silver-plated watch on his right forearm, Cabell doesn’t mince his words, giving a stern ticking off – albeit in a polite manner – to those designers who only think about money and not about doing a good job. “I’ve rejected commissions because the terrain wasn’t ideal, but not everyone does that,” he says.

Robinson’s ‘bêtes noires’ are top golfers who become designers. He considers all of them, in a certain way, to be interlopers in the world of design, due to their lack of a profound knowledge of the subject matter apart from their experience as players, although he does separate them into two categories: those who surround themselves with good design professionals; and others who allow themselves to be advised by amateurs in design matters. ‘None of them actually do the routing work,’ he notes.

Returning to his own teacher, he continues, ‘When Jones began in the 1930s, he had to do everything. These days no one does everything: I, for example, don’t design the irrigation, now that it is so technical, and it’s contracted out to an independent specialist. I don’t believe that golf professionals are properly trained to design golf courses. However, they have the name, the fame, and that competition is very tough for architects, especially in Dubai and places like that where they always seek out a top player.’"

“He has designs all over Europe and North Africa including in France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Switzerland, Cyprus and Italy. Having lived in Spain for over three decades, combined with his experience with other European cultures, allows him to have a unique understanding of the local culture. Cabell is firmly committed to environmental protection and believes that golf course architecture is more of an art form than a science.” ASGCA