Costa Esmeralda - Argentina

This Golf Club belongs to a gran Real Estate development near Pinamar (BsAs) where many families have built their holiday homes and includes a 27 holes Golf Course in a sandy piece of land with some small dunes and part with very nice dense pine trees forests. The original 18 holes were opened in 2010 and the other 9 a couple of years later. With the presence of some gorse as well and an usual windy climate it reminds a lot of places like Royal Troon and Carnoustie in Scotland, but not for the presence of homes in the lateral parts of the course.

After 10 years the idea remains the same, the course has a great potential but some design features and unnecessary difficulty on other spots make it a “what if” course. It has many good holes, holes 1 to 5 on the Old Course plus 11-12-13 and the great par 5 14th which is the toughest by far hole on the Course who will demand 3 very good shots to hit the GIR. Apart from the weak par 5 8th, 16th is the other hole that needs a re thinking: the lake is too far from the green and then the green too far from 17th tee … what if the green is brought to the lake and you make it a great par 4?

Then the new 9 are tighter, with almost no Links Feel and very dense woods, fairways rolling firm and fast and some elevated greens can be a nightmare for a short, long or lateral miss!

It is a course I like, but every time I play it makes me feel how much better it could be with a Redesign on some holes and better definition on the bunkers.