Damha - Brazil
Rodovia SP-318,
km 234,
Parque Eco-Esportivo Damha,
São Carlos 13566-770,
São Paulo,
Brasil
+55 16 2106 6053
150 miles NW of São Paulo
Welcome, closed Mondays
Carlos Gonzalez “Carlão”
Ricardo Rossi
Antonio
Anwar Damha, head of a large São Paulo construction company, is the man behind the São Carlos course that’s named in his honour and his firm’s diversification into the building of golf courses is just a new area of expertise that includes housing, highways and shopping centres. Mr Damha wanted a local man of considerable golfing repute to design his course in 2003 so he wisely chose Ricardo Rossi, a respected former professional, to set out the 18 holes. Ricardo brought a lifetime of experience to the project – he competed in five Opens in Britain, played in the 1953 Masters in America and finished runner up to Sam Snead in the 1952 Brazilian Open – and it took three years of planning and construction before the fairways of the new course were revealed to the golfing public. Laid out in two returning nine hole circuits, Damha Golf Club features a thrilling par three on the front nine that plays to an island green completely surrounded by water with bunkers placed to the right of the hole. On the back nine, water is involved again at holes 16 to 18. Ponds protect the green at the last two holes but, unusually, the four tee boxes at the 16th are all set up as individual islands within a small lake – duffed tee shots from any of these tees are destined for a watery grave. |
Reviews for Damha
In my reviews that would not normally be a factor but Carlão is the exception to this rule. With only 9 years, Damha is still a young course with trees still growing and probably this is why the course is a Bombers paradise; you can spray your drives almost everywhere and come out with a view to the green. Ricardo Rossi a great golfer but with very little experience as an architect designed the course and built a very classic par 72. Everything is there, long par 3s, drivable par 4s and the 2 par 5s in each round. However, the lack of experience may have limited the options used what makes the course play a little dull under pressure. A more seasoned architect probably would have taken more chances what is interesting because the best holes on this course are exactly the ones where Mr. Rossi fights his normal tendency of order and proportions. The signature hole is number 6 a 174 yards par 3 with a big island green that depending on the tee placement can become a big challenge, after that you chill out in a lovely short par 4 with bunkers on both sides and a lot of palm trees that adds a lot to the visual experience. My favorite hole is the par 5 number 9 where a great tee shot will make this water protect green reachable for big hitters. The mortals can lay up and enjoy a nice approach over water to crescent moon green. The second round starts with the hardest hole of the course, a long par 4 with OB on the left, followed by a long par 3 that will test your accuracy and strength. A few holes later, on 16, you will find four island tees that are super nice and a great place to take some pictures and register the experience. The next hole is a great par four with a severely sloped green heavily guarded by water. If you could get one long straight drive to use, here is the place. Number 18 runs next to 9 but lacks the same presence, I always wonder why the architect opted to finish with this hole not the great par 5 but maybe he preferred a less dramatic hole to finish his course. All in all Damha resembles a resort style course where everybody will have a good time and more experienced golfers will need to play the back tees to get from the length the challenge that they seek.
