El Bosque - South East Spain - Spain

I was meant to visit El Bosque last year when the club was half way through a course refurbishment but the trip was cancelled due to covid travel restrictions. I’m glad I was forced to wait another year as the front nine has just been refurbished and it only reopened for play last week, allowing me to see the full extent of the overall improvement work.

Cabell Robinson was called in to renovate the layout and, truth be told, it was him who laid out the course forty-five years ago when he was doing all the European design work for Robert Trent Jones Sr. so he was no doubt familiar with what had happened here before in the mid-1970s.

Holes 1-9 have not just had the bunkers renewed, they’ve also had all the greens replaced so this is quite an upgrade on the back nine work that took place last year. Cart paths have also been replaced in what amounted to a multi-million euro overhaul of the course.

I liked the front nine, especially the closing couple of holes, with the long par three 8th played over a lovely little lake to the green then the short par four 9th doglegging left and up to a benched green next to the clubhouse. Things then step up a gear or two on the back nine, with the Barranco de Pelos brought more into play.

The par three 12th plays across this water course to a very shallow, peanut-shaped Biarritz green on the other side of a small ravine then the approach shot to the green at the following hole has to carry a dammed section of the same stream. The par three 14th starts from an elevated tee next to the previous green, with the tee shot played back over water to an unusual boomerang-shaped green – all a bit unconventional and rather interesting!

Housing lines the left of the 17th (like the 2nd and 3rd holes) but this outside residential element is well screened and never too obtrusive, allowing play to proceed unhindered on the course. The par four closing hole then brings things to a satisfying close from an elevated tee down into a valley then up to another benched putting surface (like the 12th) situated below the clubhouse terrace which looms behind the home green.

Members I spoke to while going round the course were absolutely delighted with the new developments, voicing the opinion that the disruption over the last year or so had been well worth enduring to end up with the reconditioned layout that’s now in play. If you’re in the area with your clubs in tow, you’d be advised to see for yourself what they’re so happy about.

Jim McCann

Valencia is well off the golf tourist trail, but coupled with El Saler, El Bosque is a good option for a short trip.

To me, this is very recognisable as a Trent Jones course: big bunkers, big tees, lots of water. This also generally means it is fair and interesting. A couple of the par 5's are protected by water to create risk/reward but my favourite holes were probably the 1st for the high elevated tee shot, and the short par four 18th, back up the hill to the clubhouse, where it's all about accuracy and distance control not power.

The clubhouse is very stylish and modern, with great views over the course from its elevated vantage point. A lovely place to relax after your round.

I had watched a club match on this course about 15 years ago and welcomed the opportunity to play the course recently. It turned out to be a better course than I had remembered and is indeed a very fine test of golf.

It is well bunkered and has a great variety in style of hole. It is also well routed so you are changing direction frequently It is quite hilly but the hills are not a dominant feature of the course. There are some holes with water but it is well used and not many shots have to be played over water.

If you are staying in Valencia you can't go wrong playing this course and El Saler.

el bosque was the first stop of our spring buddy trip in the valencia region. we all loved the course a lot. layout is challenging. either the lenght of the hole or the difficult approch shot to an elevated green prevents an easy par here. the course was dry, so drives got an huge rolls. which helped the score a lot. very nice facilities. all in all very recommended.

A good inland course that is well off the main tourist run. Around two hours north from Alicante, Valencia is not home to the usual holidaying golfers seen further south. As far as the course is concerned, I rate it. Generous fairways are flattering but keep the pace of play pretty quick. Great opening hole from a high tee allows a lot of hang-time for the opening shot of the day. The front nine develops well with a nice combination of holes; the 6th dog-legging right is one of my favourites and then the 9th a par-4, a little longer than the 6th and turning left this time is another beauty. The back nine starts strong with another tough dogleg and then run of holes from 13 to 15 bring in some water hazards to play over. The final hole needs a similar drive to that of the opening hole, which will leave an uphill approach to a green that is about four times wider than it is in depth – very tough to get it right. The overhead photograph on this page shows the 18th green. Nice off course facilities too – modern clubhouse and extensive warm-up areas