El Rompido (South)

Located close to the Portuguese border on the Costa de la Luz, the 36-hole complex at Golf El Rompido opened in 2003 with an initial 18-hole layout which became known as the South course when the North debuted three years later.

Holes on the South course are set out as two distinct nines. The front nine is routed close to the clubhouse, occupying a compact site of around 50 acres, with water hazards featuring at three of the opening four holes.

Highlights include the par four 1st (doglegging severely right around a large pond); par fours at the 6th and 7th (both of which veer left to the green); and the long, narrow par five 9th where progress is impeded by randomly positioned trees in the fairway.

The back nine is a different animal altogether. Holes 10 and 11 lie next to the others on the outward half but the routing suddenly heads east then south, circling a huge coastal marshland area from the 12th to the 17th, before the home hole runs parallel with the 9th back to the clubhouse.

Feature holes on this huge loop include the right doglegging par five 12th; the extremely narrow par five 14th (rated stroke index 1); and the short par four 17th (which turns 90 degrees from tee to green) – with marshy out of bounds lurking along one side of the fairway at all three holes.