La Cala (America) - Southern Spain - Spain

Was played at middle of February 2020 in La Cala (America) and was really satisfied. First of all very acceptable price for green fee with buggy (it is advisable to take). Price was unbeatable and the best in area. This par 72 spectacular golf course is one of three courses in La Cala golf resort and the best (my opinion), perhaps more difficult than the shorter Asia or Europe. Concerning architecture and picturesque this golf course is very nice and not boring with attractive view. In general condition of fields and surroundings were average, but fairways playable, greens could be faster. Golf course is not very challenging, but concerning small green you must be very careful to atack pin from every distance. All you need is accuracy and bit distance from tee. For long hitters mostly par 5 greens are reachable by two. There are water hazards on the 9th and 16th. My opinion these holes are most interesting in course. There is not very much hazards at all and only hilly landscape could be the biggest challenge regarding blind shots or wrong choose approach distance. Concerning picturable views is very pleasant to play here. Game success depends on wind more than hazards. Cozy clubhouse and restaurant, very pleasant staff (the field was very busy but they did their best). As was mentioned buggy is recommended. I‘m not old man and can walk a lot, but quality of game will be very average I guess. Value for price I found very high.

No doubt every golf course rating is always a subject with a lot of subjectivity, depending on various criteria. I always rating by the following criteria: course complexity or challenging, fields condition (especially greens & fairways), service (only what you can get: buggie, club rent, condition of clubs, the amount of choice and etc. except staff and other subjective things that depends on your or staff mood), surrounding views or pleasure to the eyes and definitely value for the price. All criteries will be rating from 1 to 5 stars. Concerning La Cala (America) golf course my personal opinion is follow:

1. Challenging - 4*

2. Condition - 3* (could be better)

3. Service - 5*

4. Surroundings - 5*

5. Value for the price - 5*

I‘ll back here to play again.

Played this course about a week ago for the first time. I would say it’s a decent resort course with some fun and quirky holes. Probably best described as penal architecture for a resort course some of the pin placements were rather extraordinary. The greens among the smallest I’ve ever seen.

A good example was on the par 5, 6th hole playing at 469 meters. A visually tight drive where right is lost ball territory and left there is space but that leaves a more challenging second shot often from a steep sidehill lie. A strong drive taking on the right hand side bunker catches a speed slot and leave a mid to long iron into the green. However, the green is about 100ft straight up a very steep hill. The likes of which I can’t remember seeing on a course before. I played it as a 3-shot hole and was left with a full wedge but literally straight up. When I arrived at the green I found the pin which was placed hard left to be on a sort of inlet to the green that was literally 3.5 paces wide and playing horizontal to the angle of play.

Given there are five par 5’s on this course there are plenty of opportunities for birdie or even better. There are also several highly elevated tee shots where you can literally go for broke. I imagine most golfers like to feel they have launched one off the tee and there is plenty of opportunity for that at La Cala.

The maintenance was good and the course was playing firm and fast. I’d recommend taking a cart due to all the uphill climbs and a few long hauls between greens and the next tee plus the fact that it’s rather warm there.

In terrible condition. Had high hopes after previous reviews and conditioning on the Europa looked fine. Sadly we were faced with 3 ladies 4 balls in front of us who refused to let a 3 ball with a PGA pro through and continued to putt out on the worst greens I have seen on the costa. Drove off after 3 holes and went to play Alferini instead. Very busy with lots of society hackers so be warned.

A nice course although very hilly! This is a tough course for it's length with plenty of opportunity to knock a ball over a cliff.I have played this a number of times but with all the La Cala course it depends on when you play as the course can be packed and 5 1/2 hour rounds are common, if you can play outside of peak time it is more enjoyable.

I played the Campo America course in May 2012 and enjoyed it so much that I will be playing it again this October. As a 13 handicap player I wished for a test that wasn't too unfair, yet not too easy and I got that at this course. The views from some of the tee boxes are spectacular, especially 'The Cliff' driving tee on the first and dogleg left downhill last par 5 on the course. The fairways and greens were in excellent condition indeed, and I had arrived just 3 days after a week of flooding in the area - conversely this meant we couldn't take the buggies on the fairways - which made for a tough old slog! I would have to agree with previous assertions that there were a few bad bounces here and there which will ruin a round if you let it, though like any course you are unlikely to fall into the same trap a second time. I also played El Chapparal on this trip and I can say that this course was on a completely different level to the poorly manicured course I just named. All in all a very lovely course that will cater well for the 8+ handicapper, though might not be challenging enough for the low end of the scale.

After a pretty gentle start featuring the opportunity to hit your opening drive off of a cliff, the course really gets going on the 4th, a par three surrounded by trouble. Off to your right you see the latest Robinson Course to be added to this exciting destination, the Europa. In My opinion it is the best course on the complex by far and it is the hardest. Choose your tee box very carefully. The Europa will soon usurp the Americas as the preeminent course on the property I reckon. It is the best of the three and I am sure it will feature in the rankings here next time they are re ranked. The fourth is one of the best par 4's you will ever play and there are classic golf holes one after another. The par 3 14th is a barnstormer followed by the brutal par 5 15th. the 12th and 13th are very attractive par 4's that are nothing short of very challenging. It is a must play for the accomplished golfer and is more consistently balanced than the other 2. It flows really well. Now, Back to the Americas. It plays over extreme terrain that leaves little room for mistakes and calls for precise shotmaking or you will be reaching for another ball. The holes are varied and inviting with greens that are beautifully maintained. What strikes you here is the undulations and the clever routing making the most of the dramatic terrain. JCB LAY

I played all three courses in January. I only paid 200 euros to play as much as I wanted in a week. And that included a golfcar(a must on this courses) It had rained quite a bit so the courses were wet, but the courses were still in good condition. The greens were maybe 9-10 on the stimp.I think America is the lightest of the three courses. The course is not long, but the green are quite small and requires a great second shoot. I liked the 1,9,16 and 18. Large differences in height and beautiful views. A must when you are on costa del sol.

I was able to play this venue at the IGTM 2009 Tournament. I already knew the resort, but had only played Asia before. The resort is really fantastic, 1st class. The course is just good, not more than that. Design os ok, some very good holes and a few that are really bad and unfair holes. But that is what the piece of land allows, I cannot imagine a better course in a piece of land with so many dramatic level changes. Teed off from 17th and started with 3 consecutive birdies, then my game fell down but finally scored decent 76. Some really nice holes: 3rd, 4th, 6th , 9th, 12th and signature par 3 16th. My only advice: put hole guides at the tees to give you and idea of where the hole goes, some of them really need them and will help to enjoy the course from the first time.

By this I want to give a review for the whole golf complex including 3 courses - Europa, Asia and America. Also see my recent review for the Valderrama course to get better understanding of what I am speaking about. The La Cala golf courses are simply put not bad at all and get it right I am not bashing them for nothing but they are pretty much different league than Valderrama. They lack everything Valderrama posess and that makes the latter such an outstanding track. So, here is a bried step by step analysis. Terrain. Very mountainous. The elevation differences are huge and the vistas are beautiful, but is it good for a game called golf? I don't think so. Due to the rugged charachter of the terrain you get a) blind shots, b)unfair bounces. You may hit a straight shot and end up in a ravine which you could not have seen. You may hit a prefect drive almost to the center of the fairway and as award get a bounce towards the nearest scrub plantation, which are plenty. Design. I do not think it is really possible to make anything good from this piece of land but the layout is extremely complicated and confusing. After all the course is not fair. Conditioning. Better then you might expect from a desert mountain course but far from perfect. Greens are very good and true anyway. Overall the courses get a 4-ball mark (mainly for the greens) whith the Europa course really deserving a 2-ball being the unfairest course I have ever played (may be only rivaled by the Old Course at Gloria).

This is a super golf resort that is visually stunning. It has some truly memorable holes with elevation changes and some amazing teeing areas where you have to drive over canyons and use all the shots as there are some great dogleg holes. The par 5's are a great collection of holes that make you think and ask you all sorts of questions. The views from some of the tee's are fantastic as is the overall condition of the course, its very well looked after is a must play course if your golfing in the area.