Real La Manga Club (South) - Southern Spain - Spain

This is the most technical course at La Manga, and tests your ball striking as well as short game. Lots of water, lots of sand, and a number of barrancas - dry river beds - crossing the fairways. Although it's the strongest course on the resort, I find it a little bland and uninspiring. The North has much more character.

The South is more spread out than the other courses on the resort, there is more room between holes, although at the top end of the course it gets a bit cramped with nearby properties. 3,4 and 6 have OOB on both sides and the villas make it feel a little claustrophobic, like playing golf in an alleyway. The back nine has a more open feel with more water, and the final 3 holes represent a stern challenge with water everywhere.

Out of the 3 courses at La Manga I would say this is the only one that you could really class as a "good" golf course for the lower handicapper. It has some interesting holes and dependant on the wind 3 of the 5 par fives very reachable in 2. Condition is good considering it gets a pounding most of the year from the golfbreaks customers. However because of this the play is painfully slow most of the times and outside of summer (when its quiet because of the heat) even though I have property on the resort I have to avoid it due to 5 hour plus rounds. The old school golfers that like a decent pace of play will tear their hair out here! All in definitely worth a visit and a good decent length well thought out course, just brace yourself for a long game!

Great challenging course with different tees where all kind of players can enjoy. Up to even host professional events.

The South course is by far, in my opinion, the best course in the La Manga complex in every single aspect.

I played this course in March of 2016, and was rather underwhelmed by the experience after hearing some good things.

Although the facility at La Manga is vast with good facilities, I found the course rather bland and lacking in character. On the plus side the condition of the course was good.

The South course is of course their Championship routing, the longest course at La Manga and perhaps the course you might expect the most at this type of resort. It’s fairly open and generous off the tee but still requires solid shots. Since it’s so open wind has a huge impact on the game. The greens run fast and the course plays fairly firm and fast as well. Bermuda grasses add very much to the challenge if the fairways are missed. It’s a fun and relaxed golf course.

The South course at La Manga can be described as the strongest of the three courses here, although this does not mean that it will all golfers favourite. My opinion is that whilst it is probably the toughest test it will probably be the better golfers that have the South at the top of their list of the three. The opening three holes are pretty straight forward but the 4th is the first worthy of a mention – a par-5 just over 500 yards with three bunkers around landing point for the tee shot, add in water to the right that meanders all the way to a pond in front of the green – a very strong hole. The front nine continues to deliver but if I am honest, it is a little predictable and the fun and interest levels that I get on the West and the North courses is not really there. The back nine starts well; the 10th is a short par-4 dog-legging left with smart bunkering short of the green. Then the 11th is a big hole; under 400 yards with plenty of water on the right-side from about 100 yards out all the way to the double tiered green. I like the 14th hole a lot (375 yards), where the tee shot is the key; long (starting from 180 yards from the tee) waste-land on the right all the way to the green must be avoided. The more that I think about it, the last five holes are probably the most enjoyable; the 15th requires a drive to a tight landing area and then approaching over the barranca (dry ditch) to a cleverly bunkered green-site. For those with long memories, the Spanish Open was held on the South course back in the 1970’s (when Gary Player was the first Golf Director at the resort) and it is the 18th hole that is the most memorable from those days; a par-5 around 500 yards with water left and right and then 50 yards short of the green too – a great finishing hole. The La Manga resort has now been around for more than 40 years and is an obvious success story but they do have to be a little careful though as now there are some places around the courses that need a bit of a re-fresh (paths, signage, bare patches etc.), which I believe is in hand and will only go to strengthening the experienced further.

A small group of us found La Manga Club to be the perfect short break golf destination for mid November. The three courses on site offer a very different challenge, the much improved South being the championship option as it can be stretched out to 7150 yards from the back tees. The yellow tees are much more suitable for all but the very best players as you will still be left facing a stiff test at 6740 yards. Although the West Course is the tightest and most picturesque of the three courses, most of our group preferred the South as it offered a very fair test and so many memorable holes. All had very good greens but the South was in the best condition overall. There is certainly great variety in the design of the course making it very easy to remember the layout in the bar afterwards. Water on fourteen holes, numerous dog-legs and great bunkering throughout means there is no let up from start to finish. Add in the punishing ball swallowing barrancas on another six holes and you might think about throwing a few extra balls into your bag. Most of the greens are large and some are quite undulating so good approach play is necessary if you are to avoid the dreaded 3 putt. Although there are dangers on every hole this is still very much a course for pulling out the driver, holes 7,14 and 18 possibly being the exception, as the fairways are in the main very generous. The par 3’s all have water on them and are all strong holes, the 190 yard all carry 17th being my favourite. I enjoyed all five of the par 5’s but in particular the 18th, a short risk and reward hole with water to avoid from the tee, barranca to clear on the approach and a ring of bunkers protecting the green. With the 16th also having an exciting iron shot over water to the green it means the South Course has a classy finishing stretch of holes that will live long in the memory. While we were on site news broke of the new Leadbetter Golf Academy which will open early next year, becoming the only one of its kind on mainland Spain. The driving range will be modernised and extended and the short game area will be completely re-built as La Manga Club strives to maintain its position as the No.1 golf resort in Spain. Brian W

When the wind blows (which is a lot of the time) this is a brute, especially the back 9 where there are a number of shots with no bale out. It's a tough course and one that leaves you drained at the end. You have to be long and straight to score well here because the greens are huge and being 'on the green' never means that you are down in two more unless you putt really well.

After the West course, I would rate this as the second best course at La Manga. It is also a course where you can get the driver out a lot as the fairways are quite wide. There are plenty of interesting and challenging holes here, such as the par four 11th, which has a lake on the right side which needs to be avioided, and 12, a nice little par three over water, which proved to be nasty playing in a 20mph wind! The 18th also deserves a mention, a long par five with loads of water and sand which must have ruined a lot of rounds!

The South is my least favourite of the three courses at La Manga but it’s by no means a bad track. What it lacks is elevation change and consequently palm-lined fairways, water hazards and bunkers provide the definition. The best hole for me is left until last which is not only the signature hole but the best on the course by a long way. Look out for the plaque on the 18th tee that commemorates Arnold Palmer’s eagle in the final round of the 1975 Spanish Open which secured victory.