Villa Padierna (Flamingos) - Southern Spain - Spain

I haven't stay in the Villa Padierna Hotel, but have been in it numerous times and will say that it is spectacular and if you can afford a night in it, then it's a must.

The Flamingos course is nice, but shouldn't be walked. It is very hilly, but full of lovely holes. There aren't really any bad holes which is a bit compliment, with holes 1, 4, 5, 9, 12, and 16 being personal favourites. The 10th is a strange hole but other than that they're all good. The greens were the best greens I had ever putted on the first time I played, and the greens are slopey, so you really have to be on form!

Their other courses aren't on this site for some reason, so I will briefly write about them.

ALFERINI - 4.5 Golf Ball Rating

The Alferini course is by far the hardest of the 3, and like the Flamingos, should not be walked. The walks to tee boxes are very long, and the course is very hilly. That being said, the course is fantastic, and weaves through canyons, with good bunkering and occasional water. It is very hard, but very enjoyable. Holes 1, 3, 8, 13, 14, 17 and 18 are personal favourites, and like the Flamingos, there are very few if any bad holes.

TRAMORES - 4 Golf Ball Rating

The Tramores course is by far the easiest of the 3. It is very quirky, with over 10 par 3s and only 1 par 5. Don't let this put you off by thinking it's not a problem course though, as it is extremely fun. It is hilly, but walkable, and the perfect course to play for some money. Enjoy how short it is a,d how quirky the 1st, 10th and 15th holes are. By far the MOST FUN of all 3

Advise this is one to avoid, its very average and despite the impressive clubhouse the course is decidedly unimpressive. no real fantastic holes of any note, we played it in Nov 2012 when the weather had been very wet so it wasn't perhaps at its best and the wind was howling which made that tight tee shot on the 9th even more of a lottery than it already is ...! there's better out there elsewhere in the area ....

Flamingos is a decent enough course that has some excellent holes interspersed with some very average stuff. The start is very tight with the first 5 holes set close to the Villa Padieria hotel. Some of the best and most challenging golf comes around the turn, with the 9th being the tightest of par 4's with danger both sides and rewards if you hit driver as the green can just about be reached by the longer hitters (but note that the landing area is the width of a cricket crease!). The 10th has cunning as you need to place a tee shot to a plateau fairway approximately 180 yards away and you will then have at least the same again over the river and reeds to a semi island green. Shame the lake had no water, a product of another dry summer and scorching temperatures across Southern Spain! The 11th then is a good par 5, uphill to a well guarded green where you will need 3 shots to get home. Flamingos is the original course at the Villa Padieria resort and if you stay here you now have 3 courses to choose from. The Tramores is an intriguing little par 63 where again a premium is on accuracy. However by some distance the best course at the resort is the fairly new Alferini. Alferini is possibly one of the toughest courses along the Costa del Sol stretch (along with Monte Mayor and Valderrama), the par 73 is long, but still demands huge accuracy, you will be stunned by the architecture and terrain of some of the holes and if you play to your handicap I would suggest you have had the round of your life! Playing the 3 courses and staying in the hotel makes an excellent 2 day trip. Ian Henley

definitely worth a visit. not a serious course like the holy trinity around sotogrande or finca but an interesting course in good condition. you HAVE to be straight but no need to be long. some v good holes 2,4,9,10 come to mind. 1 is weird and unfair. very good restaurant in clubhouse. a little overpriced for what it is (priced more like finca but there are generally good discounts/deals will def be back

Beutifully maintained , with tour speed greens even weekdays. Course is easy and promotes good scores besides hole no 10. And the Clubhouse - well it's not a clubhouse it's a Palace !!! Try it and You wont be dissapointed.

Played Flamingos on a recent trip and whilst it’s not in the same league as a Valderrama or a San Roque it certainly holds its own with most other courses on the Costa. If you have a good day off the tee you can certainly score well as its not overly long but stray away from the generous fairways and your ball could be heading for a watery grave, lost in a deep valley or, even worse, the garden of someone’s villa. I will defiantly play this course again next time I’m in the area.