round 1 - south
stunning scenery
the south course was upgraded by arnold palmer in 1993 and refurbished during 2004. it feels spacious despite many palm trees that line the fairways. however there’s water everywhere… it’s the championship layout with additional length and bunkering and when the wind gets up it can be a real test. it’s the least charming of the three courses and lacks a bit of character.
nic dominated the round with a tasty 37 points which helped complete a 4&2 victory. we had planned to play this twice but it was tired and overplayed by the masses so switched the final round to the north.
match score: neil & nic 19¼-15¼ phil & al
round 2 - north
some tough par 3s
on day two we played the north track. palm trees, lakes and ‘barrancas’ (storm gullies) are key features and it is slightly shorter than the south, with tighter fairways and larger greens. nic can attest to the complexity of the greens, in particular the par 3 second, which has four levels, all of which he putted from… there is often a breeze (or howling gale) which makes the course really hard.
neil and nic led for most of the round but phil and al took the match down the last prior to a par from nic to take the match, interesting practice for the KOP hole.
match score: neil & nic 20¼-15¼ phil & al
round 3 - west
18th tee shot
the west was a real surprise. it is very different to the other courses, seen by many as the weakest of the 3 courses, but we enjoyed this immensely. shorter but much more interesting, this is definitely a hidden gem. it opened in 1992 and was designed by dave thomas. it cuts through pines rather than palms and is extremely tight and hilly with blind tee shots. thankfully it’s length means good shots are rewarded.
during the front 9 it looked like neil and nic were going to run away with it but by the 17th tee, phil and al were dormie-2. then the pressure started to tell and the match ended up being halved.
match score: neil & nic 20¾-15¾ phil & al
round 4 - north
the KOP green
given our disappointment with the south course, we switched the final round to the north.
the front nine was dominated by nic with 23 stableford points and on the 14th tee neil and nic were 4-up. then the tide turned, and suddenly the lead had been reduced to one as the KOP hole arrived.
neil blasted his tee shot into a palm tree right of the fairway that is unlikely to be seen again. phil then held his cool with a solid bogey to not only tie the match but also retain the KOP.
match score: neil & nic 21¼-16¼ phil & al