Alferini Golf Club

Golf course #4. Villa Padierna, Alferini Course. Marbella. Rating: 4.5

What a dramatic course, and maybe the hardest course I’ve ever played! Challenging is an understatement for holes 1-3 (lost 4 balls on first two holes with blind shots into massive ravines). I was paired with a lovely Irish couple (big improvement in company over the Boring Dutchman). Scenery and views were spectacular; we were surrounded by nature, mountains, and apparently lots of wild boar, the evidence of which could be seen in the middle of a number of fairways, much to the chagrin of the greenskeepers. There was hardly a condo or building to be seen, except for two very well placed restrooms. It was a mountain course with many long, narrow fairways, each hole with a more dramatic vista. I’d come back, but with way more balls!