This was the round that inspired me to create this site and to more formally begin my quest to play all of the Top 100 courses both in the US and the world. Finca Cortesin was the location for the 2023 Solheim Cup and since my family was going to be vacationing in southern Spain I thought it would be great to play it a few months before the pros. This always gives a better appreciation for just how good the professionals are!
Anyway, as I often do when traveling, I showed up for my tee time as a single knowing that I would be paired with a random player. As it turns out, my playing partner was checking in as I walked in the pro shop. He was an older gentleman and I could tell that he was from the Boston area by his accent. He seemed somewhat gruff, so I wasn’t sure what the round would be like but I’ve generally had good luck in this area and was cautiously optimistic. At least we would be able to communicate since we both spoke English!
After a brief period to warm up, it was our turn to head to the first tee. My playing partner introduced himself as Paul and it turned out that he was a member of Golf Magazines Top 100 Committee and this would be his 1,560th different golf course! He also indicated that he has played every course that has hosted The Ryder Cup, The Solheim Cup, The Presidents Cup, and The Walker Cup as well as every course that has ever been included in any of the reputable Top 100 lists (both US and World)! Needless to say, we had plenty to talk about during the course of our round.
Here is a picture taken from the 1st tee:
At this point, I should point out that these greens were FAST!!! Especially if you had a putt down-grain. Here is a shot from the 3rd green looking back towards the tee:
Next we come to the 4th hole which will be used as the 1st hole during the Solheim Cup. It is a short par-4 over water that you can go for or lay up to the right. I hit my drive about 20 yards short and right of the green but was only able to manage a par on this hole. Did I mention that the greens were FAST???
I am not usually a fan of residential courses, but as you can see from these next 2 pictures the homes are not close to the course and they are also stunning. There was also lots of construction, but it did not impact the round in any way.
The 10th hole was a very scenic but challenging downhill par 3 that had a very narrow green. The safe play here is either just short or left – right is dead!
Here is a good look at the clubhouse and driving range from the course:
Here is a photo from the 15th tee box showing the long forced-carry just to reach the fairway. This was a tough hole!
Final thoughts: Although it was a beautiful course and I enjoyed my round at Finca, I don’t think it was worth the 370 EU that it cost to play there. I did, however, really enjoy meeting Paul and talking with him about many of the courses he has played. He had actually just flown in that morning to play at Finca and was headed straight back to the airport to fly to his next location – he squeezed Finca in to preserve his Solheim Cup streak.
Leave a Reply