Costa del Cali – GOLFING EDITION

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Each year, at the beginning of April, the greatest event of all time kicks off the golfing season with its wonder views, spectacular patron involvement and exciting, if not near magical shows of golfing talent. The event is the Masters Tournament, and the location is in Augusta, Georgia.  A long way from Costa del Sol and a decent plane ride away from California, so why the mention here?

Putting aside (these puns just happen folks), it’s one of the four major events of the golfing season, the already mentioned best of best of all things good and golfing and this year, Jon Rahm of Spain (see, stick with us) was the 2023 Masters Tournament winner.

Why is this of interest? Well, in our Costa del Cali series and this piece, golfing edition, Rambo as they call him not only won the Masters Tournament, but he did so on Seve’s 40th anniversary Masters win and what would have been his 66th birthday and all on Easter Sunday.  This dear reader is as close to golfing Nirvana as one can get for a Spaniard, if not for anyone.

 

 

COSTA DEL CALI – GOLFING EDITION

 

Each year, at the beginning of April, the greatest event of all time kicks off the golfing season with its wonder views, spectacular patron involvement and exciting, if not near magical shows of golfing talent. The event is the Masters Tournament, and the location is in Augusta, Georgia.  A long way from Costa del Sol and a decent plane ride away from California, so why the mention here? 

Putting aside (these puns just happen folks), it’s one of the four major events of the golfing season, the already mentioned best of best of all things good and golfing and this year, Jon Rahm of Spain (see, stick with us) was the 2023 Masters Tournament winner. 

Why is this of interest? Well, in our Costa del Cali series and this piece, golfing edition, Rambo as they call him not only won the Masters Tournament, but he did so on Seve’s 40th anniversary Masters win and what would have been his 66th birthday and all on Easter Sunday.  This dear reader is as close to golfing Nirvana as one can get for a Spaniard, if not for anyone. 

Back to Costa del Cali.  You wish to play golf sir?  Let me take those clubs madam.  Well, step on up and see how we feel about what we have here in the Costa del Sol Vs what those in California have there. 

 

So, let’s pick our Top Trump golfing entrants and this time we plum for golf courses.  For California, Pebble Beach is easily regarded as the best or their most well-known courses and Valderrama is without question the best we have on offer.  Let the game begin. 

 

Over the years, Valderrama hosted the Volvo Masters repeatedly, the Spanish Open and the Ryder Cup on just one occasion.  In comparison, Pebble Beach has seen six US Opens with a 7th scheduled in 2027 plus more events than you can shake a mashie at = Cali win!

 

Green fees at Pebble start at $475 (€409) and Rama, €350.  Colour me biased, but Valderrama with money to spring on a lunch for two = Costa win!

 

Let’s talk about length.  Does it really, really matter?  For the amateurs, for sure it does, and for watching Pro golfers, totally matters.  Length off the back tees for Pebble 6802 yards and here in sunny Costa del Sol, 6987 = Costa win!

 

There’s no point having such wonders to play if the weather sticks it to you each time you near the course.  From my own experience, the location of Pebble makes it a hard course to love every day of the week.  I have on a few occasions driven from what was my home city of San Francisco to Pebble to find mist or fog so dense, we drove straight back home.   Without beating Pebble, you cannot compete with the Costa’s average of 325 sunshine days per year.  End of.  Mic drop on this one = Costa Win!

Top 50 or 100 lists are based on either someone or a collective, large, or small giving their opinion on what is deemed best or not.  Top100golfcourses.com is one of few lists that take the opinions of travelling golfers in real time and for this matter, they, the collective say, Valderrama is voted in at 100th in the world.  Pebble – not in the top 100 = Costa win!

 

For those not fussed on golf, the Pebble Beach / Monterey area is not only home to some of the finest golf courses, but it also offers awesome food, vineyards to visit, nice beaches, fab driving roads and is home to some fantastic automotive events.  Funnily enough, so is the Costa del Sol and more on that in articles to come.  Let’s be agreeable = Even. 

 

Lastly, the distance in time from the nearest international airport to Pebble is 2 hours, that’s San Francisco (SFO) for those interested and from Malaga (AGP) to Valderrama a mere 1 hour and 9 mins = Costa win!

 

I recognise that I am biased and that we could have chosen other courses or golfing subjects to do a head-to-head with.  That said, it’s a top tumps fantasy game and sorry California, you lost.  Costa del Sol trumps (again). 

 

Not all our G-Team plays golf and some of them say they do and don’t play (well at all).  What we do share is our love of the Costa del Sol and within that is some of the greatest golf courses you can add to your bucket list!  Call on the G-team to discuss all property matters. 

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