La Manga Golf Club North/South

Located in the southern Spanish state of Murcia, La Manga Golf Club consists of three beautiful golf courses: North, South, and West. 

I had the opportunity to play the North and the South course for 2020 LET Qualifying School. Apparently, it wasn't the first time they hosted a Q-school, so I believe we might see another one being hosted there sometime in the future. 

So what makes it a suitable golf course to host a LET Q-school, one of the biggest venues for women's professional golf? 

In my opinion, there are not many golf courses that can play 100+ players at once, have big enough practice facility, and have affordable hotels, villas, housing in close distance for players, organizations, caddies, etc. In that sense, La Manga had the North/ the South course (they have the West course too, but it's in a different place and we didn't play it) which were both in amazing shape and were challenging. The resort was very accommodating, too, as they provided us with a shuttle from the nearby airport, and the community had a big grocery store and many gourmet restaurants which made things easy for the players staying there.

 

I want to talk a little about the actual course because I think that's the most important part. 

The North course is a par-71, and it is all strategy. It's tighter and we see many hills. Lots of hitting down or up on a hole. But I think it's easier to score on the North course for several reasons. It's shorter, there are less penalty areas, and as mentioned, strategy can really shape your score. 

The South course, on the other hand, is very wide but there are good number of water holes and is definitely longer compared to the North. It's a par-73, which probably explains why it also "feels" longer. It's flatter, but there are discrete undulations that may mess with your distances. I didn't know about it until I just looked it up on the website, but the South course is considered one of the best Spanish courses, and has hosted several large professional tournaments for both men and women. 

I scored better on the North course, but I can really see the South being a fun course to play when I am hitting the ball well. Both courses have these ginormous greens, but I think it's especially important to put your ball in right places for the South course. The South greens can be really challenging with large slopes and there were a few holes where they put the pins on slopes so it got especially challenging.  

As a side not, I loved the bocadillo (like a sub) they served on beverage carts. I always got the "jamon y queso" (ham and cheese) and it never failed me, so I suggest trying it when you're there. 

La Manga Golf Club is only 5 hours drive from Madrid and the weather is almost always nice in southern Spain; it is a course I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the ocean view and golf, and needs a weekend getaway from the city. 

More on this website: 

https://lamangaclub.com/en/sports/golf

North Course, Hole 2