Bonalba Golf

The course is generally well maintained and thoughtfully designed. The buffer placing is tricky, and some greens on the back nine had weeds.

The pro shop and food trucks are really nice, and the staff are kind and smiley. But the course condition is poor: the greens are really bad, with lots of bare spots and inconsistent speed. The bunkers need more sand, and the fairways are in really bad shape too. That's my professional view as a PGA teaching pro and professional greenkeeper.

The welcome was faultless, and the pro shop staff were organised and informative. The facilities are excellent, including a large, well staffed restaurant with some very tasty menu options. As for the golf, the layout is really good. There is a lot of development around the course, but it doesn't intrude. The course itself is very tired, though. The tee boxes were completely covered in sand, the fairways need repair, and there are lots of improvements underway. It's fair enough that they're trying to improve things, but the greens were truly awful, with too much grass, plenty of bald patches, and such a slow pace that you nearly need a croquet mallet to reach the hole. The pitch marks were so bad I could have spent half an hour repairing them on every green. None of that is the owners' or management team's fault. I wouldn't hurry back, though it may be worth another look in a few years once the improvements are done.

I played here a couple of weeks ago while on holiday. It's a challenging course without being too difficult, so it should suit most golfers. The greens were quick but had plenty of pitch marks. Work was underway on the large body of water between the 6th and 7th, which was empty when I played. I rented clubs from the pro shop for 35euro, and the staff were friendly and helpful.