Villamartin Golf Health & Beauty

The par 5 14th was my personal highlight. A controlled shot into the valley sets up the tricky next shot onto a parallel fairway that tilts left, with a huge bunker and tall pines guarding it. Strategy matters more than brute force on that hole. The par 3 17th across a small ravine also grabs your attention right away. Villamartin Golf strikes a nice balance: challenging without being punishing, and strategic while still forgiving enough to enjoy the whole round. In February, even after Spain’s recent rain, the course was firmer than I expected. The fairways were quite hard, and the greens were fast and reliable, so distance control and careful positioning mattered. From the elevated tees there are views over fairways lined with mature pines and olive trees, and parrots in the treetops add a Mediterranean soundtrack. Plan for a long round. Tee times are eight minutes apart, with starts from both the 1st and 10th, so play can take 4.5 to 5 hours, including 20-30 minutes of waiting. The local members give the place a grounded, authentic feel beyond a typical resort course. The clubhouse makes an architectural statement, though its atmosphere felt a little reserved. Reception is compact and friendly, and parking involves a short walk because the course is in town. If you stop for food, the burgers are surprisingly good. If you’re in the region, Villamartin deserves a round.

The course was in good condition, although it’s narrow in places. A wayward shot can leave you on hard, rocky ground and ruin your clubs. It was very busy and play was quite slow, but I still enjoyed most of my golf here. The clubhouse and pro shop were good, with friendly staff. We used trolleys and didn’t find it too hard work.

The layout and elevation changes were enjoyable, and the fairways were in acceptable shape. The greens were a different story, with lots of unrepaired divots, and the bunkers weren’t great either. There wasn’t enough sand, and a few had stones in them. Play moved slowly, with a wait at every tee. Eight minutes between tee times clearly isn’t enough given how many people are on the course.

The course itself exceeded our expectations, and everyone else we dealt with was great, including the marshal we met two days earlier. But we had a really bad experience with the marshal on duty on April 28. At hole 4, he said we were behind pace. That seemed odd because we’d just passed the group ahead and knew we were on schedule. We assumed he’d mistaken us for another group and didn’t think much more about it at first. Then he approached us again at hole 16 with the same complaint, which was simply wrong. We finished all 18 holes in three hours. When we tried to explain our actual playing time, we were basically told we weren’t allowed to argue. He got more aggressive, shouted at us, and threatened us. He called us “very bad” and told us to “(curse word) off.” We honestly felt quite intimidated.