Pedrena

Many of you reading this will know the name of this course well.

It is, of course, the club at which Severiano Ballesteros learnt the game, but Pedrena is not just the course that nurtured one of the greatest talents the game has ever witnessed.

Because the playing genius of Seve was nurtured by the design genius of Harry Colt.

It was the Englishman and his design associates Hugh Alison and John Morrison who laid out Pedrena, and with typical nous.

But don’t take our ill-educated opinion for it – try this one from someone with a good deal more clout.

“The course was planned 20 years ago by Mr Colt, who had the most skillful intelligence applied to the science of golf structure,”

wrote Colt’s contemporary and rival Tom Simpson in 1946.

“Pedreña is, in my opinion, the best course by Harry Colt on the continent. Generally speaking, I have nothing but praise for the layout of this course whose location is, of course, precious considering its aesthetic value.

Consider some of the hole names – The cliff, Breezes, and Miramar (meaning sea view) – towards the end of both nines.

“The holes in high ground are as good as any of the other fields we have seen, without excepting Pine Valley from the USA. In short, due to its location, panorama, charm and aesthetics, Pedreña surely has to be one of a kind.”

High praise indeed from a man not especially noted for it.

The land Simpson speaks of are the bluffs on which Pedrena is routed, which offers spectacular views and holes. Consider some of the hole names – The cliff, Breezes, and Miramar (meaning sea view) – towards the end of both nines. Indeed, the club is quick to acknowledge the assistance of work of ‘a group of mountaineers’ in the creation of its course.

Into that rarified aesthetic are the clever green complexes and world-class par 3s for which Colt is renowned.

Some of his touch has been lost down the years, but – inaugurated in 1928 – it remains one of the Continent’s elite.

As once panellist said: 'Seve's home course is a Colt gem. The par 3s shine and its lack of length is made up by clever bunkering. Fabulous views.'

David Williams has been working with the club for nearly a decade now and has renovated a third of the holes, the latest of which were the complete renovation of the par-3 12th and par-4 18th.

[post_list title="NCG Top 100s: Europe" posts=185767,185811,185760,185817] [post_list title="NCG Top 100s: Europe" posts=174292,177933,18424,18425]