Golf Oliva Nova
water into play . Mestral , the third nine , takes its moniker from the famous cold wind that occasionally blows down through northern Europe – but it ’ s not as intimidating as it sounds . Its highest peaks provide you with exceptional views of the surroundings and the fairways and greens are a touch more accessible than the other nines . Its forgiveness can be a welcome change if you ’ re ‘ A Game ’ hasn ’ t travelled with you . Mine occasionally gets left at the airport baggage carousel .
A little seafaring jaunt on a catamaran with Catamarán de Mundo Marino around the Javea coast got our adventurous juices flowing again , and so we travelled onwards to take on La Galiana Golf while our take-on-the-world spirits were flowing . We had been warned we would need it .
La Galiana simply has to be played if you ’ re in the region . It is a roller-coaster thrill ride carved into the side of a mountain that nevertheless wears its ecofriendly badge proudly .
It rises and falls all through a valley that has once again become a refuge for the local wildlife that called it home before its previous incarnation as agricultural land .
The course is a riot of colour and undulating , rocky terrain dotted with trees and shrubs , and the local flora and fauna can be distracting – such is its beauty . But those natural distractions must be banished from the golfer ’ s mind here – the course can be brutal if your concentration is lacking in any way .
The array of tee set-ups can soften the edge a little to provide higher handicap golfers their chance to sample this superb design without intimidating too much , but whatever level you play at you just have to pick your target and commit to it . The eye-catching beauty all around you won ’ t help you totting up your score as you walk of the 18th hole , but it will certainly leave an indelible imprint in your memory .
Undoubtedly , the stand-out hole is the Par 4 15th , where you tee off from a height of 50 metres above green level to what looks like a narrow fairway ( it ’ s actually quite wide but features a lake on the left and OB on the right ). Feeling brave ? Why not give the driver a rip and go for the green . However , the sensible play is a long iron to safety before tackling the well-protected green – that is , if you have managed to reach this far after factoring in the wind from the elevated tee . It really is a jaw-dropping hole .
Now if it ’ s the perfect marriage of beach holiday and golf that you ’ re looking for you might find just what you ’ re looking for at Oliva Nova Golf & Beach Resort . Designed by the late , great Seve Ballesteros in 1995 , the course promises much of what you would expect from the Spanish golfing genius – but it is relatively flat and is therefore a pleasure to walk .
The tee-shots , for the most part , offer you a bit of comfort . This is a little unsurprising , as it was the one element of Seve ’ s game that he struggled with , but after that things require a bit more guile when approaching greens – actually , a LOT more guile .
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