I must admit I had read a few features that have mentioned Buenavista Golf Club but none had jumped out at me and said you must play this course, as I am standing on the 10th tee which is my first today I am wondering why.
The course was designed by one of my favourite golfers of all time, Severiano Ballasterious, and as I look down from the elevated tee out to the Atlantic Ocean with the green perched on the rocks and the Pero Mountains to my left it’s a fantastic sight. I can see some of the other holes from this position and I suddenly feel like a child in a sweet shop.
But let me put you back in sync and start from the 1st, a risk and reward par 5, Seve goes straight for the jugular, do you defend or attack? A good drive will leave you with around 240 yards to a green that is below you but raised. There is a stream running across the fairway just shy of the green that feeds into a pond that sits left and below the green. Anything short and left and you are in the water. I played down the middle and stick my wedge shot in tight for a give me birdie, but there is an eagle start waiting there for the brave. It’s a great start to the course.
Top: Looking over to the 15th Green: Above LtoR: 3rd, 12th and 16th holes
The second is the first of six par 3s and four of them have the ocean as a backdrop, the 2nd is probably the weakest of the six but it is still a good little hole. The ocean and the mountains are ever present and offer a wonderful setting for the course, the front nine is known locally as the mountain nine and I would say is probably the more difficult nine in terms of scoring.
The back nine is the dramatic nine with the ocean being more prevalent and the elevated tees on the 10th and 13th holes are just perfect driving holes to watch your ball sail through the air as they head down towards the Atlantic and tightly cut fairways below.
The course comes to a fitting finale with the par 3 15th which is played down hill with the waves crashing on the rocks just behind the green. It’s another elevated tee measuring over 220-yards and is a great hole, but be careful of your clubbing it certainly doesn’t play that yardage unless the wind is blowing.
16 and 17 are played along the cliffs above the ocean and just add to the crescendo factor of the course, in fact I think the 16th has to be one of my favourite holes if I was to pick one out on the back nine, it’s another great driving hole but tight with the rocks on your left. The 18th gives you a chance to finish on a high and is another great risk and reward hole, but this time the pond with its fountain sits just in front of the green. I laid up again and went for the chip and putt birdie.
But as I place my putter back in my bag I wonder why no one has been shouting out about this course, are they trying to keep it a secret? Who knows, what I do know is that you should make sure you come and play here Seve has produced a gem of a course and I know you will love every minute of it.
