By Deric Henderson
Golfers only rarely get closer to heaven than the 18th hole at The Marbella Club Golf Resort, surely the most spectacular final hole on the Costa del Sol? With a high, elevated tee overlooking a deep gully and the Straits of Gibraltar hazy in the far distance, this par-5 cries out for the drive of a lifetime.
A glance at the watch confirmed we reached here in just two hours, 25 minutes which even with a buggy must come close to setting a land speed record for a two-ball at peak season in southern Spain.
It's a terrific course in the Sierra mountains, and with daily rounds averaging as low as 22 - yes 22 - there is hardly a sinner around, just myself and a club professional with an unfortunate surname who happily blasts the ball a country mile. Rod Bastard, 34, let rip with his 3-wood and his shot soared into the cloudless Mediterranean sky, before dropping and bouncing softly 300 yards up the fairway.
"Right," he said motioning with his arms. "Nice and slow with the back swing, and keep the head down..."
One of the great joys for any struggling high handicapper who yearns for a reasonable stableford score is getting close to those who can actually play. Ron hit six, seven and eight irons with such precision that he putted for a birdie on nearly every green.
Brought up the son of a farmer in Kenya, he went to university in north Carolina on a tennis scholarship and only started golf at 18. Missing out on the European tour, he settled instead for a career as a club professional which eventually brought him to a course near Benahavis for the exclusive use of guests at the fashionable Marbella Club, some 20 minutes away. He is ribbed mercilessly for his name, but retains a fine sense of humour.
"I must be the only golfer on the Costa del Sol who is on first name terms with everybody," he laughs as he poured the coffee on the clubhouse veranda. It's inconvenient at times, especially when I'm trying to book a table. Some people find it awkward, but I'm comfortable and they soon realise that."
The course, opened in 1999, easily compares with the best in this part of Spain, and that includes San Roque (Old), Sotogrande, the over-rated Valderrama, Los Naranjos, and Santana near Fuengirola.