Affordable golf - And not to be sniffed at

For those of you that have been following my diary notes over the last few weeks from the “Home of Golf”, I hope I managed to sow seeds of passion to one day sample the delights yourself – you won’t be disappointed!

My travels have moved on from one golfing haven to arguably another – the Costa Del Sol, or the “Costa Del Golf” as it’s more affectionately known.

Situated on the southern tip of Spain, this stretch of coastline is home to some of the best courses in Europe, with the likes of Valderrama, San Roque and a host of other top-class facilities only a stone’s throw from each other.

That said, my focus this week is a whole world apart – and then some!

Minimalistic club

Although being among such fantastic courses I very rarely play while here. This is family time and an opportunity to kick back and recharge.

However, having said that, we do manage to sample a little of the local golf offering just around the corner to where we stay.

It comes in the form of San Pedro Golf Club. Not wanting to mislead you, San Pedro Golf Club is not a golf club in the modern sense of the word (meaning having a golf course) but more of an organised social club based at a driving range.

The club belongs to the local council and was formed in order to provide the local residents of San Pedro an opportunity to sample the great game.

Not being too familiar with the formal structure of the club it is clear to see by the condition of the facilities that this is a non-profit making club and run on a shoestring budget.

It is situated on a busy town road, inside an aged link fencing with no formal entrance. There are around 25 bays all of which are under a shade, which happened to find itself sprawled all over the road a few months ago after a freak storm.

The mats have long been worn through; the clubhouse (or should I say – “lean-to”) looks like it would be better suited in the corner of a public beach in Jamaica.

The practice putting green is minimalistic to say the least, but it is artificial grass, which will favour the avid environmentalist if they ever cared to visit. I somehow imagine the choice of artificial turf was more of a maintenance cost decision as opposed to being an eco-friendly one.

When all said and done, it’s not a facility to rival the big boys but it is a thriving local amenity and do you know what? It does a job and it’s fun!

My girls love it, they bash balls to their heart’s content, it’s always busy and it’s affordable to the masses. A bucket of balls (a quarter bucket in actual terms) will set you back Dh5 – although not all are clean, or even round, they provide endless amounts of amusement for the locals perched on the club’s 1980s plastic “Coca-Cola” outdoor furniture range.

Coming from a country of such innovation and vision as the UAE to a small town in south Spain to see how other cultures learn, it’s a very refreshing, enjoyable and humbling experience.