The Real Club de Golf de Pedreña is located in one of the most beautiful parts of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain near Santander. The location, the scenery and the design make Pedreña really one of a kind.
The course was designed in 1929 by Harry S. Colt, who worked with the natural topography of the terrain which is surrounded by pinewoods and has fabulous views of Santander Bay and the Cubas estuary. It was extended in 1991 with nine new holes designed and built by Severiano Ballesteros. The magnificent Monterey pines, imported from California, frame several holes and, combined with azaleas in bloom, create an almost Augusta-like atmosphere. Pedreña sits on a peninsula in the Bay of Santander, where the tides shift dramatically from water to exposed sand during just a few hours.
Northern Spain has a much hotter climate than Berkshire and Surrey, but if you lifted the course and placed it in the home counties in the UK, it would look as authentic as any of Colt’s finest British courses.
Seve grew up in Pedreña and spent hours practising on the beach, caddying and then playing on the course. He later designed a par 3 course at the entrance to the club with the intention of introducing more young players to the game to continue his legacy. Seve was a superstar from his early years and it is to the credit of the club that they allowed this precocious young man access to the course from such a young age.
Seve married Carmen Botín, whose family were – and remain – the principal investors in the Santander Banking Group, which was founded just over the bay from Pedreña in Santander. He had three children before he and Carmen divorced in 2004.
Pedreña is a demanding course requiring plenty of accurate golf: the course is not exceptionally long, but makes good use of the undulating terrain and gorgeous natural features. It is immaculately kept with tees, fairways and greens beautifully clipped into the type of velvety covering that only comes with time. Many of the trees are hundreds of years old and whilst golf course architects are wary of including trees in their design, as they can die and change the entire look of the hole, Colt has used many of these ancient trees to great effect.
The tradition for golf in Spain is long and not dissimilar to that of the UK. The earliest clubs, of which Pedreña is one, were set up to cater unashamedly for the better off; class distinctions and ridiculous dress regulations were all part of its formative years. Spain is a much cooler country than the UK in all but climate, and quickly made relaxed elegance the central theme for golfers to enjoy the courses and clubs.
The clubhouse is traditional in all its aspects, with staff in white uniforms and brass buttons giving it a distinctly nautical feel, with the building nestled into the landscape providing marvellous views across the bay to Santander, as well as over the golf course. There are ancient oak floorboards in the main hall which are beautifully eroded by spikes from a previous era and the whole clubhouse is covered with old-school oak panelling. The Seve lounge pays homage to its famous son with glorious views out towards the beach where Seve honed his game with a 3 iron as his only club in his formative years. Although his parents did not play golf, his brothers Vincente, Baldemero and Manuel all became golf professionals with Manuel becoming the longest-serving golf professional at the La Manga Club for many years after a successful stint on the European Tour. His uncle, Ramón Sota, was also a fine player and had a distinguished record as one of Spain’s earliest golfing stars.
Obviously, Seve is no longer with us, having tragically passed away from a brain tumour in 2011 aged just 54. Despite the vast fortune that Seve amassed throughout his career, he still chose to live in Pedreña throughout his life, which just shows how special the town, the golf club and the local community were to him. Asides his blistering career around the world as a player, Seve was a renowned golf course architect. However the club resisted the temptation to have him make any adjustments to the main course, and it has continued largely unchanged since its inception in the 1920s when it was originally laid out.
The club is private but visitors are welcome during the week for €200 and buggies can be rented from the pro shop. There is an excellent covered golf range and several short game areas and putting greens, all with lightning-fast surfaces and all without a blade of grass out of place.
Next to the short game area are a couple of five-a-side goal posts and a flat area for youngsters and football enthusiasts alike to enjoy Spain’s number one sport, and it is not surprising that the love of football is reflected at Pedreña – it was one of Seve’s greatest passions too. He would have been delighted with the World Cup result this summer.
A visit to Pedreña is akin to a pilgrimage – great fun, very special and almost spiritual.
For more details, please visit the website: realgolfpedrena.com