Hacienda del Alamo Murcia Spain

[Dave Ireland]

Just clearing out some photos from this year's trips. This is the Dave Thomas designed course in Murcia, Spain. Any officienados of The Golf Channel UK, will recognise the name as the main sponsor of primetime golf here.

We arrived over from wet and windy Ireland to eh .. wet and windy Spain
Pic #1 .. A gentle opener of 390 yards straight into the wind and rain
Pic #2 Your intrepid photographer puts himself in danger to bring you the best action pics
Pic#3 & 4 .. 2nd hole another 395 yards .. the bunkers were more waste bunkers than sand kinda what you have on desert courses .. a good fall of rain made them particularly difficult

 

[Dave Ireland]

First 3 pics are of #7 a tough 390 yarder with waste bunkers either side of fairway, and an elevated green surrounded by Mr. Sand

4th pic is of #8 a 210 yarder surrounded by water on the right,(camera foreshortens the distance) wind was blowing L/R but Mr. Lake went hungry as we all escaped his clutches

 

[Dave Ireland]

1st pic is looking back down the monster #9 570 yard par 5 playing downwind it was my first bird of the day

Pics 2 & 3 show the 10th a 420 yarder water in play all the way

Pic 4 #13 420 straight downwind .. A gave the ball "The Message" on this one flew the 1st set of bunkers and just came up short of the 2nd bunkers .. *cough* .. must've been about 370 yards off the tee

 

[Adam Pettman]

That course looks nice but baked.Were the fairways firm?

 

[IrishGolfer]

Looks like Donegal minus the palm trees!!!

 

[Dave Ireland]

1st pic , 14th green awaits my pulled 9 iron and 75 feet 2 putt

Pics of the 530 yard 15th fairway and green, found the white powder off the tee

4th pic is the teebox on #17, 430 yards of bunker (index 2), hit a hooky one here which turned out to be ideal

 

[Dave Ireland]

1st pic yours truly delivering the aforementioned hooky on #17

Lavender type thingy growing in the waste bunker just to add a bit of difficulty finding yer ball

Last pic #18 570 yard par 5, I was tired, wet and cold, took the shortest way home over the palms on the left, found it, smacked it again, pitched on and 2 putts, saved myself a good 100 yards on the other saps who decided to play fairway finder .. Cheers and thanks for looking Dave

 

[MCDavis]

Great pics, Dave!

 

[Dave Ireland]

That course looks nice but baked.Were the fairways firm?

They were Adam ... the day we arrived was the 1st rain for weeks (go figure), the rough was dormant bermuda so not really baked as such

Looks like Donegal minus the palm trees!!!

And the ginger hair and freckles

 

[Dave Ireland]

Great pics, Dave!

Cheers McD

 

[IrishGolfer]

1st pic yours truly delivering the aforementioned hooky on #17

Very slack Mr. N! You are way on the inside here, with a lot of weight on the back foot. I imagine you hooked the knickers off this shot, the camera doesn't lie.:laugh:

The course looks fairly open, I imagine a few scores were delivered on this track. I asle assume it is new, looks like a lot of development going on. what were the greens like? And how did you shoot? Another 43 points with a snowman, eh?

Did you get any sun at all? Sure you were no doubt used to it. Bloody typical eh? Were these all HL reprobates that went? Anyone get arrested?

 

[JEFF4i]

Beautiful pictures and course man!

 

[lilhellmaker17]

Even with some of the baked fairways it is better than majority of the courses around here.

 

[Dave Ireland]

Very slack Mr. N! You are way on the inside here, with a lot of weight on the back foot. I imagine you hooked the knickers off this shot, the camera doesn't lie.:laugh:

The course looks fairly open, I imagine a few scores were delivered on this track. I asle assume it is new, looks like a lot of development going on. what were the greens like? And how did you shoot? Another 43 points with a snowman, eh?

Did you get any sun at all? Sure you were no doubt used to it. Bloody typical eh? Were these all HL reprobates that went? Anyone get arrested?

Who asked for the swing critique ??? ... weight on back has always been a problem esp on downswing.. trying to be more "athletic" on set up, weight on balls of toes and keeping flex in back leg ...

IG don't let the openess fool ya .. this is one serious course, I think it's been open 2-3 years, and as with all these developments they bring with them the plethora of holiday homes etc, tho in saying that they weren't in yer face and were mostly low lying devlopments. The waste areas were penal as were the bunkers, I should've taken more pics greenside, as nearly everyone of them were elevated with surrounding high faced bunkers. The course contrary to what you can see wasn't baked, most of the browness is dormant bermuda grass. Greens were exceptional as befits most of the new courses with USGA spec'd sand based greens.

The inside read on Hacienda is that it will challenge Vallderama, San Roque, Sotogrande etc as the numero uno in Spain. This is not a friendly holiday course it's one that you gotta bring yer serious game with you - fairway finding is essential.

Will post further courses to demonstrate the sun did shine, but if memory serves the winner on this wet and fairly windy day had 34 points !! nope not me 31 (I think), as I say looks can be deceiving this would rank as one of the top5 courses I've played this year, difficulty wise (bearing in mind conditions) it would be probably be the toughest.

Heel of the hunt I waited until the last day to storm thu the field to retain my trophy (claret jug) .. but for anyone flying into southern Spain, Murcia region this is a must !

 

[Dave Ireland]

Beautiful pictures and course man!

Cheers Jeff