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Valderrama with its whispering trees and closely guarded secrets is the ideal course to test the skills of every Ryder Cup player.
Valderrama is the home of the PGA European Tour grand finale event the, Volvo Masters. It is regarded as a Robert Trent Jones Snr masterpiece. The club has twice been voted the No 1 course in Europe and it has now landed the grandest prize of all the, 1997 Ryder Cup.
With preparations well under way for the confrontaion between Europe and the USA Valderrama has become the focal point of all golfers wherever they are.
Like most blue chip ventures Valderrama has become the subject of myth makers and there is a commonly held belief that the club is exclusively reserved for members only. In fact it is the fiefdom of a little South American, Jaime Ortiz-Patino. "It's not true he laughs". "The course is open every day to green fee paying guests. All we ask is that they phne to book in advance."
Valderrama is known as one of the stiffest tests of golf on the European Tour and it surrenders to par on very few occasions. During the Volvo Masters only a handful of players manage to get below par and the list of players that have succeeded reads like the who's who of European golf - Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Sandy Lyle, Ronan Rafferty and of course the two Spanish Masters' Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal.
It was in 1991 the club was voted the No 1 in Europe and Robert Trent Jones Snr has always regarded it as one of his finest achievements.
Set in Southern Spain's most beautiful region the course was originally known as Sotogrande New and later Las Aves. In 1985 it was acquired by Jamie Ortiz Patino and his associates who set about to transform the course into a true championship venue to rival the best in the world. During 1986 and 1988 the course underwent extensive improvements in order to achieve the required standard for the Ryder Cup. The completely remodelled fourth is considered by Trent Jones Snr to be one the finest par 5 holes in the world, the reshaped seventh and eleventh hole which now provides spectacular views over the Mediterranean, have all contributed to the success the club now enjoys. Some even consider it to be the Augusta of Europe.

The final four holes are the most respected by top pros. They are the most punishing finishing holes of any course on the European tour. Because the course is near the coast sea breezes also play an important role while the trees also contribute to the problems while the panoramic views are although spectacular can be rather distracting for the player.

All the par three holes are the most scenic. The 12th is the most difficult with the tee-shot played from an eleveated tee to a green set amidst cork trees. When the wind blows it is a hard green to hit and anything off line will almost certainly find a bunker. the green undulates sloping from front to back.