The 4th hole

Yellow Pages Watersport   Surfschool La Marea in Puerto de la Cruz Tenerife Watersport

The excellent Tecina golf course, which is linked to the Hotel Jardin Teceina, hosted the, with over 140 professionals from 21 countries taking part.

It’s no surprise the course is a favourite among many professionals and amateurs in Spain and beyond, and a reason many visitors return to the delightful shores of La Gomera time and time again.  The course is located 1,200 metres from Playa Santiago (with direct passenger ferry connections) it has 18 holes with a par of 71 and a total area of 545,000 metres squared.  The course runs along a distance of more than six kilometres, offering the most spectacular landscapes around.  Famed golf course designer Donald Steel, who designed the St Andrew’s golf course really excelled himself in his creative ability at Tecina Golf, which has incredible valley views and an uninterrupted panoramic view of the magnificent Atlantic Ocean. 

The view is quite breathtaking from the first tee, and the course has developed since it was opened a few years ago - from being largely volcanic rock adjacent to the fairway it is now so beautifully coloured that it gives the gardens of Madeira some competition.

Superb views abound throughout as the course follows its downhill route to the 18th.  Hole 4 with its stunning mountainous terrain dropping to the sea is considered a real test while hole 7 is a challenging Par 5 with a blind tee-shot which makes it difficult to tell if the fairway is clear of the group ahead and ends in an unusual saucer-shaped green. Hole 10 has an amazing elevated tee dropping to the green on top of cliffs with a sheer drop to the sea on three sides - must be seen to be appreciated. Hole 12 is downhill all the way, followed by two short holes, 13 having a dog leg left and 14 with the flag clearly visible. The 16th is the most difficult hole - handicap 1, based mainly on distance. Finally the 18th hole is complete with bunker and three tall palm trees standing like sentries guarding the green.

The course, which is in excellent condition throughout, is not in itself intimidating to the average club golfer - However, the greens which will 'take' a high approach shot, are super fast and notoriously difficult to read.

For golfers at all levels playing the Tecina is a challenge and a joy.

The Fred Olsen Golf Challenge de España was in collaboration with the Real Federación Española de Golf, the regional department of tourism, Promotur, the La Gomera Cabildo, Hotel Jardín Tecina, the Federación Canaria de Golf, PGA European tour and Kyocera, and was organised by the RFEG and MatchGolf.

The winner of the professional trophy was Álvaro Velasco, with the Pro-am trophy going to professional Jesús Arruti with his amateur partners for the day, Juan Antonio Galindo, Antonio Álvarez and Imeldo Salamo.  Overall there were €150,000 worth of prizes won. .

Gallery: Great Gomeran golfing

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