Written by Neil White
A hotspot for sporting celebrities in the 1990s and early 2000s, the La Manga resort has been revitalised on and off the golf course.
Its reputation had dimmed when investment in the courses and its hotel dropped. When I last played there in 2014, the golf was a disappointment because the greens were diseased and lumpy while the fairways were unkempt.
Consequently, I was apprehensive of a return to play its South Course in February 2025. I need not have worried. Indeed, I would suggest it will be challenging for a higher place in lists in months and years to come.
The new owners are passionate golfers, keen on investing in creating the best possible product, so much attention is being given to conditioning. This is most obvious on the greens, which are speedy but consistent.
We played on a glorious February day, with the sun glistening off the many water features while perfect light allowed us to enjoy beautiful backdrops.
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The South Course is a true test of skill. Along with the lakes are fiendishly positioned bunkers, plenty of palm trees, bushes, and undulating greens as big as football pitches.
I struggled with the above early in our round, finding a giant sand trap with my opening shot on the par 4 1st.
However, I could already tell, from the cut around the bunker and the swirling green, that it was in far better shape than before.
There are no giveaways – all of the par 3s are formidable, including the 2nd, 175 yards against the wind and demanding a tee shot over the two large traps in front of the target.
The drama intensified on the 4th hole, a cracking par 5 with a rocky creek guarding the green.
We were playing with the La Manga Academy Director whose advice to lay up with my second shot would have been spot on, had I not duffed my third shot into the drink.
