Ten out of ten for Tenerife!

18th green at Abama

Abama had been open for only a week when we strode its fairways, while the Tecina is attached to the Hotel Jardin Tecina on the nearby island of La Gomera.

With its superbly cool and airy, two-storey hillside clubhouse back by mountains with views out over the neighbouring resorts, the Abama course is the first tangible evidence of a 12-year programme to build its own multi-million Euro hotel and resort.

A wide terrace overlooks the course the course below and down to the sea, with the cloud-capped island of La Gomera on the distant horizon. I was among its first divot takers and pitchmark makers but still managed to leave it in superb condition!

Delicious 13th at Abama

‘Championship courses’ are popular descriptions these days but this 6,818-yard, Dave Thomas-designed, par 72 course lives up to the billing and looks as if it will be a real cracker. Your nerve and golfing skills and are severely tested by the undulating landscape and fast greens. Priority must be to land your approach on the correct part of the green to leave yourself that uphill putt.

Several water hazards deflect your attention and rattle your confidence, particularly on the sickle-shaped par-5 10th – El Oasis - where the ideal shot from the high tee is a left to right slider straight avoiding a lake, then a mid-iron across the edge of a second watery grave to set up a pitch to the green. Only the real big hitters can attempt to reach in two.

Most visually appealing is the 315-yard Los Lagos (picture and caption supplied). Though only a short par-4, I’m presented with a choice off the tee a lower left fairway for safety and a steep uphill approach or a narrower, higher band of fairway to the right, offering a simpler pitch. Risk and reward, the way it ought to be.

Tim Beard’s eagle three at Abama – saved for posterity!

Highlight of my round came on the 488-yard par-5 sixth – La Gomera with views across to the faraway island – where, after a decent drive but an awful second shot, I holed a 155-yard 7-iron for eagle. Never mind the fairways, I was walking on air, after that!

Playing any course for the first time can be a daunting, even if the customary 200, 150 and 100-metre markers are set alongside the fairway. But Abama goes one better with the buggies fitted with GPS navigation systems which automatically identifies the ‘yardage/metreage’ you face to the green, wherever you are. It even tells you the distances to any hazards you might face in your path – just to fill you with confidence.

It’s a useful aid but takes away any excuses for leaving approach shots short.

GPS screen on each buggy

But Abama keeps a sting in its tail. The 439-yard ‘La Muralla’ 18th requires a drive well struck into a hollow, then another long shot up to a plateau green guarded by a cavernous bunker.

The course is a spectacular addition to the dozen already on the island but after July, when the hotel opens, only guests and those arriving as part of a golf package will be able to enjoy the experience.

While golf courses appear in many outlandish venues, you wouldn’t expect to find one on the rocky, ravine-ridden island of La Gomera – but, at Playa Santiago on the island’s southern coast, Tecina Golf is a stunning addition.

Miss the green at your peril! The 6th at Tecina

Designed by Englishman Donald Steel, at the Fred Olsen Group’s Hotel Jardin Tecina complex, it’s unlike anything you have ever played, especially as the first tee is the furthest point from the clubhouse!

Buggies are advisable but if you decide to walk, you are still ferried to the top off the course, to traverse your way down and through a challenging series of holes, each with breathtaking views of the sea and its rugged coastline. The 14th is particularly scary - par-3 where a bunker eats into the right side of the green. Anything to the left means it’s "hasta luego" to your Titleist Pro V1.

The 385-metre 18th is one of the most beautifully framed I’ve seen. You must take your line from distant Mount Teide on the main island of Tenerife and try to hit the left half of fairway before lofting and iron over a line of tall palms, which guard the green (pictured).

Tim talks to European Tour pro Suzanne Dickens

It takes a 40-minute ferry from Tenerife, then almost an hour’s drive from the port of San Sebastian de la Gomera to reach the hotel and course complex, but it’s a treat not to be missed, with tricky holes and receptive but fast greens.

It’s no wonder that as a golfing destination, Tenerife and its satellite neighbour is becoming more attractive than Florida and the Carolinas - especially with its growing variety of courses within a four-hour flight of the UK. Ten out of ten judging by my visit.

If your interested in golf abroad then take a look at our Travel Partners who specialise in golfing breaks to European and Worldwide destinations.

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