In our new regular golf review section, Guy Fiorita tees off at San Roque Club in Cadiz, Spain

Before playing a round of golf at The San Roque Golf Club's Old Course I wouldn't have known a cork oak tree if one had fallen on me. Soon, however, I would get a view of hundreds of them from every angle imaginable. This is because much of the course winds through mature cork oak forests and avoiding them means hitting straight accurate drives which, unfortunately, is not my greatest strength. Thankfully I got a break from the cork on the back nine: if the front nine can be characterized by its abundance of old growth cork oak trees, the back can be defined in terms of water hazards. Water comes into play on four of the final nine holes and almost always near the greens, making for tricky approach shots and in my case a lot of lost balls.

A few years ago the Old Course was given a slight facelift by Seve Ballesteros. Basically what Seve did was to make the course more challenging for the better players while at the same time making it a bit more forgiving for the higher handicap player. He did this by moving many of the fairway bunkers back and tightening the landing areas for the long-ball hitter. He also moved a few of the buggy paths to make play easier. The result is that all level players will be able to enjoy a great round of golf here.

Though Seve's changes saved me from many of the fairway bunkers, as I unabashedly came up short on most of my drives, it did nothing to keep me away from the trees or out of the sand around the greens. Once on the green the challenge continued with undulating and very fast greens which are a trademark of San Roque.

San Roque may not be in quite the same league as its neighbours when it comes to pure championship golf but, then again, keeping up with the Joneses here means competing with Valderrama and Sotogrande, both ranked among the top six courses in continental Europe by Golf World Magazine. What San Roque does offer is a challenging round of golf suitable for players of all levels. Oh, and incidentally, that same publication has ranked it as high as number 86 on the list.

San Roque opened a second 18-hole course in 2003. The New Course was designed by top American designer Perry Dye. The New Course - 6,626m from the championship tees, beautifully complements The Old Course as a challenge for all levels of golfer. Dye's design incorporates the contours of the San Roque hills, plentiful mature cork oaks and offers players wonderful views of the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea beyond.

The San Roque Club
Crta. Nacional 340, km. 127
11360 San Roque, Cádiz, Spain
(+34) 956 613 030
www.sanroqueclub.com

THE OLD COURSE AT THE SAN ROQUE CLUB

Ideal playing season: year round, or early mornings and late afternoons in the summer months

Other services: two-tier covered driving range, putting green, pitching green, practice bunker, buggy rental (Global Positioning System buggies), cart rental, club rental, pro shop, changing rooms, showers, lockers, private and group classes, golf academy, restaurant, snack bar, hotel