While I was there, it seemed to me that Picasso was not the only great artist to have worked in the area. Robert Trent Jones Sr., maybe not as well known to some art historians, also left his artistic mark about an hour and a half west of Malaga. Situated in the Sotogrande region of Coasta Del Sol, the most southern in Spain and about an hour from Gibraltar, is home to the masterpiece I had the pleasure of experiencing. This masterpiece was none other than Club de Golf Valderrama.

Valderrama, Europe's #1 ranked golf course, has been home to the European Tours Volvo Masters for many of its first 20 years, and in 1997 hosted the Ryder Cup. Additionally, this course was home to the first two editions of the American Express World Golf Championships, won by Tiger Woods in 1999 and Canada's own Mike Weir in 2000.

General Manager, Derek Moore, has called Valderrama ‘home' for the past 15 years. Prior to moving to Spain, Moore had called the fabled Gleneagles in Scotland home for 18 years. (Tough job, he has…) After meeting with him, Derek very graciously provided my travel companions and me an opportunity to play this legendary course, and naturally, it was "just another day in paradise."

After hitting my first tee ball straight down the middle of the fairway, I found out just what we were in for. Middle, or right side of the fairway, does not necessarily translate into a clear shot to the postage stamp green. Accuracy, both off the tee and to the green, is a must on pretty much every hole. This is what makes Valderrama just as tough as it is. Simply put, there are no easy holes!

The par 71 Championship Course measures 6,356 meters from the professional tees (add 10% to translate to yards). The fairways are tight - very comparable to the Harbour Town Golf Links Course on Hilton Head Island for those of us that just watched Verizon Heritage Classic a couple of months ago. The course was not designed to be easy, and I can vouch for that. Shot for shot, it is as demanding as it gets. I'd say it's very unlikely that someone could play this course and not find themselves chipping a ball back into play at some point during the round.

There are many great holes; here are some details about some I'll never forget.

The 4th hole, an uphill par 5, would rival the 17th as the signature hole on the course. Two good shots should leave you a short iron to a small elevated green protected by a large obvious pond, and well in front of the green. But, don't be fooled! A hidden feeder pond rests adjacent to the green and before the waterfall. You can't really appreciate this green until to get up on to it. Going for this in two is not an option.