Ready for the island - la Gomera
Turn your back on the annual Christmas and New Year hustle and bustle and play the island's first golf course on the second-smallest Canary Island of La Gomera in summer temperatures in a magnificent natural setting - that could also be your plan.
A hippie paradise
It all began in the 60s. The big tourism boom had just broken out on the sister island of Tenerife, and many Gomeros emigrated there to make big money. At the same time, a group of "young savages" with dropout ambitions from all over the world discovered the tranquillity of the island. In Valle Gran Rey, the "Valley of the Great King", in the west of the island, they pitched their tents and a paradise for free living in beautiful, unspoiled nature was born. The village of La Calera became the center of "society" at the time: some people took drugs, others wrote their theses, people drummed, meditated and practiced free love. Until, of course, civilization in the form of EU-funded projects, roads, hotels and tourist facilities were built here too. And so today, in addition to the backpackers, the "package tourists" are also flocking to the island - even though, thank goodness, there are still no bed castles and sandy beaches are an absolute rarity. Outdoor freaks are more likely to get their money's worth. The lush nature, with fertile valleys, steep cliffs, bizarre canyons and a misty, humid fairytale forest at almost 1500 meters, invites you to adventures of all kinds.
A debutant called "Golf Tecina"
What no one here would have ever thought possible happened in the fall of 2003: the island's only golf course was launched. For its creators, the Norwegian-Canary ferry company Fred Olsen, however, it is already the third flagship project. Because if it wasn't for them, there would be no fast ferry connection from Tenerife to La Gomera and no "Jardin Tecina" hotel complex. Like a Garden of Eden, with barren volcanic rock all around, it sits enthroned like an eagle's nest on a 200-metre-high cliff. Perhaps even Christopher Columbus was on the lookout here when he stopped off on the island on his way to Africa in 1492. The name "Isla Colombina" certainly comes from this.
The spot is ideal for me. It's a ten-minute walk to the village of Playa de Santiago, the southernmost and sunniest on the island, and five minutes to the golf course. You have your own little bungalow with a terrace and the most beautiful Christmas decorations in nature right in front of you: poinsettias as big as trees and bougainvilleas in all colors nestled against the house. Plus the view of the skyline of Los Christianos on Tenerife and the small island of La Palma.
Golfing with a mountain view
Even the first tee shot gives you goosebumps despite the heat (25°): From 175 meters above sea level, a green ribbon of 18 fairways, dotted with palm trees, banana and orange trees, bougainvilleas and cacti, winds its way down the volcanic cone. There is also plenty of sea in all directions and - surprise - mountain views. Because the majestic Teide, Tenerife's highest mountain, shines down here with its white peak and gives homesickness no chance. This and any thoughts of the smell of cookies and mulled wine don't even arise here, thanks to the enjoyable tee shots over terraces, fairways that seem to grow into the sea and greens as smooth as if they had just been ironed. Nevertheless, heart palpitations are the order of the day when the balls disappear with a slice into the abyss, ditches and new plantings stand in the way, as on hole 2 (par 4) and hole 3 (par 5), or the green hides behind cacti, as on hole 5 (par 4). Hole 10 is
pure challenge: tee shot over a mountain directly to the sea - that's all you can see. What follows is a 10% slope, undulations, pot bunkers and a tricky green. Nevertheless - if you love a challenge but can also enjoy it with all your senses, this is the place for you. Because, in the words of the American writer Mark Twain: "A perfect four-star vacation also includes a garden with 18 holes". That's how it should be.
Info:
Tecina Golf
Lomada de Tecina
38811 Playa Santiago
La Gomera-Islas, Canarias
Tel: +34-922 14 59 50
E-mail: tecinagolf@fredolsen.es
www.tecinagolf.com
