The Costa Verde is a spectacular region in the northwest of Spain. It is a special area for golf fans as it has produced three players who have won the Masters Tournament. Both Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal won the season-opening major twice, and Jon Rahm won it in 2023. Costa Verde Golf are the only destination management company (DMC) in the region and they organise rounds at courses associated with all these great Spanish players.
There are two distinct regions within the Costa Verde Golf offerings: the “Home of Spanish Golf” area around Santander and the “Land of Legends” area around Bilbao. Today’s article is from a “Land of Legends” course, Club de Golf Larrabea.
The Home of Jon Rahm
Club de Golf Larrabea is a 50-minute drive from Bilbao City Centre. It’s the Club where Jon Rahm spent his formative years, learning to play the game. The Club is proud of its association and has lots of Rahm memorabilia in the clubhouse. Jon has donated tournament-winning golf clubs and signed flags and posters of the venues where he has won tournaments.
Larrabea is a relatively new course as it opened in 1989. It was designed by Spanish architect Jose Gancedo.
The course is not a difficult walk although it is quite undulating. Probably a pull trolley will be enough but you can always take a buggy if you are unsure or if it’s hot.
The Putting Green
The rooftop putting green
At Worlds Best Golf Destinations, we do love the inventive use of space. Club de Golf Larrabea has something we haven’t seen before. Its main putting green is on the roof of the caddy car and locker storage area. If you have seen that somewhere else, let us know.
The Golf Course
Larrabea is a tree-lined parkland course with a par of 72. It has four sets of tees to choose from and the yardage ranges between 5,000 to just over 6,700 yards. The front nine and back nine are perfectly matched in yardage and par with two par 3s and two par 5s on each nine. We chose to play from the yellow tees with a yardage of 6380 yards. As always, choose the tees to suit your game, golf shouldn’t be a slog! Choose wisely.
The approach to the 1st green
Our favourite holes on the front nine were the 1st, 3rd and 4th holes. The front nine starts with one of the hardest holes on the course. It’s a par 4 of 430 yards. It plays slightly uphill. A solid drive will still leave you almost 200 yards to the centre of the green. On the second shot, make sure you take enough club to carry it onto the putting surface. Avoid the bunker short and left. If you end up in there, you will struggle to make par.
The 3rd hole from behind the green
The 3rd hole is a strong par 3 at 195 yards. It also plays slightly uphill. Two bunkers guard the front of the green so you need to take enough club to carry it to the centre of the green. Don’t go long though as there’s another bunker at the back. Go in there and you will be left with a bunker shot with the putting surface sloping away from you and a very difficult up and down.
The Hardest and Longest hole on the course
Approach to the 4th green
The 4th hole is a 563-yard par 5 from the yellow tees. It’s a slight dogleg to the right with a fairway which is split in two by a ditch. This makes it a three-shot hole for all players. Strategy is key as you need to plot your way up this hole to give you the best chance of a par. The green is a small target for your third shot. The further right you are after your second shot, the better the angle is for your approach. This is a tough par 5. Make a par and you should feel delighted.
The Inward Nine
The 10th hole
Our favourite holes on the back nine were the 10th, 11th and 15th holes. The 10th is only 360 yards, however it will test your mettle as you have to place your tee shot between two copses of trees. You then have a second shot to a green which sits 25 feet above you. Even though it’s not a long shot, the approach to green is difficult as there’s no bailout. Miss the green and you will struggle to make par.
The Signature Hole
The 11th hole is the signature hole at Club de Golf Larrabea. It’s a 427-yard par 4 where the tee shot plays downhill. The line is down the left side. If you go right off the tee, the trees will block out your second shot to the green which sits above you. Find out how we did when we played this hole by watching our video below.
The 11th hole
The Final Par 3
The 15th hole
The 15th is a lovely par 3 played over water. It is said that it’s Jon Rahm’s favourite par 3. From our tee, it was playing 166 yards. You can’t be short on this hole for obvious reasons however being up the back of the green is no guarantee of par either as the green slopes from back to front. Take enough club to reach the middle of the green. From there you will have the best chance of a two putt for par.
In Our Opinion
Club de Golf Larrabea is a really enjoyable course to play with plenty of variety in the holes. Doglegs left and right, tough and relatively easy holes and shots over water and plenty of trees. The greens were excellent although you have to be careful as there is a lot of slope on many of them. You will need to bring your “A” game to play to your handicap around this course. We loved it!!.
Thank you to Tony Fuller Melia and his team at Costa Verde Golf for hosting us. Thank you also to Larrabea’s Managing Director, Ander Padura Guana for the courtesy of the course.
In next week’s article, we write about of experience of playing at Meaztegi Golf, a cracking municipal course designed by Seve Ballesteros. It’s so good it’s in contention for the 2031 Ryder Cup!
At a Glance:
- Par 72 championship course
- Jon Rahm’s boyhood course
- Covered driving range
- Great short game area
- Well-stocked professional shop
- Inside and outside terraces for food and drink
- Only 15 minutes from the city centre of Bilbao
- For more info on Club de Golf Larrabea, click here
- For more info on Costa Verde Golf, click here