No other course in Europe makes such extensive use of walk-behind mowers. Each day nine different cutting heights are used from greens to rough. The main grasses are Bentgrass Penncross on the fast and firm greens, Bermuda 419 on the fairways, roughs and tees and creeping bentgrass with rye around the greens. The signature hole is the long and controversial 17th, a par five with a small sloping green, guarded by water in front. Although it plays uphill, it is reachable in two shots - but either a fairway wood or a long iron must hit and hold a small green guarded by a stone waterfall and pond.
Patience is a plus.
The annual flagship event of the PGA European Tour, the Volvo Masters, was inaugurated at Valderrama in 1988 and was held annually through 1996. Winners such as Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer and Mark McNulty testify to the championship qualities of the course. Each green was constructed strictly according to USGA specifications under the personal supervision of the Club president. Now I know what a green should really be like. The Practice Ground near the Clubhouse has been described by Nick Faldo as the best in Europe.