Creating a long term course plan for Real Club de Vista Hermosa

Located in the Bay of Cádiz, Vista Hermosa is a thriving social club with over 8,000 members. In addition to golf, it provides its members with tennis, paddle tennis, horse riding, croquet and beach club facilities.

Opened in 1975, Vista Hermosa’s 9-hole course was designed by Gonzalo Lavin Sr., who worked with renowned architect Javier Arana in the 1950s and 1960s and subsequently with Severiano Ballesteros. Lavin’s original design at Vista Hermosa was well thought out, especially given the small footprint of land on which it is located. At first glance, the course appears rather easy, but its architecture offers a stout defence without the serious influence of water or highly contoured greens and is often buffeted by the easterly Levante wind.

The course has been modified several times. Most changes have been undertaken by the Club without input from an architect, resulting in a course that has altered quite significantly from its original design. Over the years, new homes have been developed on lots adjacent to the course, meaning that properties are now much closer to the course’s boundary; additionally, trees adjacent to the playing corridors have increased threefold in mass. Their growth has affected the strategic intent of several holes, leading to a marked change from Lavin’s original design.

Vista Hermosa’s board felt that it was time to update the course with input from an expert architect, and has therefore asked us to write a long term course plan. IVGD is working as part of Clayton, DeVries & Pont on this project.

“Vista Hermosa is a fun and interesting course. I can see why the members are so proud of it. It has an intelligent routing with great variety and makes optimal use of limited space and topography. That said, there are several areas where it can be improved. I am very confident that my partners Mike DeVries & Hendrik Hilgert and I will be able to deliver a plan that delivers a superior layout and is mindful of the Club’s requirements”