7 golf shots to practice at your La Manga Club property

It’s likely that during your deliberations about whether to buy a La Manga Club property, the resort’s privileged surroundings and the year-round warm Mediterranean sun weighed heavily on your mind. But practicing your favorite sport any time you like in wonderful facilities probably played a role as well. And if there’s one sport that has made our resort a standout in Europe, it’s golf. Could there be anything sweeter than taking your pick of our three courses and heading out to the links while your family relaxes on one of our terraces?

As an owner at our golf resort and a sport lover, you know that the athletic facilities here are spectacular, especially when it comes to golf. Besides the three 18-hole courses, the North, the South, and the West, designed by reputable ex-players including Robert Dean Putman, Arnold Palmer, and Dave Thomas, there’s also our Pitch & Putt designed by Severiano Ballesteros. And our Golf Academy, the La Manga Club Golf Training Center, has a team of professionals, directed by Thomas Johansson, ready to put all their knowledge to use so that you can improve your technique and lower your handicap. In short, if you want to improve your game, you have it all at your fingertips.

Because the success of any athlete depends largely on the work he or she puts in, today we offer a rundown of the major golf strokes that every player must master and that you have the luck to be able to practice here at La Manga Club:

The opening shot

The game, as you know, begins from the starting tee, and leading with a good stroke that leaves you in a good position to end up on the green within one or two more strokes is fundamental. So start here!

The drive

Once you’ve begun, in normal circumstances you’ll want to take another long shot to get as close as you can to the green. This is the drive, and if it doesn’t go well, you may lose all your opportunities to go below par on the hole. Make sure you work this one as much as you can.

The punch

Sometimes you have to adapt yourself to the terrain and have other strokes in your arsenal. The punch is one of these, and it’s used to avoid tree branches or to minimize the effect of the wind on the ball’s trajectory. The idea is that the ball starts low, stays low, and rotates.

The flop

This stroke is the exact opposite of the one we describe above. The idea is that the ball rises enough to avoid an obstacle, making it a good resource when you find yourself in difficult circumstances on a complicated hole.

The lay up

This is a strategic shot that seeks precise placement rather than distance, with the idea of putting you in a better position for your next shot. It can be a conservative stroke that helps you avoid a water obstacle, a bunker, or some other element, and you may need it more than you would wish to!

The approach

As the name indicates, this stroke is used to approach the green and leave the ball with the best placement possible to put it in the hole, so if you don’t have this one sorted, your game may be lost. Give this one plenty of attention and you’ll have half your work done for you.

The putt

None of the above strokes will serve you if you don’t finish the job with a good putt that sinks the ball. It requires precision and technique, so you should practice this shot at nauseum until you have the nuanced power, technique and control over the ball’s direction that will let you send it down the proper path.

You may have some work ahead of you, but it’s a pleasant job, and you’re heading into it with the support of some of the best instructors and facilities in the world, right here at the doorstep of your La Manga Club property. Our golf resort is recognized not only for the quality of its courses, but also for its Pro Shop, a great Wellness Center where you can recuperate after a long day on the links, and restaurants and other leisure areas where you can combine your golf game with fun and relaxation for the whole family. What more do you need?