Campo de Golf El Rodeo

Club Campestre El Rodeo is a private country club that is ideally located only minutes from downtown Medellin. Perched 2120 metres above sea level it offers outstanding views of the city, and the Andes Mountains provide the ultimate backdrop. This location has 14 floodlit tennis and 4 squash courts, an indoor/outdoor horseback riding facility along with amenities such as swimming, soccer, padel, a gym, billiards, shooting, archery as well as having an event centre and a children’s playground. Unfortunately, I did not get to a chance to experience all there was to offer but I did get to play their 18-hole par-72 championship golf course with a state-of-the-art golf academy. To my surprise I discovered that Robert Moote and Howard Watson of Canadian Golf Landscaping were involved in the design. Opened in 1954, this was the tightest parkland course that I played in Colombia. It only stretches out to 6788 yards with very little water, but the elevation changes and tree-lined fairways make it very memorable. Strategy over distance is needed here since there are many doglegs and a few blind shots to contend with. Thanks goodness, I had Ivan my well-informed caddy who guided me throughout the round. My favourite hole is the par-3 16th, a straight downhill 200 yarder with the best views on the course. There are two large bunkers in front, and anything long will filter off the back. However, the 17th hole is my most memorable as your drive follows the flightpath of the Olaya Herrara Municipal Airport runway. I quickly discovered that the rough was thick where your errant balls will sit down so keep it on the fairways. Most of the bunkering is around the greens but unfortunately, I found the sand to be inconsistent as some were soft while others are hard pan. As well the speed of the greens was inconsistent. Still, I loved this classic layout and would highly recommend playing it when you are in Medellin. Even though this is a private facility, tee times for guests can be booked exclusively through Pelecanus S.A.S.