It’s a sunny March evening in the
bustling port of Los Cristianos
on the Canarian island of
Tenerife, and the unmistakable
summit of Mount Teide, the
world’s third largest volcano
looms large in the distance.
This is the scene from the top deck of the 7.00pm Fred
Olsen ferry as it departs for the less visited island of La
Gomera, 28 km away. With our important cargo of golf
clubs stored safely inside our hire car in the vehicle hold
below, it’s the beginning of a week-long ‘Birdies in the
Canaries’ golf trip by ‘car, ferry and plane’, teeing it up on
half a dozen of the best tracks on La Gomera, Tenerife and
Gran Canaria.
LA GOMERA
Around 35 minutes later we arrive at the sheltered harbour
of San Sebastián, which was the first Spanish settlement
on La Gomera founded in 1440 and now the capital, with
a population of only 6000 inhabitants. It’s a laid back and
likeable introduction to the second smallest of the seven
main islands of the Canaries.
The light is fading by the time we roll off the ferry and
then drive up and down the strikingly steep and snaking
Carretera del Sur road towards our bed for the night.
Located on the outskirts of Playa de Santiago on the
island’s south coast, the Hotel Jardín Tecina is a unique
4-star tourist complex that stands on a cliff overlooking
the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by verdant vegetation with
a multitude of vibrant flora such as bougainvillea, hibiscus
and jacaranda.
After a delicious buffet breakfast the following morning,
we find ourselves at Tecina Golf, a friendly and welcoming
Donald Steel design for golfers of all abilities, only a well-
struck drive from the hotel. Grabbing a few bananas for
on-course snacking, from a bunch hanging outside the
clubhouse, we follow the green line of the cart path that
leads skywards seemingly forever, to the tee block of the
420-metre par-4 1st.
From here, we get a real sense of what La Gomera’s only
golf course is all about. The scenery is unparalleled, with
Volume 4 • Issue 49
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