Clube de Golfe Capixaba na Serra

Clube Capixaba de Golfe (CCG) is on the northwest outskirts of the city of Serra. I had heard about this course while living in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, and went with my friend Jo?o to visit the neighborhood and check it out. We went on a quiet Sunday afternoon and were walking around the neighborhood when we bumped into Gustavo. We started talking with him, and when we asked about the golf course, he pointed where we needed to go, and then invited us to play with him the next day. Turns out the random person we talked to on the street was a part-time caddy at the club. Caddies are able to play on Mondays (and do so for free) and he invited us to be his guests in the morning.

Gustavo has worked as a caddie for eight years. Now, the course has golf carts so he doesn?t do much there, but he?s still on the list of available caddies.

We showed up early the next morning, having taken a 40 minute bus ride to get there and met up with Gustavo and two of his caddy friends. And lest you write that off as the general lack of speed present in public transport, be warned that the course really is on the outskirts of Serra, and is some 30 kilometers from the downtown neighborhood I was living in. We walked through the entrance gates, and it was truly magical.

The fog was starting to dissipate when we began to play, welcoming another steamy hot summer day, and the upper heights of Mestre Alvaro began to come into focus. The course is dominated by that majestic mountain, Mestre Alvaro, which rises nearly 3000 feet above sea level. The granite rock face is covered with dense forest and the air was filled only with the sounds of the wildlife living on the mountain, namely lots of birds and monkeys.

Yes, we were a five-some but that didn’t matter here. Even though the course only has 9 holes, we never ran into any other groups and played at our own (admittedly slow) pace. I don’t think the course has ever heard, or had need of a ranger, and we enjoyed the setting to the utmost.

I should add, it honestly felt a bit like a Garden of Eden. There are dozens of fruit trees, and while walking, we intermittently stopped to eat fruits: pitanga, manga (two types), araca, pinha, laranjinha, acerole. I opted not to try the graviola present, thinking it would be too sour. Perhaps I should have gone for it though, maybe that would have cured my hook!

The greens are simple, but well-maintained, and the wide fairways are kept a little higher which helps to sky irons against the magnificent backdrop of the mountain. The rough is thick, but not impossibly so, while the small ponds formed from the mountains run-off, should of course be avoided. The course is fairly flat, and while carts are a popular option, it remains easily walkable.

The course is fairly short, and after a tough start the course mellows out slightly, allowing you to more fully enjoy the experience and not feel beat-up by the round. A par-3 concludes the round, which is generally considered a no-no, but works here, as you play from an elevated tee over water, to a well-guarded green. Most of the course is visible from this vantage point, and if you are skilled enough to hit the green with a short-iron, you must still navigate the most undulated and treacherous green on the course before making it back to the clubhouse and patio area to relax and reminisce.

Jo?o had never played golf before, and while he came along mostly just to spectate, he did play a few holes. On his first, our fourth, he duffed a couple shots and made it to about 70 yards from the pin. The green on this hole abuts the very edge of Mestre Alvaro, marking the beginning of a nature preserve and providing some truly stunning scenery. We were momentarily distracted, watching and listening to some monkeys fight in the trees beyond the green, when Jo?o hit his shot from 70 yards, and as we turned to watch, to our amazement, the ball hit the green, bounced once, and rolled right into the hole! It was an exquisite shot, doubly incredible for having been made by a beginner. In one fell swoop, the game of golf captured another unassuming player, never to let go.

It was a truly unforgettable location, and I was lucky to spend it with friends who cared more about your experience than their score, after the best tradition of Brazilian hospitality. I hope to be able to play here again.