The Solheim Cup is different.

Because, let’s face it, normal tournament golf is weird. A stroll, a stretch, a chat to the dogsbody, a bit of a think, another think, a waft, another waft, a hit (or a flick or a tap), and all that faffing about is then repeated for another five and a half, maybe six, hours.

There was never much in the way of animation amid all this nonsense, but the advent of psychological insight has limited it almost entirely. The result? Good shot – little smile. Bad shot – nothing. Gallery applause – flap of the hand.

That’s why the Solheim is different – because there is snarling and roaring, fist-pumping and chest-bumping, laughter and tears, commotion and controversy.

Emotion kept in check? Sod that. This is golf with the brakes off and the faces reveal it. In a normal week, these golfers adopt the look of teenagers in church. This week it’s like they’re at their first festival.

History

There is a very real echo of Ryder Cup history this week. For one thing, both Cups were originally dominated by the United States before Europe fought back. But it is distinct too. In 2009 Europe nearly won the Solheim away from home, in 2011 they did win in Ireland, they then defended the trophy when winning in America for the first time – the very same pattern as the Ryder Cup in 1983/85/87.

And now the Solheim goes to Spain for the first time and Europe has lifted the trophy in four of the last six matches – exactly what happened before the Ryder Cup first went to Spain in 1997.

The course

Finca Cortesin hosted three editions of the Volvo World Match Play just over a decade ago. It’s a Cabell Robinson design that has made the most of a dramatic and scenic plot of land. It’s a sweeping layout that will test the fitness of the players. Buggies will be used to ferry them around the more hilly stretches, but you suspect only the fittest will contemplate five matches.

There are five par-threes on the course and four of them are in the first 14 holes. So are three of the par-fives and five par-fours that play to less than 370 yards. Of the latter, only two are likely to be drivable unless tees are moved up, but the first (which was the fourth) is definitely in play from the tee.

It will be a dramatic starting point. The tee is perched high on rocky ground, the green is in the distance, protected by a lake short and left, with the fairway to the right. From that spot, among the din of the grandstand, there is a sense of skiers waiting to descend the mountain or a rollercoaster about to hurtle down the track.