The Costa del Sol is a veritable golfers’ paradise with an impressive range of courses affording spectacular scenery under the sun, which has led to it also being known as the Costa del Golf. Whether you are a relative novice or a serious low-handicapper, you will find all manner of testing golf to suit your game.

[pullquote]The natural terrain has lent itself to a great variety of golf layouts…[/pullquote]

The natural terrain has lent itself to a great variety of golf layouts, including links, like Málaga’s Parador and Alcaidesa, parkland such as Atalaya and Almenara, riverside – Rio Real and Guadalhorce, mountainous – Monte Mayor and Torrequebrada and valley – the celebrated golf valley with Aloha, Las Brisas and Los Naranjos – being a fine example. What’s more, the climate confers the huge advantage of year-round play, particularly important from October through May – the Golfing Season (la temporada del golf) – when most northern climes are normally too inclement to guarantee a leisurely round of golf.

COSTA DEL SOL GOLF: THE STARS’ PLAYGROUND

Many of the courses here are world-renowned and have big name designers, such as Robert Trent Jones, Gary Player, Ron Kirby, Dave Thomas, Tony Jacklin, Seve Ballesteros and Cabell Robinson. There have also been a host of impressive tournaments that have brought spectators from far and wide, including the Andalucian and Spanish Opens, the World Cup of Golf, the Volvo Masters and World Match Play Championship and, most famously of all, the Ryder Cup, which was hosted at Valderrama in 1997, the highest ranked golf course in continental Europe, and saw the Europeans regain the trophy in front of ecstatic crowds.

ORGANISED GOLFING

There are also large numbers of amateur and club events taking place on a near constant basis, fund raising events for local charities and company-sponsored golf days with full corporate hospitality. Golf the Costa is a Marbella-based networking organisation that has grown from strength to strength which offers its extensive membership participation in regular competitions as well as preferred tee times and reduced green fee play at many of the courses it is affiliated with. For further information, access the individual websites of the clubs directly and visit www.golfthecosta.com

WORDS BY Iain Blackwell