COSTA DEL SOL
Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Costa del Golf – call it what you like, this is one of the world’s top golf destinations, and it has been since Robert Trent Jones Snr put the region on the map at Sotogrande in the mid-1960s. Today, it boasts more than 70 courses, with barely a weak one among them. So the hardest part of planning any break to Spain’s Sun Coast is narrowing down where to go. Let us point you in the right direction… Where to play We’re going to start with a star of the Marbella scene – Las Brisas, one of the original courses built by Trent Jones in the 1960s and later upgraded by leading US architect Kyle Phillips, a must-play for any visitor. Close by, you can experience more challenging holiday golf at Aloha, a Javier Arana design with great variety and laid out on interesting and often undulating terrain flanked by charming, whitewashed houses.
Other major Marbella attractions include La Quinta and Los Naranjos, the former a 27-hole venue; you’ll probably have most fun on its shorter but tighter Course B/ronda combo.
Head further south to Sotogrande and, provided you’re prepared to pay for it, you’re in for a real treat at the likes of mighty Valderrama, San
Roque and Sotogrande. Valderrama is Spain’s Augusta and ranked No.1 in the country by Golf World; its fairways are like carpets, its greens even better. You’ll struggle to find a course in better condition on the continent.
San Roque’s Old and New courses are no stroll in the park either, and the same applies to Trent Jones Snr’s grand Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, which set the Costa del Golf ball rolling well over half a century ago.
You’ve also got a couple of modern masterpieces in Finca Cortesin and
La Reserva. The former is a Cabell B. Robinson-design and former home of the World Match Play Championship. It’s mega-long (7,500 yards off the tips!) and demanding, with plenty of water, though its main defence is its fast, sloping greens.
La Reserva is another Robinson classic that has gone from strength to strength since opening in 2003. Plotted within two valleys, it’s always in fine condition, with a great combination of holes.
These premier layouts obviously come at a hefty price, but there’s plenty of value around, too, including the likes of La Cañada, joint Trent Jones/dave Thomas creation
Alcaidesa (Links & Heathland courses) and Estepona, with a very strong set of short holes. And the region’s biggest venue, La Cala, offers 54 holes (America, Asia and Europa layouts) and superb accommodation at the heart of the region. Off the course Whether you want a quiet meal or a lively night out, you’re spoilt for choice on Marbella’s legendary seafront and nearby Puerto Banus, where you can sit with a beer and watch supercars rolling past megayachts. All roads will inevitably lead you here.