Winter-sun golf spots
ever green
Whether you’re a serious golfer after a challenge or a weekend hacker who just wants to get out and play – but doesn’t want an assault course – there’s a winter golf spot to suit. Sterling brings you the ultimate guide to six of the best golf destinations for the season… and what to do after you sink that last putt
words by Peter Ellegard
Canary Islands
Choose from Gran Canaria’s mix of verdant northern or arid southern courses, or savour Tenerife’s class act.
Serious golfers: Southern Gran Canaria’s Salobre course echoes Arizona, with its golf holes like emerald carpets on a desert scrub landscape. Spain’s oldest golf club, the 105-year-old Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas in the north, has lush palm tree-lined fairways on the slopes of a volcano that are good for improving your stamina as it’s walking only. Tenerife newcomer Abama is also on a hillside but allows buggies. Or there’s Northern Tenerife’s Buenavista, a demanding Seve Ballesteros design with a stunning cliff-top setting.
Fun golfers: Oasis Golf on Gran Canaria offers championship-style golf but in miniature, as a par-three course. It’s even floodlit so you can play at night. There’s another excellent par-three, nine-hole course at nearby Anfi Tauro.
Top hole: The volcano-cone views from Real Club de Golf de las Palmas’ second green are spectacular, as is the dramatic ocean-side setting of Buenavista’s 16th green, one of five holes edging the Atlantic.
19th hole: After your round, watch the sun set from the clubhouse terraces of Real Club or Abama, with a paella and wine. Look down on the Atlantic from Buenavista’s lofty clubhouse. Or hit the Gran Canaria resort of Maspalomas.
Palma, Mallorca
Party town Palma has some great golf courses nearby, so you can flex your muscles before the next round of club and bar hopping.
Serious golfers: Low handicappers can test their prowess on Golf Santa Ponsa, host to the Balearic Open for the last six years and a tough test for any golfer. Son Vida is the oldest course on the island and offers great views over the Mediterranean, while Pula is ranked among Spain’s top 20 courses.
Fun golfers: None of Mallorca’s courses is a pushover, but the East Course at the Marriott Son Antem is holiday golfer-friendly. If you prefer mini-golf, the island has four centres with three 18-hole layouts, including Golf Fantasia at Palma Nova, which has caves, waterfalls and lakes.
Top hole: Golf Santa Ponsa’s frightening par-five 10th is one of the longest holes in Europe, measuring a whopping 560 metres.
19th hole: Wind down in cosy Palma tapas bar La Bóveda (Carrer Boteria 3; closed Sundays), then head for nightlife-rich La Lonja district to boogie the night away or listen to jazz in Café Bar Barcelona (Carrer dels Apuntadors 5).
Alicante
It may lack the cachet of other golf destinations, but Alicante is a rising star with plenty of quality and good-value courses.
Serious golfers: The Jose-Maria Olazabal-designed La Sella course at Denia is part of the Denia Marriott Resort and features a flat section and holes stacked on a wooded hillside. Seve Ballesteros has two courses in the area – the water-laced Oliva Nova and Alicante Golf, a chip shot from the heart of Alicante. Venture close to Valencia for the beautiful El Bosque and part links-style El Saler, one of Europe’s very best courses.
Fun golfers: The new Real de Faula championship course by Jack Nicklaus is serious stuff, but it’s right next to Benidorm’s Terra Mítica theme park, so you can pop there after your round for some light relief.
Top hole: The area’s most unusual hole, if not its most challenging, is the 14th on Seve’s Alicante Golf course. There are Roman ruins in the middle of the fairway and golfers must hit over them to reach the green.
19th hole: La Finca, south of Alicante, actually has a 19th hole, used as a reserve for when one of the regular 18 holes is closed for maintenance. For post-golf drinks and nightlife, however, Alicante’s best bets are its old centre, El Barrio, its harbour and Playa de San Juan.
Málaga
Málaga is the gateway to southern Europe’s golfing capital, the Costa del Sol, with more than 30 courses along a 100-mile sunsoaked stretch of coastline.
Serious golfers: It may be at the other end of the Costa del Sol, but 1997 Ryder Cup venue Valderrama, designed by golf architect maestro Robert Trent Jones Senior, is an absolute must – if you can afford the king’s ransom green fee and get one of the limited tee times. Other clubs to try include nearby San Roque, with two courses, and the Marbella Golf Club, another Trent Jones design with sweeping views over the bay.
Fun golfers: If you don’t enjoy five hour-plus rounds you may want to give some of the region’s popular courses a miss, especially in high season from January to Easter. Instead try the nine-hole, par-three course at Alhaurin Golf Resort set in the foothills of the Sierra de Mijas, near Mijas.
Top hole: Valderrama’s brutal 17th wrecked the hopes of several Ryder Cup stars with its fiendishly placed lake and slick green, earning it the nickname ‘Valder-drama’. See if you can manage to tame this monster.
19th hole: Hobnob with the jet set in a bar overlooking the superyacht-filled marina of ritzy Puerto Banus, or enjoy the old Spanish hacienda feel of San Roque’s sumptuous clubhouse.
Barcelona
Play close to the city or head to the nearby Costa Brava to play against backdrops of the Mediterranean, the Pyrenees and timeless villages.
Serious golfers: An absolute must for any golfer is the beautiful, forested PGA Golf de Catalunya, where the original of its two courses has hosted the Spanish Open. Other excellent Costa Brava options include Peralada, Emporda and Platja de Pals. Closer to Barcelona is Seve Ballesteros creation Golf Sant Joan, in the town of Rubi.
Fun golfers: The 12-hole Caldes International Course, 35km from Barcelona, near its Formula 1 circuit, is ideal for high handicappers, as are coastal courses Llavaneras, near Mataró, and Terramar, close to Sitges.
Top hole: The signature hole on the PGA Golf de Catlunya’s Green Course is the 11th, a delightful par-four, which drops down to a lake for a tricky chip to the green, with the snow-capped Pyrenees rearing up directly behind.
19th hole: Where else would you go for après-golf drinks than Barcelona’s bustling pedestrian precinct, Las Ramblas? Grab a seat at one of the pavement bars or cafés and people-watch to your heart’s content.
Faro
The sunny Algarve is forever popular with golfers, and some of the best courses are within very easy reach of Faro airport.
Serious golfers: Top dog in the Algarve is San Lorenzo, rated among Europe’s top 10 courses and set in the Ria Formosa conservation area. It’s mainly reserved for guests of the nearby hotel Le Méridien Dona Filipa, but it is possible to get tee times as a non-resident. Also noteworthy are Vale do Lobo’s Royal Course, on the Dona Filipa’s doorstep, and the Old Course at Vilamoura, close by.
Fun golfers: Le Méridien Penina has a nine-hole Academy Course that’s ideal for beginners, and a 2,988-metre, par-35, nine-hole resort course. The Sheraton Algarve at the Pine Cliffs Resort has the nine-hole Pine Cliffs course.
Top hole: The par-three 16th on Vale do Lobo’s Royal Course is possibly Europe’s most photographed hole for the spectacular tee shot over beach-side cliffs. San Lorenzo also has several holes skirting the Atlantic, notably the 7th, while the 18th is a great finishing hole.
19th hole: Relax in the refined atmosphere of San Lorenzo’s clubhouse bar, more Fifth Avenue than Algarve. Or find a cosy little beach-side bar.
winter golf web guide
Canary Islands
Salobre – www.salobregolfresort.com
Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas – www.realclubdegolfdelaspalmas.com
Abama – www.abamahotelresort.com
Buenavista Golf– www.buenavistagolf.es
Oasis Golf – www.cortijogolfcenter.com
Anfi Tauro – www.anfitauro.es
Palma, Mallorca
Golf Santa Ponsa – www.habitatgolf.es
Son Vida – www.sonvidagolf.com
Pula Golf – www.pulagolf.com
Mallorca Marriott Son Antem – www.marriott.com/golf/resort.mi
Golf Fantasia – www.golf-fantasia.com
Alicante
Denia Marriott La Sella – www.lasellagolf.com
Oliva Nova – www.olivanova.com
Alicante Golf – www.alicantegolf.com
El Bosque – www.elbosquegolf.com
El Saler – www.parador.es/english/ocio/elsaler/campo.jsp
Real de Faula – www.realdefaula.com
La Finca – www.golflafinca.com
Málaga
Valderrama – www.valderrama.com
San Roque Golf Club – www.sanroqueclub.com
Marbella Golf Club – www.marbellagolf.com
Alhaurin Golf Resort – www.alhauringolfresort.com
Barcelona
PGA Golf de Catalunya – www.pgacatalunya.com
Peralada Golf Club – www.golfperalada.com
Emporda Golf Resort – www.empordagolf.com
Golf Platja de Pals – www.golfplatjadepals.com
Golf Sant Joan – www.golfsantjoan.com
Caldes International – www.golfcaldes.com
Llavaneras – www.golfllavaneras.com
Golf Terramar – www.golfterramar.com
Faro
San Lorenzo – www.lemeridien.com/donafilipa
Vale do Lobo – www.valedolobo.com
Vilamoura – www.vilamouragolf.com
Le Meridien Penina – www.lemeridien.com/penina
Sheraton Algarve at Pine Cliffs Resort – www.pinecliffs.com
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