While its weather, accessibility, beaches, food and friendly people all combine to make Andalusia a very special holiday destination, the region also has another powerful ace up its sleeve – golf. Hollywood heavyweights such as Michael Douglas, Sean Connery and Sylvester Stallone have all teed off on its lush green courses.
Tempted by some of the finest fairways in the world and weather which allows aficionados to enjoy the sport virtually all year round, the stars join thousands of fellow golfers flocking to improve their handicap in the area.
Home to the greatest number of golf courses per square metre in Europe, Andalusia offers a wonderfully diverse golfing environment where no two courses are the same. The combination of local geographical features plus native vegetation ranging from olive trees to palms, makes for holes that are especially stimulating and varied.
Arqueros Golf and Country club, for example, offers a challenging round for players of all levels, while La Quinta Golf & Country Club’s 27-holes boast exceptional views of the mountains and sea. Also standout are La Dama de Noche – unique in Europe for being illuminated by floodlights mounted on 12-metre-high posts – and Los Naranjos, where the difference between the first nine holes and the last nine make it seem like two different courses.
And it is not just its fairways which make Andalusia a golfer’s paradise. Enthusiasts will also find their passion is catered to in sporting goods shops as well as training centres. Shopping centres and water and amusement parks meanwhile ensure there are fun activities for the rest of the family to enjoy, too. And when it comes to relaxing after 18 holes, there is plenty to do, from visiting picturesque local towns such as Mojácar – one of the prettiest on the Andalusian coast – and San Jose, with its original maritime ambiance, to taking a dip in the clear waters of the Med and sampling some of the region’s excellent cuisine.
While Malaga is the alma mater of golf in Andalusia – with small villages along its coastline boasting up to three or four courses each – the international point of reference for golf enthusiasts has to be Marbella. Here, the town’s unbeatable location and pleasant climate have led to the development of “integrated” vacation options, combining golf with complementary sporting activities.
Within the town’s confines the original Andalusian village upon which it is based still survives, a charming jumble of small, narrow streets far from the hustle and bustle of the more modern sections of town. Lively Puerto Banús, meanwhile, is filled with upscale shops, restaurants, and great 19th-hole nightlife options.
The nearby province of Cadiz, made famous by the Ryder Cup – staged at the Sotogrande course in 1997 – has similar geographic and climactic conditions to its Malaga neighbour. And listed among its 15 courses are some of the best in Spain.
Especially noteworthy are Alcaidesa Links Golf Course, whose Scottish design makes it one of the most original in the region, and, of course, San Roque’s Valderrama, which hosted the Volvo Masters in 2002.
