Why go for a golf round so far?
Spain is continental Europe’s most popular golf destination, with 313 courses to choose from and a climate that can be relied on throughout the year.
The most attractive for holiday golfers are the coastal regions–the Costa Brava, the Costa del Sol, and, increasingly, the Costa de la Luz. But the major cities also have their greens and fairways: think about playing a round at El Prat next time you’re visiting Barcelona, where Greg Norman designed the course.
Or if you’re looking for something more rural, book a tee-time at the Salamanca course, 15 km outside the city in the Monte de Zarapicos ‘ dramatic setting.
Where should I start teeing?
Malaga is a good gateway to many of Andalusia’s golf courses. The town is easily accessible from the UK with all major UK airlines providing routes from most UK airports.
There are over 50 courses to choose from along the Costa del Sol, the oldest of which–and the closest to the airport–is the Parador de Malaga, a few miles south of the city on the motorway to Algeciras.
Seville has an 18-hole course elsewhere in the city, designed by José Maria Olazábal, the Spanish champion. Located on the highway to Utrera just outside the city, the complex also includes tennis courts and an indoor pool.
West Costa de la Luz’s up-and-coming resorts are accessible from both Seville and Jerez airports, both operated by Ryanair, while flights to Faro on the Portuguese Algarve are often cheaper and more frequent.
Faro is 50 miles from the border with Spain; a regular bus service is run from the airport with the major border resorts. This 50-mile stretch of coastline, from the border to the boundaries of the Coto de Doñana National Park, offers a number of golf destinations, including two enticing courses located between orange groves and marshland in El Rompido and a 27-hole course in Islantilla. Located in the middle of the course, opposite the clubhouse, the Islantilla Resort Hotel offers the best accommodation for golfers. Double rooms from € 98.50, single rooms from € 71.70; breakfast is an extra € 11.
Who can arrange it?
Get your golf holiday in costa del sol they can be tailor-made: plans can be made for all aspects of the holiday, although it is important to book flights separately. Prices vary according to requirements, but there is a three-night break at La Cala on the Costa del Sol for £ 225, including bed and breakfast accommodation and three rounds of golf, available from May to August, among the company’s current deals.
The best courses in Spanish?
Every golfer has his favourite, but in lists of the best courses in Europe, several of the Spanish courses appear regularly.
Among these are Valderrama, located in Sotogrande, just north of Gibraltar, recently elected by the Golf Monthly magazine as Top European Course. Designed in 1974 by one of the leading course architects of his day, Robert Trent Jones Senior, it hosted many international tournaments, and membership is highly prized and highly priced. Non-members are allowed to play, but it is important to book rounds and pay the green fee of € 300 in advance.
PGA Catalunya, south of Girona, is another championship course. Although even for experienced golfers this is a challenging course, it was designed with five tees at each hole, allowing players of any standard to test their skills. The green fee for 18 holes will be € 72 out of season, rising to € 100 in the high season.
So it’s going to be expensive…
There’s no need for a golf holiday to break the bank. A round at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, an excellent course in the outskirts of Madrid, costs € 56; the club also offers facilities for swimming, riding and tennis.
And there are ways to keep costs down everywhere you decide to play. When you take your own holiday clubs with you, the airline you choose to use may have an impact on this. In addition to normal check-in baggage fees, any of the low-cost airlines can charge extra for carrying sporting equipment.
Even if you pay in advance it’s € 16.50 with easyJet and £ 30 with Ryanair, there will be a charge of £ 17.50 per bag per flight. There are lower airport prices.
While there are other weight and size restrictions, British Airways can carry golf bags at no extra charge. Jet2 also offers free transportation of golf bags, subject to limitations, from May to October.
If your trip’s main purpose is to play golf, the option of accommodation connected to the course is typically worthwhile as green fees are provided at a reduced rate in a variety of resorts. For example, at the Islantilla Resort Hotel, green fees of € 65 for 18 holes for hotel guests are reduced to € 27.
When the golf round is over?
Many golf resorts also offer other activities to fill the hours when you’re not on the course–or to occupy other party members who may not be golf enthusiasts.
A popular example of this is the La Manga Club near Cartagena on the Costa Calidaa (lamangaclub.com), which in a residential development started life as a golf course. It is now a major resort covering an area of the size of Monaco, with a five-star hotel, self-catering apartments, restaurants and bars, a spa, tennis facilities and three golf courses for the championship.
Various special deals currently on offer are attractive to golfers: a four-night break with five-star bed and breakfast accommodation and unlimited golf from € 630; and a four-night stay, including one free night, from € 150 per night. This includes accommodation for bed and breakfast, club hire and fitness centre use, and green fees that non-golfing partners can exchange for spa treatments or dinner.
In the swing: where to learn If you’ve always meant taking golf lessons and never got it all round, the answer might be to combine some lessons with a trip to Spain.
The Moncur Golf Academy is based at the Santa Clara Golf Club in Marbella, and offers group courses of two days, costing € 180, or five days, costing € 380, as well as individual instruction and playing lessons. Accommodation is also available.
In Alicante, the ZadorSpain Spanish language school, at 14 Avenida de la Constitución, runs courses that will allow you to combine learning Spanish and playing golf–or, if you are a beginner, learning golf.
Prices vary depending on whether you are taking group or individual lessons, but it costs € 440 for a five-day group Spanish course and five golf lessons; flights, accommodation and an additional € 60 registration fee.
