The long-awaited Santa Clara opened for play in the early summer of 2001. For months motorists had stared longingly at its green expanses as they sped past on the N-340 just outside Marbella opposite the Los Monteros hotel. But Enrique Canales, the course designer, and the Santa Clara owners are prefectionists. There was no hurry to open. In the end Santa Clara had a full year to settle and when it did open golfers were able to appreciate the attention to detail and, for a new course, a surprisingly finished look. The clubhouse, a multi-storey affair, is built with future members in mind but provides excellent service for the visiting golfer, met in the car park with a buggy. The course is mainly flat though the 8th rises steeply to the highest point – the 9th, a par-5 looking down to the Mediterranean. Santa Clara has large greens and long par-3s. It is a fine addition to Marbella’s golfing family.

HOW TO GET THERE

Five kms east of Marbella on the N340 road. Turn off at Los Monteros. The course is adjacent to the road, landside.