The province of Malaga, whose coastline makes up the famous Costa del Sol, has half of all the golf courses in Andalusia. The tourist attractions of this coastal strip, which attracts more than 9 million tourists every year, are, apart from golf, very varied: gastronomy, beaches, marinas, nightlife, shopping, typical villages, historical heritage…
Marbella, the most international of the Costa del Sol towns, Estepona, Mijas and Benahavís are the municipalities with the most golf courses in the province, a sport that can also be practiced in many other enclaves of Malaga, both on the coast and inland. The capital of Malaga, birthplace of Pablo Picasso and home to the spectacular Museum dedicated to the author of Guernica, offers, apart from its beaches and its bustling nightlife, an attractive monumental offer, among which the Cathedral and the Alcazaba stand out, two emblematic pieces that speak of the mixture of cultures that has been forging over the centuries the soul of this land open to the Mediterranean. In the municipality of Malaga, there are the golf courses of El Candado, Guadalhorce and the Real Club de Campo de Malaga, pioneer of the Costa del Sol and one of the oldest in Spain, since it was founded in 1925. This last golf course, which reaches the beach and is located very close to the airport, has the Parador Malaga del Golf, whose name has been assumed by the course.
The tourist attractions of the capital of Malaga are numerous and are not limited to the historical facet of the city, which has a varied and valuable heritage in this regard, with the aforementioned emblematic monuments at the forefront. The botanical park of La Concepción, on the outskirts of the city, is a delight for the senses and has a collection of species unique in Europe. The city, founded by the Phoenicians with the name of Malaka, lets feel in its historical vestiges the different cultures that populated it throughout the centuries. In this Mediterranean enclave were also settled in ancient times Romans and Arabs before the Catholic Monarchs took it under their dominion.
MARBELLA
The most cosmopolitan of the Costa del Sol’s cities, Marbella, is a must-see, especially for golfers. Not in vain, it is the municipality in Spain with the largest number of golf courses: sixteen. In the bustling Puerto Banús, where lavish yachts worth millions of euros call, or in some of the trendy restaurants or terraces, you can run into any of those celebrities who populate the magazines of the heart and television programs dedicated to gossip.
The Golf Valley, a superb area located behind Puerto Banús, in the Nueva Andalucía macro-urbanization, includes Las Brisas, Los Naranjos, La Quinta, Aloha and La Dama de Noche, where you can play at night thanks to its artificial lighting system. Very close to this area, about three kilometers away, is the Guadalmina club, which has two 18-hole courses.
Less than a kilometer from the center of Marbella is Monte Paraíso, and after passing the city in the direction of Málaga we find the Río Real club, whose beautiful course slopes down to the sea. A little further on, near the Costa del Sol Hospital, is Santa Clara Golf, followed by Marbella Golf, Greenlife Golf, Santa María Golf and Cabopino Golf, a club located at the eastern end of the municipality.
Marbella has earned its reputation as a quality tourist destination worldwide. Apart from its hotel infrastructure, which has an unparalleled concentration of four and five-star establishments, the town has a privileged natural environment and, above all, a unique microclimate. Thanks to the shelter of the Sierra Blanca, the city enjoys sunshine and fantastic temperatures practically all year round. This microclimate, which tempers the winters and softens the summers, favors the development of a rich and attractive vegetation, which is evident in the thousands of private gardens that dot the colorful landscape of Marbella, where public green areas are also being cared for with great care by the small army of gardeners working for the City Council.
The 27 kilometers of Marbella’s coastline is punctuated by three marinas (Cabopino, Marbella and Banús) and a charming fishing port, which also houses pleasure boats. In addition, the gastronomic, nightlife, cultural and leisure offer in general is exceptional in this privileged enclave of the Costa del Sol.
MIJAS
Mijas is, after Marbella, the second municipality of Malaga in volume of golf courses, with twelve. Mijas Golf stands out for its tourist affluence. This large complex has two 18-hole courses. The same happens with La Cala, which in addition to 54 holes has a golf academy and a small golf course of 6 par 3. Among the new courses, opened in the last ten years, Santana Golf stands out, a splendid 18-hole course located in an old avocado farm. Also recent are Chaparral and Calanova. There are three nine-hole courses: La Noria, Miraflores and La Siesta.
Mijas stands out for the large foreign colony that inhabits it, for the care of its urban center, the Andalusian style of its architecture, its magnificent panoramic views, eagle’s eye view, over the Mediterranean and a host of attractions. One of its hallmarks is the donkey-taxi, a peculiar means of transport for visitors to enjoy a tour of the town on the back of the donkey.
The municipality is structured in two distinct enclaves. On the one hand is the village, which is located high in the mountains, and on the other is Mijas Costa, an area that houses the golf courses and a huge real estate development and where most of the hotels and tourist apartments in the municipality are located. Also in this coastal area there are important residential developments, among which Miraflores and Calahonda, two mini-cities with golf courses and all the necessary facilities and services to provide a pleasant life to its residents or occasional visitors.
BENAHAVIS
Benahavís is a beautiful mountain village that is highly appreciated, among other things, for its magnificent gastronomy, which can be tasted in one of its numerous catering establishments. Not in vain, the town is popularly known as ‘El Restaurante de la Costa’. Of course, its charms are many and range from the typicality of its houses and narrow streets to the beautiful natural landscapes that are exhibited in its municipality, which borders Marbella and Estepona.
The golfing credentials of Benahavís are magnificent. Although it is a small town in terms of inhabitants (about 5,000), this municipality is very large in extension and is home to ten golf courses: La Quinta, Marbella Club Golf Resort, Los Arqueros, Flamingos (three courses), La Zaga leta (two courses), El Higueral and Atalaya (one of the club’s two courses: the other is in the municipality of Estepona). The abrupt orography of the municipality is felt in the layout of all of them.
ESTEPONA
Estepona is another town with a wide range of golf courses: Atalaya (one of its two 18-hole courses), El Paraíso, which bears the signature of Gary Player, Estepona Golf, Coto de la Serena, La Resina and El Campanario. Tradition and modernity are perfectly combined in this small town, with an old quarter that preserves the charm of the villages of Andalusia, with its narrow streets, whitewashed houses and balconies full of flowers.
One of the focal points of entertainment in the town is its marina, located at the western end of the town. This charming marina has more than 400 berths and a lively day and night life thanks to its numerous establishments.
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