The Costa del Sol is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe due to many reasons: its climate, its beaches, its landscapes, its hotels, its wide range of leisure activities, its good air and land communications, its marinas, its history, its cultural and artistic heritage, the friendliness of its people, its rich gastronomy… and, of course, its golf.
Enjoying the sun and golf on the Costa del Sol is a reality during the twelve months of the year, something that the millions of golfers who live in the center and north of the continent cannot do in their countries of origin. Andalusia is the Spanish region with the most golf courses (almost 120), and the Costa del Sol, in the coastal strip that goes from Nerja to Sotogrande, has 74, among them the one that has been repeatedly chosen as the best on the continent, Valderrama, and several others ranked among the best in Europe. The most renowned international tournaments have been played on the Costa del Sol, also known as the Costa del Golf, home for example of the Ryder Cup, the Volvo Masters, the AmEx World Championships, the Volvo World Match Play Championship, the World Cup, the Open de España and the Andalucía Masters. The most prestigious golf course designers in the world have expressed their wisdom in the courses of Costa del Sol. Examples include the American Robert Trent Jones, author of Valderrama, Real Club de Sotogrande, Las Brisas and Los Naranjos, among other Costa del Sol courses, Javier Arana, Tom Simpson, Perry Dye, Dave Thomas and Cabell B. Robinson.
Legendary players such as Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros have also left their design mark on the Costa del Sol. For the hundreds of thousands of golf enthusiasts who visit the Costa del Sol every year – Europe’s leading destination in this segment – to enjoy their favorite sport, there is a wide range of accommodations, of all categories and prices, highlighting the increasing variety of specialized golf hotels, with specific services to make the golfer’s stay more comfortable and pleasant.
In addition there are resorts with golf courses and their own hotel, some with prestigious luxury hotels, such as Villa Padierna Palace or Finca Cortesin. Marbella, Estepona, Mijas and Benahavís are the municipalities with the most golf courses in the province of Málaga, a sport that can also be practiced in many other enclaves in Málaga. The capital of Malaga, birthplace of Pablo Picasso and home to the 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.
In the municipality of Malaga, is the Parador Malaga del Golf (formerly Club de Campo de Malaga), pioneer of the Costa del Sol and one of the oldest in Spain, since it was founded in 1925. The cosmopolitan 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 Puerto Banús it is easy to run into well-known national and international personalities and faces. 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. The 27 kilometers of Marbella’s coastline are punctuated by four marinas.
Mijas is the second municipality of Málaga in volume of golf courses, with thirteen. In the area of Mijas Costa there are important residential urbanizations, among which Miraflores and Calahonda, two mini-cities with their own golf courses, are worth mentioning. Benahavís is a beautiful mountain locality very 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’. Although it is a small town in terms of inhabitants (about 6,000), this municipality is very large in extension and is home to eight golf courses -one of them, Los Arqueros, designed by Seve Ballesteros- and a municipal golf school with magnificent facilities. The La Cala resort, with three 18-hole courses plus a 6-hole academy, and Mijas Golf, which has two 18-hole courses, stand out in the municipality of Mijas.
Estepona is another town with a wide range of golf courses, with eight courses, including El Paraíso, designed by the legendary South African player Gary Player. Tradition and modernity are perfectly combined in this small town, with an old town that preserves the charm of the Andalusian villages, with its narrow streets, whitewashed houses and balconies full of flowers. One of the focal points of entertainment in the town is its marina, with more than 400 berths and a lively day and night life.
The Cádiz area of the Costa del Sol includes the municipality of San Roque, with its macro-urbanization Sotogrande, where the world famous Valderrama is located, venue of the historic 1997 Ryder Cup, the first European Ryder Cup played outside the British Isles, on continental soil. In the aforementioned urbanization there are other renowned golf courses such as Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, San Roque Club and La Reserva. In San Roque is also located the first municipal golf course of the Costa del Sol: La Cañada, whose first nine holes were designed by Robert Trent Jones and the second, by Dave Thomas, former Ryder Cup player and designer of The Belfry with Peter Alliss.
In the eastern part of the Costa del Sol, in the Axarquia region, there are two golf courses: Añoreta and Baviera, both designed by José María Cañizares, twice winner of the World Cup. Located in the easternmost part of the province, it is the Malaga region that includes the largest number of municipalities. The Axarquia is characterized by large natural areas of mountains, hills, slopes, cliffs and extensive beaches, as well as a native gastronomic offer and a magnificent artistic heritage. Its villages are picturesque places that have managed to keep, in a place of light and color, the beauty of its streets and squares, its monuments and popular festivals.
Golf is also found inland in the province of Malaga, as for example in Antequera, a city with a magnificent monumental ensemble as a result of its historical past that is reflected in more than fifty buildings of religious and civil architecture, dating from the Bronze Age to the eighteenth century. Many centuries of history contemplate dolmens, collegiate churches, churches, convents, palaces, arches, doors, citadels, chapels, hermitages, manor houses, palaces and even the urban fabric itself. Antequera stands out not only for its monumental attractions, but also for its natural ones, with such splendid landscapes as the fertile Vega or El Torcal, a surprising karst landscape that takes us back millions of years in the history of the planet. Very close to the city center is the 18-hole course of the Antequera Golf resort.
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