In the heart of the Costa del Sol, the number 1 golf destination in Europe, with the highest concentration of golf courses, quality is a prerequisite, Chaparral Golf Club stands as a benchmark in its own right. Beyond its 18 perfectly manicured holes, this Malaga club is leading an authentic revolution in the way of living golf.
Jewel courses, the world’s incredible innovations
Chaparral: Excellence in Costa del Sol
For Domingo Gavira, CEO of Chaparral, a competitive golf club today must offer much more than just good maintenance: “Achieving sporting excellence, operational efficiency and a high-level experience is our goal. Golf is no longer just a sport, it’s a lifestyle.” This vision is embodied in every corner of the club, where the tradition of golf coexists with a modern, sustainable offer focused on the well-being of the player.
Chaparral has distinguished itself with a clear value proposition: to offer a global and unforgettable experience. An environment cared to the millimeter, a personalized and close service, and an environment that invites Chaparral is the right place for both high performance players and amateurs.
“We want our members and visitors to feel that they are in a club where everything revolves around them. From the course to the gastronomy, from the human treatment to the technology applied to golf,” says Domingo Gavira.
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
One of the great differentials of Chaparral is its firm commitment to innovation. The club has incorporated state-of-the-art technology in all areas: from operational management to sports services. The difference is in the details. Chaparral has created a unique space: its Clubmaker & Fitting Center, where the art of clubmaking becomes a precision science. Here, each player can count on equipment completely adapted to his style, physique and playing needs.
Because when the equipment adapts to the player -and not the other way around-, performance improves and enjoyment multiplies. This comprehensive service includes measurement and adjustment of loft and lie, for an ideal angle on every shot; change and assembly of shafts and grips, adapted to the swing and comfort of the player, and advanced customization through game analysis and technical advice.
The impact has been immediate: amateur and professional players find in this service a differential value that improves sensations and results from the first moment.
State-of-the-art putting analysis technology
One of the most innovative aspects of the club is its new high-tech Putting Studio, equipped with two state-of-the-art tools:
PuttView: Real-time projections on the green that visualize putting lines and interactive drills.
SAM PuttLab: Biomechanical analysis of more than 70 stroke parameters, ideal for personalized and effective training.
The combination of these technologies provides players with a unique understanding of putting and significantly accelerates their technical evolution.
Toptracer: Accuracy, analysis and fun
Chaparral has incorporated Toptracer into its practice area, revolutionizing training with detailed data on every shot played. Players can create their own profiles, store statistics and participate in local and international competitions.
Domingo Gavira, comments: “Our academy has become an ideal space to host corporate events for private companies looking for a different and high level experience. Soon, we will expand our facilities by doubling the number of instructors. They will be located on the top floor of the academy, further reinforcing our commitment to innovation and premium hospitality. In addition, we have a lighted practice area that allows for comfortable training at night, and we offer live music sessions in the purest LIV Golf style, creating a fun and exclusive atmosphere for all our visitors”.
Chaparral, a global vision of Malaga’s spirit
The club’s strategy does not stop. With its sights set on consolidating its position internationally, Chaparral is developing strategic alliances, promoting its brand in key markets and improving its facilities every day. “Our goal is clear: to be the club of choice for both the local golfer and the premium tourist looking for the best,” concludes Domingo Gavira.
At Chaparral Golf Club, the future of golf is already present. And it is within reach of those who are looking for much more than a golf course, we offer a unique experience.
Atalaya new course: A great test of golf in the shadow of its big brother
Atalaya Golf is one of the best options on the Costa del Sol to enjoy good golf and a great social atmosphere. Not in vain is the club chosen by a very varied group of players of more than 30 nationalities. They all find their accommodation and enjoy the quality of its courses and the impeccable service.
Atalaya new course: A powerful shadow in Costa del Sol
Atalaya’s golf offer is in itself very complete: the Old Course is a great championship course, long, very flat, wide and varied; the New Course is the perfect complement, with shorter holes, greater slopes and many opportunities to make birdies and sharpen the short game.
The Old course dates back to 1968, one of the oldest on the Costa del Sol, while the New course was inaugurated in 1990, completing this duo of very different and interesting courses. The members of this fantastic Club appreciate the availability of two courses, so they can always play on one of them if the other is occupied by an event or maintenance work.
They also appreciate how different the two courses are, so enjoyment is guaranteed. As we pointed out, the New Course is a strategic course that makes you have to think about every shot, instead of just teeing off and hitting it forward. The tee of hole 1 is very close to the Academy and Driving Range; it can be a good option to warm up by hitting a few balls before facing the course.
Each hole is different, but we highlight the first par 3, hole 4, with a high tee from which we see a very generous green behind a lake that occupies the entire front. Another very interesting hole is the 6th, a par 5 that turns to the left and with two levels, an upper one on the right side, where it is easy to go and another much lower on the left that complicates the hole a lot.
The 7th hole that follows is an interesting downhill short par 4 that can reach the green in one stroke. In the second round we find two very different back-to-back par 3s.
The 12th hole has a steep downhill slope and the 13th, moderately long and between trees with a high green. The next hole, the 14th, is a par 5 that turns first to the right and then to the left, where precision, as in almost all the holes of this unique course, is especially rewarded. The second round ends with a par 5 18th hole that has the character of the holes of the Old Course, in fact it is very similar to the 14th hole of the Old Course, which runs parallel to its left.
After many notable investments in the main course, it has been the turn of the New course to undertake an ambitious improvement plan. The bunkers are being changed, with improved drainage and new sand, but the fundamental change has been in the greens.
The new greens, renovated at the end of 2024, have a bermudagrass cover, perfectly adapted to climatic conditions of higher temperatures and scarce rainfall but, above all, much more resistant to the salinity of the recycled water with which they are irrigated.
It is a bet for the future that has already been successfully implemented in courses such as Finca Cortesín, Hacienda Alcaidesa Links and Añoreta, among those of the Costa del Sol and that will surely give consistent greens of great quality and speed as soon as they mature, taking into account that the summer of 2025 will be their first summer since they were established, being that this type of grass develops optimally in hot conditions.
The type of course, the demand for tactics and precision, the views from many of its holes, the birdie options it offers and its fantastic 19th hole in the Clubhouse with one of the nicest restaurants and terraces on the coast justify its popularity and make a visit more than recommendable.
The links: Another of Casa de campo’s jewels
Casa de Campo has been the pioneer of golf tourism in the Dominican Republic, which is the number one golf destination in the Caribbean. If the Dominican Republic “has it all”, as its tourism promotion slogan says, Casa de Campo is undoubtedly the greatest exponent of this reality.
Casa de Campo is a residential community of the highest level, where permanent residents, temporary residents and visitors can enjoy security, a marina, supermarkets, movie theaters, boutique stores, restaurants, beach club, equestrian club with polo club, racquet club, shooting range, auditorium for large concerts, fire station, gas station, ambulatory and, of course, four golf courses of the best on the island designed by the legendary Pete Dye.
The links: A full-fledged jewel course
Of the three Casa de Campo courses, one, La Romana Country Club, is exclusively for members. The other three welcome visiting players, especially those staying at the resort in any of the various options available in hotels, villas and apartments.
During 2025, the resort’s flagship, the world-famous Teeth of the Dog, is undergoing a total refurbishment, in which the rooting area and the wall-to-wall grass are being changed and the drainage is being improved, while respecting the original design to a great extent. There are other slight changes such as the repositioning of some tees but little more, as respect for a classic course prevails.
The other two courses open to visitors are the formidable Dye Fore and the fantastic Links. Dye Fore is located next to the Altos del Chavón, with 27 holes and breathtaking views over the Marina and the Chavón River canyon (where part of the images of the movie Apocalipse Now were filmed).
The Links course is another of the jewels Casa de Campo has to offer, with all the character of Pete Dye’s designs and a quality that will surprise those who play it for the first time. Robert Birtel, Director of Golf, Casa de Campo Resort & Villas: “The Links represents a perfect fusion of tradition and modern challenge. It is a course that demands strategy, precision and respect for classic design.
After its renovation, it has become a favorite of our guests, offering a different experience than our seaside courses, but just as memorable. It’s a living tribute to Pete Dye’s legacy.”
The Links, as its name suggests, is a classic Scottish course embedded in one of the most exclusive destinations in the Caribbean. A course that combines the elegance of European design with Dominican tropical charm. Unlike the more traditional links courses, it is framed by native trees such as mango and flamboyant trees, but it shares with the classic courses the moldings, the elevated greens quite moved and very well defended, and the sometimes narrow and demanding fairways, which make a good game strategy clearly rewarded.
It is common to find the ambassador of Casa de Campo, and resident of the resort, Miguel Angel Jimenez practicing in the Links and the rest of the resort’s courses, as they have maintenance conditions typical of the PGA Tour courses. The beauty of the colors of the paspalum grass, which is found in many of the courses of the island’s great courses, make it very visual and attractive.
The course is a par 71 with a length of 6,739 yards (6,162 meters) from the back tees. Water comes into play on five key holes, raising the strategic level of the course.
A PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE
The Links offers a personalized experience for each golfer. With more than 250 professional caddies, Casa de Campo offers players the possibility to improve their performance and enjoy each round to the fullest, although its use is not mandatory.
Due to high demand, early reservations are recommended, especially in high season, to ensure availability at this course that has won over both amateur players and international professionals. The Links is not just a golf course: it is a history lesson, a masterpiece of design and an experience that connects European tradition with Caribbean hospitality. Yet another reason to discover – or rediscover – why Casa de Campo remains the number one golf destination in the region.
It is common to find Casa de Campo ambassador and Casa de Campo resident Miguel Angel Jimenez practicing on the Links and the rest of the resort’s courses.
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