Thanks to its natural surroundings starring the ocean and mountains, its year round warm climate, luxurious hotels and diverse golf courses, Sotogrande is one of the most sought-after destinations for golfers. Have you been? In this article, we’ll explore the best golf courses in Sotogrande.
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande
Located in San Roque, the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande is a favourite course for all kinds of players. It highlights the natural beauty of the facilities, built in 1964 just 150 metres from the Mediterranean. Designed by celebrity Robert Trent Jones, this course is one of the best to enjoy this sport in Costa del Sol.
El Real Club de Golf Sotogrande is an 18-hole, par 72 course that spans 6,492 metres with long tees, wide paths and subtly moulded, fast, elevated geens, which contain the greatest difficulty of the course. Of the hundreds of bunkers throughout the course, 69 are located around the greens, which demands maximum precision from golfers. The variety of the holes is another of the main characteristics of Sotogrande; the course’s high quality is reflected in the golfers it has hosted over the years: Severiano Ballesteros, José María Olazábal, Roberto de Vicenzo, Sergio García, Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy.
La Reserva Club
La Reserva Golf Course is located on a hillside with views of the Mediterranean and Andalusian hills. Opened in 2003, this 18-hole course has ample paths that lead to enormous greens with light waves and challenges for golfers. La Reserva is a mandatory stop for golfers visiting the south of Spain. The Golf World Magazine highlighted it as one of the 12 best courses in Spain; on this course, we’ll find the Academia Manuel Piñero, which offers opportunities to golfers of all ages and levels. In addition, they offer year round programs and classes.
Valderrama Golf
Considered as one of the best golf courses in the world and the best in continental Europe, Valderrama Golf is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to enjoy this spot. Also designed by famous architect Robert Trent Jones, Valderrama’s golf course boasts one of the world’s best par-5s, hole 17, as well as several famous par-3s.
The Valderrama Golf Club is already a must-visit in Europe, hosting the Gran Final de Circuito for two decades, but its fame was stretched even further in 1997 when it hosted the Ryder Cup. In the last decade, Valderrama Golf underwent many renovations that have led it to be the reference point for aspects like sustainability and quality.
Club de Golf La Cañada
Another of Sotogrande’s top courses is La Cañada. Founded in 1982, this 9-hole course was designed by David Thomas and later expanded to reach 18 holes with a design by Robert Trent Jones. The course is characterised by its entertaining and short paths that end in quick greens and boast huge trees and views of the Mediterranean. It’s the perfect course for sun and warm-weather lovers, with more than 5,000 metres of land and an included practice course. It also has one of the most prolific player pools in Spain.
The San Roque Club
At the foot of the Sierra Bermeja mountain range between Jerez and Marbella, you can find the San Roque Club, a prestigious golf club in Europe that boasts two 18-hole golf courses: the Old Course and the New Course. New Course was designed by Perry Dye and Severiano Ballesteros in 2003 and has 6,497 metres with an ample course with wide greens, deep bunkers and railroad tracks. It has a very precise layout and is known for its high technical quality, perfect for those looking for a challenge and not just entertainment.
Reopened in June 2021, the Old Course has 6,508 par-72 metres. It’s reserved for members, except for specific windows when it’s open to the general public. It was created by Dave Thomas in 1990 and redesigned by Seve Ballesteros; it was one of the first five courses in Spain and has also been considered as one of Europe’s best. It was the host of the Spain Open in 2005 and the finals of the Qualifying School from 1993 to 2007. In addition, San Roque boasts the Jason Floyd Academy, a golf academy with an innovative methodology that focuses on the personalised development of each student.
Almenara Golf
Almenara Golf is a course that brings together the perfect conditions. Located in pure nature, its 27 holes throughout three courses offer a beautiful landscape where you’ll be able to relax while enjoying fresh air and surprising views wherever you look. Not surprisingly, the expanses of the native Mediterranean woodland that surround the three courses of the course (Los Alcornoques, Los Pinos and Los Lagos) are designed to provide an unforgettable experience in every sense of the word. Cork oaks, gall oaks and other species of flora accompany each golfer on their round, filling the atmosphere with pleasant country aromas.
The Almenara Golf Club is a work of art thanks to not just its environment, but also its design. The 27 holes truly represent old golf and its previous designer, David Charles Thomas. The Welshman laid out a set of rolling greens with bunkers and other obstacles which add an interesting difficulty to every shot.
Alcaidesa Links
Inaugurated in 1992, the Hacienda Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort is made up of two courses, the Link Golf Course and the Heathland Golf Courses, whose magic resides in its Mediterranean views from the city of San Roque, where the complex is located. The charm of this field is that it offers a course with rolling hills, no trees and where the wind is a friend of the game. This is a links field according to its purest definition!
Its unbeatable location and the fact that it’s a manual link course makes playing golf at the Hacienda Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort an adventure. And one of the reasons why is the views of the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and the African coast. If most courses offer ocean views, Alcaidesa gives visitors even more!
Fuente: alcaidesagolf.com
Sotogrande’s golf courses offer dreamy settings to enjoy this sport. As well as boasting some of the best holes in Europe, in the area surrounding Sotogrande, golfers can enjoy splendid beaches from where they can admire breathtaking views of the African coast and the Strait of Gibraltar. The proximity to other coastal towns, such as Marbella, provides an impressive range of leisure activities to complement a golfing holiday. For all these reasons, Sotogrande is the ideal destination for all golf lovers who, in addition to enjoying this sport, travel in search of relaxation, gastronomy, and the practice of other sports, such as polo.
