Spain: A Golf Vacation To Remember

What do you call a place that is home to more than 60 golf courses all linked together closely, designed by the best in business and spread over a diverse terrain? Heaven? Closer to home it’s called the Costa del Sol in Spain and is top of the golf tourists traveling in / to Europe. And not without reason – Costa del Sol, fondly nicknamed the Golf Coast, boasts of more than 60 golf courses in a small geographical area – more golf in one place than anywhere in the world!

Golf travel to Spain is almost synonymous with Costa del Sol. With almost 300 sunny days in a year and course after course to play in a tightly knit, easily accessible area, Spain is the undoubted king of golf vacation destinations in Europe. But this was not always so. Earlier, most discussions about taking a golf holiday in Europe centered on Scotland or Ireland. This notion changed when Sotogrande’s Valderrama Golf Course was selected to host the Ryder Cup in 1997 and the international golf spotlight fell on Spain.

A century of golf heritage in Spain has now come to impress golfers worldwide and golf packages afford the same admiration and enthusiasm to this Iberian country as to old favorites like Scotland & Ireland. Most golf packages are tightly wound around Costa del Sol and that’s where you too are most likely to be.

Once you are there, tee off with a day at the Club de Golf Valderrama located in San Roque, Cadiz. A Robert Trent Jones course, this 18 – hole championship course will make you sweat on every hole. Never letting you have it easy, starting from Sol ye Sombra to Casa Club (yes, all the holes have names!) Valderrama is a pleasure for golfers of all skill levels. At 6900 meters par 71, Valderrama is a joy that could loosen your pockets by, hold your breath, EUR 260 to EUR 290. But no self respecting golf tour to Spain can end without having started at Valderrama, so loosen up!

Costa del Sol spoils you for choices and the La Cala Golf Resort is a case in point. La Cala offers three 18 – hole courses, making it perfect for a golf holiday. All three courses, Campo Asia, Campo America and Campo Europa, have been designed by Cabell Robinson and offer varying levels of difficulty. Play Campo Europa to make your golf vacation memorable for the Ojen River cuts across the fairway thrice giving you natural hazards that make play very interesting. Playing three courses for EUR 70 is a steal and you can enjoy some authentic Spanish food at the La Terraza while you are there.

Tourism goes north as you move to hotspots like Marbella – one of the original Costa del Sol resorts. Marbella is comparable to St. Tropez in its bling value with casinos, multi-million yachts and Ferraris hinting at the presence of the world’s rich and famous. You are sure to see a lot of beautiful courses during your Spanish golf travel but few would be as charming or as challenging as the Marbella Golf & Country Club in Costa del Sol. Located on the southern coast of Spain, Marbella falls on the “Golden Mile” between Marbella and Puerto Banus. Marbella is an 18-hole, championship Robert Trent Jones Sr. design and at 6000 meters par 72 sure to leave you with great memories of your golf vacation.

Spain offers enough to a golf travel enthusiast to make him come back for more. Along with flamenco dancing, tapas bars and bull fighting there is yet more golf to be played at courses like the La Manga Club in Murcia and Malaga’s Monte Mayor. Fun, food, endless golf and a carefree atmosphere….we can see you planning your next golf tour to Spain already.