The pleasure of travelling to enjoy nature and gastronomy is joined by the possibility of playing on one of the many different golf courses located throughout its territory. Benahavis is a renowned golf destination at an international level. In fact, Benahavis has been the host of events such as the Benahavis Senior Master, the Ladies Spanish Open and finals of the European Seniors for several consecutive years and has received many awards for tourism excellence.
Marbella Club Golf Resort
Dave Thomas was designer with a total length of 6,247m, the golf course is enhanced by carefully contoured fairways, beautiful waterfalls, lakes and strategically placed bunkers, as well as undulating and protected greens, maintained to perfection.
The front nine provides the unique experience of three consecutive par 5s, which not only represent a severe test early in the round but also offer some of the most picturesque scenery on the golf course. The tee on the seventh is the highest point on the course and provides a panoramic view of the coastline, Gibraltar and across to Africa. Stretching for over 6000 meters, combining length with clever placement of bunkers and water hazards plus intriguing green designs, the par 73 course culminates in one of the most dramatic 18th tees in Europe. One of many elevated tees, the par 5, reachable in two for some pros, is a memorable final hole.
La Zagaleta Old Course
The prestigious Zagaleta Country Club, known to residents simply as the Old Course, is a members-only (effectively residents-only) club with an 18-hole course designed by renowned golf architect Brad Benz in 1991 and redesigned by Marc Westenborg in 2016. The brief, to create a championship-standard course on a verdant carpet that follows the undulating contours of a former hunting estate, finds perfect expression in one of the most beautiful courses in Europe.
Play is characterised by immaculate fairways and greens dotted with bunkers, water features and changes in gradient, producing a golfing experience that challenges advanced players while nurturing those new to the game. You will play in a lush valley within an amphitheatre of wooded hills and rising peaks, with mesmerising views to the sea and Marbella that come into view as the game progresses.
La Zagaleta New Course
This par-70 course inaugurated in 2005 really does merge golf with nature, assimilating the playing experience with the gorgeous nature that envelopes it. Great care has been taken to make sure the course blends in with its surroundings while also offering unique features and a game distinct from that found on the Old Course. The result is a playful 18-hole challenge full of wonderful obstacles and sharp doglegs to overcome, but you’ll be met with unforgettable sights all the way.
Play the two courses in succession and it will be hard to imagine that they form part of the same country club, for the designers have succeeded in giving each a unique setting, layout and above all, feel. From the classic elegance and panoramic picture postcards of the Old Course to the more dramatic gradient of the New Course, Zagaleta offers two diverse experiences to explore within a setting that combined offers an uninterrupted 36-hole parkland oasis.
Los Arqueros Golf & Country Club
The Golf Course 18 hole, par 71 course designed in 1991 by the legendary Severiano Ballesteros. The course follows the contours of the terrain and blends harmoniously with the natural surroundings on Costa del Sol. This provides its own challenge with many water features and some tight narrow fairways to negotiate, but, if you forego distance for accuracy, you will be rewarded with plenty of birdie opportunities.
The course requires accurate play, especially in some tight tee shots where you may have to forego distance in your drive and opt instead for shorter irons or woods which ensure that the ball reaches the fairway. Hole 8 is especially tricky, as it is a long par 5, with a tight dogleg towards the right which slopes sharply downhill to the green, and a hazardous out-of-bounds area finishing in a stream at the entrance to the green. Watch out too for the 13th hole, with its high tee requiring an accurate and hard-hitting drive to a downhill area guarded by bunkers, and where only careful play will ensure that you save the par. The 3rd hole is also excellent, with a lake to the left of the fairway and a scattering of wide bunkers on the right, but it requires more attention than expected to finish successfully.
However, the most difficult hole is the 6th, as it is not only the longest, but the tee-off shot is the decisive one. Therefore, this is a demanding course which requires a calculated game, and where you cannot afford to take many risks if you want to make your handicap.
http://www.losarquerosgolf.com/
La Quinta Golf & Country Club
La Quinta Golf & Country Club is located in the Golf Valley of Marbella, in an area of exceptional beauty between the sea and the mountains. It has an exclusive club, a 27-hole course, a restaurant and a shop. Designed by the three-time World Champion and Ryder Cup champion Manuel Piñero, La Quinta Golf is one of the most attractive golf clubs in the area and is suitable for all levels of play. La Quinta Golf Club has 27 holes divided into 3 courses of nine holes each.
San Pedro golf course features 9 hoyos and 2,690 yards and wide fairways; Ronda golf features 9 hoyos and 2,673 yards, narrow fairways and very technical greens; Guadaiza golf course features 9 holes and 3,167 yards. This is the most technical course, ideal for the advanced players, who will have to use a wide range of shots.
Villapadierna Alferini Golf
The ideal course to hold competitions and big tournaments, and also for enjoying a pleasant, relaxing day. Well ensconced in the landscape, exceptional care is taken to preserve the natural surroundings.
Villapadierna Flamingos Golf
This 18-hole, 71-par course measuring 5,714 metres was designed by the prestigious architect Antonio García Garrido, known for his meticulous landscaping. It has a great variety of trees and stunning views of the Mediterranean. The greens are generous in size, but the fairways are slender on the first half of the course, where more precision is needed than on the second half. The bunkers contain white marble chips and the fairways are sown with Bermuda grass except for certain holes that use Ray grass, while the greens and tees have Penncross.
Flamingos Golf has hosted prestigious golf tournaments such as the 2002, 2003 and 2004 European Seniors and the Women’s Spanish Open in 2010.
Villapadierna Tramores Golf
Tramores Golf Club is ensconced in a lovely landscape between two valleys with impressive views of the Mediterranean Sea. It is Villa Padierna Golf Resort’s third course and its facilities include the Villa Padierna “Michael Campbell” Golf Academy, since this is the course the school recommends for its students. Tramores is a fast, accurate course, yet still entertaining and requiring skill.
https://www.villapadierna.es/golf/
Club de Golf El Higueral
El Higueral is a picturesque 9 hole, par 36 resort course nestled on the gentle slopes of the foothills in Benahavís. Designed to maximize your enjoyment of each round, unique features and vistas will surprise at every turn. Beautifully manicured greens and elegantly styled lakes ensure an experience so memorable.
http://www.elhigueralgolf.com/
Atalaya Old Course
First opened in 1986, Atalaya´s Old Course is one of the finest courses on the Costa del Sol designed by Bernard von Limburger. The wide generous fairways undulate gently between mature trees and flowering shrubs providing shade and all year colour. The frequently elevated greens can make club selection interesting and their subtle contours need careful judgement to sink those all-important putts.
Ideal for walking, the Old course offers magnificent views of La Concha and the Mediterranean, as well as lakes and streams populated by many species of water birds.
Atalaya New Course
Opened in 1990, this Paul Krings designed course presents an intriguing test of golf. Paul Krings has been responsible for the design of a number of European golf courses, including the prestigious GC Schloss Maxlrain in southern Germany. Set in the hills above the Atalaya Old Course, the New Course rewards accuracy off the tee, rather than out and out length. A number of the fairways and greens feature slopes and elevation changes, requiring careful shot selection.
The course provides wonderful panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, the Mediterranean and Gibraltar and thanks to its location away from busy roads. Wildlife abounds throughout the course, including the lake on the picturesque 4th hole and there is a natural wood in the centre of the course, featuring cork oaks, olive and carob trees. Although there a few climbs, the course is perfectly walkable, however in the heat of the summer players are best advised to hire a buggy.
Escuela Municipal de Golf de Benahavis
Golf is an important economic driving force in Benahavis and this is the reason behind the creation of the Municipal Golf School by the Town Hall of Benahavis in 2009. It is a complete success; it started with 6 students and now it has 80 and it is also an example of the Town Hall commitment with the local economy, with young people and youth sport.
it is not only for people registered in the municipality, anyone who wishes to learn is welcome. The fee for non-registered citizens is 50€ a month for four lessons are given for children or adults of any level in the morning and afternoon. In addition, in the months of July and August there is a golf camp for children from 9 am to 4 pm.
2 putting greens and bunkers, 15 practice range mats, 6 of them are covered 180 metres long and 120 metres wide are waiting for everyone who wants to start playing golf or just practice.