English Golf Courses

Golf in Costa Blanca

The Costa Blanca is a gem of a region stretching from Torrevieja in the south to Olivia Nova in the north. It offers a spectacular mix of stunning sandy beaches and imposing rugged mountains which help to provide the micro-climate, protecting the coastline from bad weather from the west of Spain and the Atlantic.

A proliferation of new course developments means that, almost wherever you go in the Costa Blanca you are bound to stumble across a top-class golf course. The climate, of course, is another of the major attractions here. Winters are warm and dry and the average rainfall is even lower than that of the Costa del Sol.

Add to this mix the large choice of flights from most UK airports (there are more winter flights to Alicante from UK airports than any other European destination) and you have the recipe for the perfect golfing holiday. The resort of Torrevieja has five first class courses, Villamartin, Las Ramblas, Campoamar and the relatively new La Finca.

The Villamartin course may not have developed a worldwide reputation like any of its neighbours but that certainly doesn't mean you shouldn't go out of your way to get a tee time. This is a great course with a lot of personality and well worth the visit. Las Ramblas is located between two ravines on the shore of the Mediterranean therefore enjoys spectacular views. Campoamar is also a lovely looking course.

A little shorter than most, big hitters can go for broke and open the shoulders as rather a few par fours are reachable from the tees. The last of the five courses in Torrevieja is La Finca, situated at the foot of Mount Escotera, in the municipality of Algorfa, right in the heart of the Segura region.

If you like good greens, then La Finca should be right up your street. The Alicante golf hotel enjoys a marvellous location right at the edge of its own golf course yet only a few minutes from the centre of Alicante, a place that is full of character. The Seve Ballesteros-designed course is one of Costa Blanca's best and, although spacious in parts, features five huge lakes and out-of-bounds on a number of holes. Alenda, Bonalba and El Plantio are nearby and well worth the visit.

The Alenda Golf Club is situated very close to the Sierra de las Aguilas mountains and the sea, thus it enjoys a pleasant climate. The Bonalba layout, despite its tender years, is a course worth knowing, as is El Plantio less than three miles from the city centre. The beautiful city of Valencia is also home to a few top courses, including the famous El Saler, rated second in Europe in recent times. It is usually only eclipsed by Valderama in Spain for its challenge, which says it all.

A number of holes resemble a links-type feel while the others meander through a forest. It is simply beautiful yet, as with any top course, certainly one possessing linksland, it has a nasty bite to it so be on your guard at all times. El Bosque golf course is a little further north and is one of the great success stories of Robert Trent Jones in Spain. It is a hilly course and not unlike the classic American courses of modern times - great fun.

As with the majority of the courses in the region its fairways roam through stunning, untouched countryside leaving you with the feeling that you are playing all by yourself.