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Marbella is continental Europe’s premier destination for travelling golfers.

With more golf courses (15) than any other municipality in Spain, the popular international resort has some impressive numbers to attract golfers keen to play at various different clubs during their stay, but it is just as much (if not more) about quality as quantity.

Those 15 include some of the top courses not only in Spain but also at a global level. Several Marbella clubs have hosted numerous European Tour and other international events over the past half-century, attracting some of the greatest stars in the history of the game.

Royal Las Brisas, for example, hosted World Cups in 1989 and 1973 – the latter won by the US team of Jack Nicklaus and Johnnie Miller. Other players who have won major titles at Marbella clubs are Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Lee Westwood, Curtis Strange and Málaga’s own Miguel Ángel Jiménez.

There are three other renowned clubs in the same Nueva Andalucía area as Las Brisas, popularly known as Marbella’s “Golf Valley”: Aloha, Los Naranjos and La Quinta (27 holes).

On the eastern outskirts of Marbella town centre, Río Real is one of Spain’s most venerable clubs, having been founded in 1965 and designed by the late doyen of Spanish golf course architects, Javier Arana. Four other 18-hole courses are located further east in this part of the municipality, Santa Clara, Marbella Golf Country Club (designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Sr.), Santa María and Cabopino – as well as the nine-hole par-three course Greenlife.

At the western end of Marbella municipality is Royal Guadalmina, with two courses, the South (opened in 1959) and North (1973), while one of the more recently opened courses, Marbella Club Golf Resort, is located just off the iconic Golden Mile.

There is also the nine-hole Magna Marbella course between Nueva Andalucía and San Pedro de Alcántara and another short par-three layout, Banús Executive, previously known as La Dama de Noche when it was inaugurated near Puerto Banús in 1991 as Spain’s first fully-illuminated 24-hour course.

Complementing these courses are modern golf academies and meticulously maintained driving ranges with the latest cutting-edge technology, while many golf clubs also offer players gourmet cuisine that rivals that of the finest restaurants in Marbella.

Speaking of which, four restaurants have attained prestigious Michelin recognition: Skina (in the Old Town) with two stars, and Messina and Nintai (Marbella town centre) and El Lago (at Greenlife in Elviria), both one each.  

For travelling golfers who also like to spend time away from the fairways exploring the local attractions, Marbella’s Old Town offers a fascinating historical journey spanning several centuries, the Puerto Banús marina is renowned as one of Europe’s hotspots of glamour, and the municipality extends along 30 kilometres of coastline replete with luxury beach amenities and a wide array of nautical activities. 

Getting to Marbella is convenient from just about anywhere in the world, with the Málaga-Costa del Sol international airport one of Europe’s major flight hubs. If renting a car on arrival, the municipality is serviced by a modern transport infrastructure, and it is an excellent base for visiting other parts of Andalucía including Granada, Córdoba and Sevilla. 

Finally, Marbella is an exceptional five-star destination when it comes to hotels, with a superb choice of establishments both next to golf courses and in convenient urban areas – most with state-of-the-art spa and wellness amenities for relaxing après-golf and for non-golfing companions. 

At Golf in Spain we can provide you with green fees at most of Marbella’s golf courses at preferential rates.

Time to look for your flights to Marbella and plan your next golf break to the Spanish golfing Mecca.