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Golf guide • Spain • Andalusia (Costa del Sol)

Golf in Benahavís: the white village of the valleys above Marbella

Benahavís is a white village in the hills behind Marbella, seven kilometres from the sea, whose municipality has around a dozen golf courses. Here you play Los Arqueros, Seve Ballesteros's first design on the Costa del Sol, Flamingos at Villa Padierna and the mountain course of the Marbella Club, with Gary Player's El Paraíso a quarter of an hour away. The best season runs from March to June and from September to November.

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Benahavís is a municipality in the province of Málaga set 150 metres above sea level, seven kilometres from the coast, between Marbella, Estepona and the Ronda road. The village takes its name from the Arabic Binā' Ḥabīsh and keeps from that era its pattern of narrow, whitewashed lanes. Around it, three rivers, the Guadalmina, the Guadaiza and the Guadalmansa, have carved wooded valleys where, since the late 1980s, around a dozen golf courses have settled.

This is what sets Benahavís apart from the neighbouring coast: you play on slopes, among pines, cork oaks and limestone outcrops, with the Mediterranean below and, on clear days, Gibraltar and the African coast on the horizon. The changes in elevation make you choose your club carefully and accept a few sloping lies. The private estates of La Zagaleta, which keep their two courses for members, are a reminder that the valley is also one of the most discreet residential addresses on the coast.

For a stay, you sleep in the village or at a resort in the valley, play a course each morning and head down to Marbella, Puerto Banús or Estepona when the sea beckons, ten to twenty minutes by road. Four to six nights allow you to play three or four very different layouts without rushing, and keep an evening for the village terraces.

The courses

Raised tee facing a narrow fairway lined with pines and olive trees, a green defended by white bunkers

Los Arqueros Golf & Country Club

  • Architect: Severiano Ballesteros
  • Opened 1991
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Opened in 1991 in the municipality of Benahavís, Los Arqueros is the first course on the Costa del Sol designed by Severiano Ballesteros. A par 71 on hilly ground, it strings together doglegs, raised tees, climbs, descents and multi-tiered greens, with water in play on several holes. Housing has crept in around the front nine, but the design remains that of a player who loved inventing shots. The club has added orange tees to make the course more manageable for high handicappers: a good first round for taking the measure of the terrain.

Signature hole. The 13th, a par 5, plays from a raised tee to a narrow fairway that turns right, where the ground plunges towards the green: cutting the corner with the second shot is tempting, and risky.

Official website

Villa Padierna Flamingos Golf

  • Architect: Antonio García Garrido
  • Opened 2001
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

The most played course on the Villa Padierna estate, in the hills of Benahavís between Marbella and Estepona. Designed by Antonio García Garrido and opened in 2001, this par 71 of 5,714 metres unfolds across rolling greens and wide views of the Mediterranean. It hosted the European Senior Tour in 2002, 2003 and 2004, then the Ladies European Tour in 2010. Water, bunkers and changes of level call for thought, without ever punishing the average player too harshly. The estate has two other layouts: Alferini, a more demanding par 73, and Tramores, an executive course.

Signature hole. The 4th, a par 3, is the most photographed hole at Flamingos: everything depends on judging the distance, especially when the wind gets up.

Official website

Marbella Club Golf Resort

  • Architect: Dave Thomas
  • 18 holes

Attached to the Marbella Club Hotel but located in the hills of Benahavís, at kilometre 3.7 of the village road, this mountain course by Dave Thomas is among the most highly regarded on the coast. Two loops of nine holes climb into the hills and then descend to the clubhouse at the lowest point; raised tees offer views of the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and the African coast. Waterfalls and lakes come into play several times. Twelve minutes separate tee times, which guarantees an unhurried pace. A handicap is required: 28 for men, 36 for women.

Official website

El Paraíso Golf Club

  • Architect: Gary Player, Ron Kirby
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Just across the municipal boundary, in the municipality of Estepona and about a quarter of an hour from the village, El Paraíso is one of the historic courses of the coast, designed in the early 1970s by Gary Player with Ron Kirby. This par 71 fills a valley running down from the foothills of the Sierra Bermeja towards the sea, in two loops of nine that return to the clubhouse. Flatter and more classic than the Benahavís layouts, it remains demanding with its lakes and streams, and welcomes visitors every day of the year.

Signature hole. The 6th, a dogleg par 5 lined with water, is the course's most talked-about hole; the 8th, a downhill par 4, is also worth noting for the placing of its bunkers.

Official website

Where to stay

Amanhavis Hotel

A village house on Calle Pilar turned into a nine-room hotel, each room themed on a chapter of Andalusia's past, set around a planted patio, a palm-shaded pool and roof terraces. Ask for the Astronomer's Observatory: you sleep under a wide glass canopy, with a telescope to hand. The owners are keen golfers and book tee times themselves, so send them your handicap before you arrive.

Anantara Villa Padierna Palace

The palace hotel of the Villa Padierna estate, run by Anantara, shares the site with the estate's three courses, Flamingos first among them, between Marbella and Estepona: you walk from your room to the first tee without touching the car. After the round, book a slot in the spa's baths, over 2,000 square metres of Roman-style thermae with a hammam, and ask about the concerts held in the estate's amphitheatre.

Where to dine

La Escalera de Balthazar

In a lane in the village, Calle del Almendro, cooking of Provençal inspiration with an Andalusian accent: fish and meat grilled over olive-wood charcoal, produce from the coast's fishermen and market gardeners, and a list of Spanish wines from small producers. It serves dinner only and closes on Wednesdays. Book a table on the roof terrace, facing the hills, for the evening after a round at Los Arqueros.

Los Abanicos

On Calle Málaga, in the pedestrian part of the village, the same family has run Los Abanicos since 1982, now with three generations behind it. Regulars drive up from the coast for the cooking of the region: slow-braised rabo de toro, roast milk-fed lamb, charcoal-grilled chuletón, fish baked in a salt crust and opened at the table. Ask for a table outside in the street, and note that it closes on Mondays and Tuesdays.

White-clothed table on a roof terrace, grilled fish and a glass of white wine, wooded hills at dusk

Beyond golf

The Castle of Montemayor

On a hill in the municipality, the ruins of the Castle of Montemayor guarded the coast long before the village was founded. The fortress served as a lookout post: from up there you can see dozens of kilometres of coastline, the Strait of Gibraltar and the shores of North Africa. The climb is on foot, ideally early in the morning or late in the day, when the light skims across the sierras.

The Angosturas of the Guadalmina

Above the village, the Guadalmina forces a narrow passage through the limestone: the Angosturas, a gorge where the river springs from the karst aquifer. Hiking trails run alongside it. It is the ideal outing for a day without golf, and a chance to see another side of the municipality, wilder and cooler, a few minutes from the fairways.

The tower and the village

The Leonera tower, a defensive relic of the Muslim era, now overlooks a public park where locals come to take the air in the evening. The village is then explored on foot, from square to square, before sitting down to eat: Benahavís has built a reputation for the number and quality of its restaurants, where game and rabbit still feature on the menu.

Cobbled lane between white houses, geraniums in terracotta pots and wrought-iron balconies, a green hill behind

When to go

Spring, from March to June, and autumn, from September to November, are the best periods: soft light, courses in good condition and pleasant temperatures for walking hilly terrain. Summer is hot and best played early in the morning, even if the village, at altitude, keeps its evenings a little cooler than the coast. Winter remains mild and playable, with a few rainy days; it is also high season for golfers from northern Europe, so book your tee times ahead.

Getting there

Málaga airport (AGP) is about 70 kilometres away, some fifty minutes along the coastal motorway and then up the small road that climbs to the village. Gibraltar's airport offers an alternative depending on flights. A car is essential: the courses, the village and the coast are ten to twenty minutes apart.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best golf courses in Benahavís?

Dave Thomas's Marbella Club Golf Resort, Los Arqueros, Seve Ballesteros's first course on the Costa del Sol, and Flamingos at Villa Padierna. Gary Player's El Paraíso is a quarter of an hour away, towards Estepona.

How many golf courses are there in Benahavís?

The municipality has around a dozen courses, including the two private layouts of La Zagaleta, reserved for their members. Most of the others welcome visitors by reservation.

Can visitors play La Zagaleta?

No, its two courses are private and reserved for members and owners on the estate. Visitors turn instead to Los Arqueros, Villa Padierna or the Marbella Club.

When is the best time to play golf in Benahavís?

From March to June and from September to November. Summer means playing early in the morning; winter is mild but in high demand.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Benahavís?

Málaga airport (AGP), about fifty minutes away by road. Gibraltar is an alternative depending on flights.

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