Property spots for golfers in Marbella

In a place such as Marbella, with its lovely climate and beautiful setting on the Mediterranean Sea, much is naturally made of properties right on or as close to the beach as possible. However, there is another activity and category of property that is almost as closely associated with this glamorous resort town at the southern tip of Europe.

Since the very first golf courses were built in this area to make the most of its benevolent microclimate, long playing season and spectacular settings, conditions and views, golf has become a cherished way of life in Marbella. Soon, people wanted to also live bordering or overlooking the stunning green fairways, not just to be close to their favourite sport but also to enjoy the protected spaces and opulent, sculpted vegetation that the area’s many first-class courses bring with them.

To live alongside a golf club, albeit within a gated community, a private country club or a leafy suburb of villas, townhouses and villas, is generally considered the very next best thing to owning a property right on the beach. Where frontline beach sea views are undeniably a premium commodity, the fact that many golf properties are located slightly further inland on sloping ground often gives them ever more impressive views of the coastal plain, Marbella, the mountain and the sea.

Add the outlines of Gibraltar and North Africa in the distance, and some of the views to be had from golf properties are even better than those enjoyed right upon the beach. The most exclusive and sought-after golf residences tend to coincide with the most famous and highly regarded clubs, of which we name some of the main ones here.

Nueva Andalucia´s “Golf Valley”

Now there are many golf clubs that thread their way through Marbella, but nowhere is this concentration as marked as in Nueva Andalucía, a luxurious residential area just inland from Puerto Banús that has become known as the ‘Golf Valley’.

This title is largely thanks to the fact that Nueva Andalucía is criss-crossed by three of the region’s most important golf courses: Los Naranjos, Las Brisas and Aloha, all of which are bordered by elegant residential areas ranging from luxurious villas and mansions to elegant apartment complexes surrounded by semi-tropical gardens.

Move just a little further inland and you come to La Quinta, a stylish residential area with a slightly rustic feel as it follows the meanderings of its golf course through the foothills of the Serranía de Ronda mountain range. From here you come to La Zagaleta, one of the most elite gated communities in Europe, and on to the popular Los Arqueros, with its charming apartments and private villas, to the exclusive villa suburb of Guadalmina, whose golf course is the only one in Marbella to skirt the beach.

Midway from here to Estepona, not far from its up-and-coming New Golden Mile, lies the stylish country club estate of Los Flamingos. Centred around a magnificent five-star deluxe palace hotel surrounded by an immaculate course that conjures up the Tuscan landscape, Los Flamingos offers a country club setting with beautiful mountain and sea views at less than a kilometre from both.

Since this list represents only the pick of golf courses and accompanying residential areas and properties on the western side of Marbella, it becomes clear just how important a feature they are in this part of the world – and just how much choice and variety there is for players and homeowners alike.

Property spots for golfers in Marbella, our complete search engine is available here, offering property in the Guadalmina Golf Club, Las Brisas, Aloha Golf, Marbella Club Golf Resort, Rio Real, Santa Clara, etc.

By Fai M. Rodríguez