Golf near NUBAY: La Duquesa, Alcaidesa, San Roque and Valderrama

The Costa del Sol has earned its nickname, the Costa del Golf. With more than 70 courses, over 320 days of sunshine a year and one of the highest concentrations of golf courses in Europe, few destinations offer the same opportunity to play throughout the year.

The numbers are only part of the story. Courses designed by some of golf’s most respected architects sit within a relatively short stretch of coastline, while the region has hosted the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, World Golf Championships and numerous European Tour events.

For golfers at NUBAY, the location is particularly convenient. Manilva sits at the western end of the Costa del Sol, close to a concentration of highly regarded courses stretching from Casares to Sotogrande. La Duquesa provides an excellent local option, La Hacienda Alcaidesa brings links golf to the Mediterranean and The San Roque Club has longstanding tournament credentials.

Then there are two of the biggest names in Spanish golf. Nearby Finca Cortesin hosted the 2023 Solheim Cup, the first held in Spain, while Real Club Valderrama made history as host of the 1997 Ryder Cup, the first staged in continental Europe.

For anyone choosing a home partly around their love of golf, that puts NUBAY in rather exceptional company.

La Duquesa Golf: the local course

Closest to NUBAY is La Duquesa Golf, an 18-hole, par-72 course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr and opened in 1986.

The course occupies an elevated position above the coast, with views across the Mediterranean towards Gibraltar and North Africa. Its two halves have noticeably different characters: the front nine demands accuracy through narrower fairways and elevated greens, while the back nine opens up, although strategic bunkering and the coastal wind ensure it never becomes straightforward.

For NUBAY residents, its proximity is a major advantage. This is the course for the regular midweek round or an early tee time without having to make a day of it.

Finca Cortesin: championship golf close to home

A short drive east into Casares brings you to Finca Cortesin, one of the most internationally recognised golf resorts on the Costa del Sol.

The 18-hole championship course was designed by Cabell B. Robinson and extends to almost 7,000 metres from the back tees. Its wide fairways, dramatic bunkering and fast greens are set within a landscape of Mediterranean woodland, with the mountains and sea forming the backdrop.

Its tournament credentials are substantial. Finca Cortesin hosted the Volvo World Match Play Championship in 2009, 2011 and 2012, followed by the 2023 Solheim Cup, when Europe and the United States competed here in the first edition of the tournament ever held in Spain.

La Hacienda Alcaidesa: links golf by the sea

Travel west and the golf changes character again. La Hacienda Links Golf Resort has two 18-hole courses, the Links and Heathland, offering 36 holes in one destination.

The Links stands out due to its unique design. Initially designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark, it was extensively redesigned by Kurtis Bowman and reopened in 2022. The course stretches nearly two kilometres along the coastline, featuring wide fairways, large bunkers, double greens and unobstructed views of Gibraltar and Africa.

The Heathland, designed by Dave Thomas, heads inland across more undulating terrain, offering a contrasting challenge and making La Hacienda a place you can return to without simply replaying the same experience.

The San Roque Club: a serious golfing test

The San Roque Club takes you into another of the area’s renowned golfing enclaves.

Dave Thomas designed its Old Course, which opened in 1990, and Seve Ballesteros later redesigned the bunkers. The par-72 course runs through mature woodland in the foothills above Sotogrande, creating a very different setting from the exposed coastline at Alcaidesa.

San Roque also has an interesting competitive history. It hosted the European Tour Qualifying School Finals for 15 consecutive years from 1993 to 2007 and the 2005 Spanish Open.

It is a course where strategy and positioning matter, making it particularly rewarding for experienced golfers who enjoy a more technical round.

Real Club Valderrama: a European golfing landmark

And then there is Valderrama.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr, Real Club Valderrama is one of the defining names in European golf. Its immaculately maintained fairways weave between local cork oaks, with narrow landing areas, strategic bunkering and small targets placing a premium on accuracy rather than sheer distance.

In 1997, Valderrama hosted the Ryder Cup under captain Seve Ballesteros, becoming the first course in continental Europe to stage the competition. It has since hosted World Golf Championships, the Volvo Masters, Andalucía Masters and other major international events.

Valderrama remains a private members’ club, although a limited number of visitor tee times are made available. For golfers, simply having such an important course within easy reach adds another dimension to living at this end of the Costa del Sol.

The choice continues

These are only some of the courses accessible from NUBAY.

Doña Julia Golf and Casares Costa Golf provide further options close to home, while Sotogrande adds courses including Real Club de Golf Sotogrande and La Reserva Club.

This breadth matters. Golfers can choose between a convenient local round and a championship course, links-style golf beside the Mediterranean and established parkland layouts among the forested hillsides. And with the Costa del Sol climate, the season rarely has to stop.

NUBAY: a home made for the Costa del Golf

For golfers, NUBAY puts an exceptional stretch of the Costa del Golf within easy reach and the lifestyle continues when the clubs are put away. NUBAY’s frontline setting brings the Mediterranean directly into daily life, complemented by spacious terraces, landscaped gardens, saltwater swimming pools, a sea-view gym and a spa with sauna and hammam.

Whether NUBAY becomes a permanent home, a base for extended stays or somewhere to escape for a few days and a few rounds, the combination is difficult to overlook: beachfront living, year-round golf and some of Spain’s most celebrated courses just along the coast.

Discover NUBAY and put yourself at the heart of one of Europe’s great golfing destinations.