El Chaparral Golf Club

El Chaparral is Pepe Gancedo doing what Pepe Gancedo does best — using the natural terrain rather than fighting it, in this case a genuinely steep stretch of Mijas hillside overlooking the Mediterranean. That means legs-day golf: buggies get parked on the cart path for several holes while you walk down (and, worse, back up) to the green, but the reward is a set of fairways and greens kept in consistently excellent condition, with the coastline glittering below on the clearer holes. It's a course that separates the golfers who can flight the ball on a slope from those who can't, and the staff and clubhouse welcome get singled out in review after review. Bring good shoes and a sense of humour about the climbs — the golf more than makes up for it.

El Chaparral sits just off the N-340 coastal road between Fuengirola and La Cala de Mijas. From Málaga Airport, take the AP-7 motorway westbound and exit at Mijas Costa (around 30 minutes). The course is clearly signposted from the coastal road, with free parking at the clubhouse.