Marbella Golf & Country Club

Opened in 1994 on a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design, Marbella Golf & Country Club occupies one of the largest remaining stretches of open green space on the coast — and it plays like it, with a links-inspired feel that's a genuine change of pace from the tree-lined resort courses further up the valley. Fast, true greens and a fair but testing routing have earned it consistently strong reviews, and the shared-buggy green fee (which even throws in a bottle of water, a nice touch after 18 holes in the Andalusian sun) makes it an easy course to recommend for a proper, no-nonsense round close to the coast. It's popular enough with locals and regulars that a tee time on a good-weather weekend is worth booking ahead.

Marbella Golf & Country Club sits just off the old coastal road (Ctra. Cádiz–Málaga) near Marbella. From Málaga Airport, take the AP-7 motorway westbound and exit at Marbella Este (around 40–45 minutes). The club is signposted from the coastal road, with free parking on site.