Some Ideas for discounted, friendly, fun golfing on the Costa Blanca
So, you are moving to Spain and looking to become a golfer, either for serious or social play. That’s the first step covered! Here is how we feel you can maximise the experience on The Costa Blanca, without breaking the bank.
Join a Golf Society
Society golf is great; you can play different courses, meet new people, not have to worry about transport, make friends and maybe even win a sleeve of balls for nearest the pin. We are very lucky in Paddy’s Point to have one of the finest golf societies around- Its friendly, consistently well run and we have outings every second Wednesday of the month. Check out Paddy’s Point on Facebook for details. Despite my obvious bias, I have to add there are golf societies in many, if not most of the bars up and down the Costa Blanca. Maurice in Gogartys, O’Riordans in Cabo Roig, The Bog Road- they all have great societies and since my days of actually winning events appear to be behind me, I can now enjoy these days out hitting balls into the water for what they are- a nice walk in the Costa Blanca sunshine with nice people.
Las Colinas Golf and Country Club
Even if you do not play golf in Las Colinas (and if you are a decent golfer, you should) we recommend that you visit the excellent practice range. For just 5€ you can hit a bucket of balls, (if fact you can hit as many balls as you like, unofficially), hit putts all day, practice your chipping on the designated chipping area and practice your sand shots from the very excellent practice bunkers. It upsets me in so many of the courses that they do not maintain the practice areas. In Las Colinas, you can get a real feel for how the course is playing on the range. You’ll easily spend an afternoon here and you know you are in a perfect setting, views, smell of lavender and good company. A beer afterwards in the Colinas Club house while watching the approach shots on the 18th land in the water is always fun. Last time I played I realised the chap next to me on the putting green was getting them a lot closer than me. I checked out his bag and it was Welsh pro golfer Bradley Dredge- just hitting a few putts there in Las Colinas! Nice guy and he did nail quite a few 10 footers!! He could make a living from this golfing!
Become a Marshal
A friend of ours John is a marshal in Villamartin golf course. There are a few benefits, he gets to spend a few hours as often as he likes out on the courses of Villamartin, Las Ramblas and La Finca, mixing and mingling with fellow golfers. He will give advice too. I was just about to stich a 7 iron to the pin on a par three in Ramblas, maybe the 13th, when John advised me it was way too much club. I dropped to an 8 and subsequently dropped my ball into the ravine- not Johns fault. Anyway, he was saying that he golfs for free every day that he marshals and gets as much free golf on any of the Villamartin courses for free on his day off- What a great way to meet people, get a tan and golf for free!!
Vista Bella Golf
I mention this for a couple of reasons- you can book online for say 40€ (www.vistabellagolf.com). They do specials like ten green fees for 350€ and it’s a simple short course to walk around, no buggy needed. Unfortunately, the reason it’s so short is because its only got 13 finished holes. A dispute with the local town hall means, the rest of the course is not ready and the last five holes are holes from the front nine repeated from another tee box. It’s not perfect, far from it, but it’s really nice up there all the same. It has a bad reputation as you’d expect but I think it’s a bit harsh. Property is available up here for such a good price. If (and when) they actually finish the golf course, they will be serious appreciation if you buy right.
Roda Golf
http://www.rodagolf.com/ I love it! Again, you can book online for good value. Twilight in Autumn is 39€ after 2pm and it’s possible to walk the course- it’s nice and flat. The first three or four holes are tough, really tough depending on the wind but once your round that corner and get onto the 5th the fairways are wide and you can take out your frustration of the previous four holes on the golf ball. For me if you are doing a golf holiday in Spain you have got to include Roda on your list.
Discounted golf stores
We have a golf store in La Zenia called Costa Calida Golf Store, where you can get fabulous deals on all the local courses- they go up as far as Alicante and as far south as Fuente De Alamo. If you are flexible and you’ll play where the value is, we advise you to speak to the girls here. You’ll hire clubs and get good gear here too.
Come on an inspection trip to La Manga
Are you thinking of playing in La Manga? They have three quality golf courses, often filled with celebrities and sports teams. Barca, Liverpool, Newcastle, Real Madrid have all stayed here recently. Ironically Liverpool played a kick around against Dortmund here a couple of years back – The Germans managed at the time by Jürgen Klopp.
We are selling property there on the five-star resort with a guaranteed financial return for only 87,000€. If you book your viewing trip through Comaskey, you can have a free round of golf too- Good deal, right?
Hacienda Riquelme
My old favourite course. When we were selling Polaris World by the truck load back before the Spanish Property Price crash of 2008, we were allowed to play with our clients on any of these Jack Nicklaus designed courses for free and we really took advantage of the perk. Unfortunately, we pay these days but it’s worth it. La Torre, El Vale, Saurines and Riquelme are excellent courses and there is massive value for money in new and resale property on the Polaris World Trail too. It’s a little isolated, particularly in Winter but if golf is your thing it’s hard to get better value than Polaris World.
So, you are moving to Spain and looking to become a golfer, either for serious or social play. That’s the first step covered! Here is how we feel you can maximise the experience on The Costa Blanca, without breaking the bank.
Join a Golf Society
Society golf is great; you can play different courses, meet new people, not have to worry about transport, make friends and maybe even win a sleeve of balls for nearest the pin. We are very lucky in Paddy’s Point to have one of the finest golf societies around- Its friendly, consistently well run and we have outings every second Wednesday of the month. Check out Paddy’s Point on Facebook for details. Despite my obvious bias, I have to add there are golf societies in many, if not most of the bars up and down the Costa Blanca. Maurice in Gogartys, O’Riordans in Cabo Roig, The Bog Road- they all have great societies and since my days of actually winning events appear to be behind me, I can now enjoy these days out hitting balls into the water for what they are- a nice walk in the Costa Blanca sunshine with nice people.
Las Colinas Golf and Country Club
Even if you do not play golf in Las Colinas (and if you are a decent golfer, you should) we recommend that you visit the excellent practice range. For just 5€ you can hit a bucket of balls, (if fact you can hit as many balls as you like, unofficially), hit putts all day, practice your chipping on the designated chipping area and practice your sand shots from the very excellent practice bunkers. It upsets me in so many of the courses that they do not maintain the practice areas. In Las Colinas, you can get a real feel for how the course is playing on the range. You’ll easily spend an afternoon here and you know you are in a perfect setting, views, smell of lavender and good company. A beer afterwards in the Colinas Club house while watching the approach shots on the 18th land in the water is always fun. Last time I played I realised the chap next to me on the putting green was getting them a lot closer than me. I checked out his bag and it was Welsh pro golfer Bradley Dredge- just hitting a few putts there in Las Colinas! Nice guy and he did nail quite a few 10 footers!! He could make a living from this golfing!
Become a Marshal
A friend of ours John is a marshal in Villamartin golf course. There are a few benefits, he gets to spend a few hours as often as he likes out on the courses of Villamartin, Las Ramblas and La Finca, mixing and mingling with fellow golfers. He will give advice too. I was just about to stich a 7 iron to the pin on a par three in Ramblas, maybe the 13th, when John advised me it was way too much club. I dropped to an 8 and subsequently dropped my ball into the ravine- not Johns fault. Anyway, he was saying that he golfs for free every day that he marshals and gets as much free golf on any of the Villamartin courses for free on his day off- What a great way to meet people, get a tan and golf for free!!
Vista Bella Golf
I mention this for a couple of reasons- you can book online for say 40€ (www.vistabellagolf.com). They do specials like ten green fees for 350€ and it’s a simple short course to walk around, no buggy needed. Unfortunately, the reason it’s so short is because its only got 13 finished holes. A dispute with the local town hall means, the rest of the course is not ready and the last five holes are holes from the front nine repeated from another tee box. It’s not perfect, far from it, but it’s really nice up there all the same. It has a bad reputation as you’d expect but I think it’s a bit harsh. Property is available up here for such a good price. If (and when) they actually finish the golf course, they will be serious appreciation if you buy right.
Roda Golf
http://www.rodagolf.com/ I love it! Again, you can book online for good value. Twilight in Autumn is 39€ after 2pm and it’s possible to walk the course- it’s nice and flat. The first three or four holes are tough, really tough depending on the wind but once your round that corner and get onto the 5th the fairways are wide and you can take out your frustration of the previous four holes on the golf ball. For me if you are doing a golf holiday in Spain you have got to include Roda on your list.
Discounted golf stores
We have a golf store in La Zenia called Costa Calida Golf Store, where you can get fabulous deals on all the local courses- they go up as far as Alicante and as far south as Fuente De Alamo. If you are flexible and you’ll play where the value is, we advise you to speak to the girls here. You’ll hire clubs and get good gear here too.
Come on an inspection trip to La Manga
Are you thinking of playing in La Manga? They have three quality golf courses, often filled with celebrities and sports teams. Barca, Liverpool, Newcastle, Real Madrid have all stayed here recently. Ironically Liverpool played a kick around against Dortmund here a couple of years back – The Germans managed at the time by Jürgen Klopp.
We are selling property there on the five-star resort with a guaranteed financial return for only 87,000€. If you book your viewing trip through Comaskey, you can have a free round of golf too- Good deal, right?
Hacienda Riquelme
My old favourite course. When we were selling Polaris World by the truck load back before the Spanish Property Price crash of 2008, we were allowed to play with our clients on any of these Jack Nicklaus designed courses for free and we really took advantage of the perk. Unfortunately, we pay these days but it’s worth it. La Torre, El Vale, Saurines and Riquelme are excellent courses and there is massive value for money in new and resale property on the Polaris World Trail too. It’s a little isolated, particularly in Winter but if golf is your thing it’s hard to get better value than Polaris World.
Many of our Scandinavian friends buy two bedroom apartments here and as Ryanair has so many flights right through the winter, they can come here Friday morning, play each day (twice on a Saturday) and fly back Sunday night, without anyone realising they were even away from home.
These are just a few tips for golfers looking for a fun day out on the Costa Blanca. Would you like us to help with your golfing needs? Just give Ian or Claire a shout. We can help with lessons (not given by us, but we can point you to a pro!) [email protected] or if you are looking for a group booking, Chris in our short term rental department will sort you out.
The Costa Blanca is a golfing paradise, it really is. Its sunny here all the time, it’s very sociable and if you plan it properly, there is great value in golf here in Spain too!
Please get in touch, we are here to help!
