9 of Murcia’s Best Golf Courses

This week’s blog is a guide to nine of the best golf courses in Murcia. The Murcia region sits in the South East corner of Spain and boasts more than 3,000 hours of sunshine each year as well as mild temperatures even in the winter months. There are many golf courses already open for play in Murcia and there are lots more currently being developed. There are several beautiful resorts for you to relax in and brilliant golf courses for you to enjoy.

La Manga West

La Manga Resort is one of the top golf resorts in Southern Spain due to its brilliant golf courses, beautiful scenery and excellent accommodation. The La Manga West course is known for being a stern test of golf, for its unique par 3s along the course and its undulating fairway. With blind spots, strategically placed hazards and fast greens, this course keeps its players on their toes.

The front nine and the back nine of this course contrast beautifully both in difficulty and characteristics. The front nine are considered to be more challenging than the back nine due to the right greens that demand accuracy in drives in order to avoid the barrancos! The back nine are situated in an elevated position up in the hills with beautiful open greens. Do not be fooled by the fact that the course measures only just beyond 5,700 metres as it really is a challenging one.

Signature Hole

Arguably, the signature hole on the course is the concluding 18^th. The hole is set in an elevated position and you must make a steep climb up to the green, you will find the tee located on top of a small mountain elevated just above the fairway. On this hole, you can enjoy the most beautiful views across the entire golf course, over La Manga Resort and the surrounding countryside and coast. This is a very special round of golf with an invigorating challenge and breathtaking scenery. With immaculate greens all year round and all of the aforementioned features, you would be silly to pass up on a round here.

La Manga South

Next, we have La Manga South which has played host to the Spanish Open five times. The course measures an impressive 6,500 metres from the white tees and poses a stern test of golf that can be appreciated and enjoyed by those of all abilities. It isn’t just the length that poses a challenge but each of the strategically placed hazards, water hazards and palm tree-lined fairways that can damage your scorecard.

The course boasts an idyllic setting in the centre of a valley and each of the greens and fairways is beautifully manicured. The front nine holes are considered to be the more challenging holes due to the length of the holes and an array of different hazards to contend with. Although the back nine are shorter, they still prove to be a stern test of golf to those of all abilities.

Signature Hole

Arguably, the signature hole on this course is the finishing 18^th. On this hole, you will have to navigate your way around multiple bunkers and water hazards in order to reach the well-protected green. The course boasts some challenging par 3s along the course which are over 200 metres long as well as some tough, long par 4s which feature difficult doglegs. Once you reach the greens, they are fairly forgiving but you must be long off the back tees and accurate if you are hoping to score well on this course.

El Valle

El Valle Golf Resort is one of the Nicklaus designed course situated in the Murcia region just 30 minutes’ drive from San Javier airport. The course opened in 2007 and has since won many awards for being a spectacular round of golf. The course is situated in a valley of natural desert and its fairways curve around the mountain range.

El Valle is not an overly long or short course at 6,990 yards from the back tees, but it boasts many elaborately sculpted bunkers and three large lakes to test your accuracy as you make your way around the course. You must not be distracted by the course’s beautiful scenery as there are a number of crowned greens which are surrounded by large, mown chipping areas so you have a variety of short-game options around the greens. There are also smaller, more subtly shaped bunkers which are all lying in wait for any errant shots you may hit.

After your round, enjoy a drink and a meal within the clubhouse whilst you reminisce over your round and enjoy stunning views over the course. With a stunning setting and an interesting layout, make sure that El Valle is on your radar for your next golf break.

Hacienda Riquelme

Another suggestion from us for your next golf holiday to Murcia is Hacienda Riquelme golf course which opened for play in 2008 as part of the Nicklaus Golf Trail. The same as El Valle, the course stretches to 6,990 yards from the back tees and can provide golfers of all abilities with an excellent and exciting round of golf. Also much like El Valle, it is just 20 minutes’ drive from San Javier making it positioned perfectly for a golf weekend or a longer break.

The course is nestled in the heart of a desert valley and boasts an idyllic landscape for you to enjoy whilst making your way around the course. Many of the natural features of the land have been incorporated into the course so it really blends in with its surroundings. Even though the course is not especially long, it boasts wide fairways and open greens which make it seem longer than it is.

However, with these wide fairways, golfers should not be complacent as there are still many challenges for you to contend with throughout the round. The course routes its way in and out of olive groves, wildflower meadows and huge lakes and although you have space to manoeuvre, you still must be careful. This is a fantastic round of golf and is one that can be paired beautifully for a golf break with a stay at Intercontinental Mar Menor and other golf courses in the area.

Roda Golf Course

The Roda Golf Course is widely considered to be one of the best courses in Murcia. The course was designed by Dave Thomas and you are guaranteed to enjoy your round here. The course is situated just a mile from the nearby beach resort of Los Alcazares and just five minutes’ drive from Murcia Airport. Roda Golf boasts a parkland layout which beautifully incorporates many of the landscape/s natural features in order to create this fantastic golf course.

The greens are undulating, there are many strategically placed bunkers and often, there is the sea breeze in play, all of these features combine to create a challenging but exciting round of golf. The fairways are fairly flat which means that golf buggies are not often required so you can enjoy the beautiful scenery on foot.

Signature Hole

The signature hole of the course is the par 3 7^th which is without a doubt, the most scenic hole of the course and also one of the most difficult even though it only measures 174 metres long. The hole’s green is an island surrounded by water and you must use a medium of short iron in order to score well here. The Roda Golf Course is a brilliant and beautiful holiday course which is why it made our list of recommendations for your next golf break to Murcia.

Lo Romero Golf

Lo Romero Golf is up next; this course boasts a stunning location set within an orange and lemon orchard just a short distance from the beach. This course has been widely labelled as the “golf island” and it isn’t really surprising due to the layout of this special course. The course measures just over 6,000 metres from the yellow tees and spans its way across a beautiful and tranquil landscape. This secluded course means that you can enjoy your round in peace and really soak up the surroundings of this course and enjoy an unforgettable round of golf.

The course boasts an elevated position which means that you can experience sweeping views of the surrounding orchards throughout the round. This course is not especially long but it is brilliant for both amateurs and experienced players due to the range of tee boxes that you can choose from. However, it is a challenging but fair course characterised by wide fairways and many strategically placed bunkers.

Due to its seaside location, it is not rare for there to be a sea breeze in play either which can add to the challenge. This is a unique golf course with breathtaking landscape and many distinctive holes – make sure to add this course to your list of must-play courses.

Hacienda del Alamo

Hacienda del Alamo is a new course in the Murcia region as it only opened for play in 2016, this Dave Thomas designed course is a pristine golfing oasis which is surrounded by the beautiful natural landscape and poses a stern challenge of golf to those of all abilities. The course stretches to over 7,400 yards from the back tees which makes it one of the longest courses in Spain.

The fairways of the course wind their way through almond and olive groves and they feature several water hazards along the way. Although due to its length, you must hit long shots, you must also be accurate as there is some stern rough lying in wait for any errant shots from the tee. The first nine holes of the course are fairly straightforward but feature many bunkers to contend with. The back nine pose more of a challenge as there are more undulating fairways and much smaller greens for you to tackle.

Signature Hole

The signature hole of the course is the par 5 18^th which takes you up towards the elegant clubhouse and boasts a water feature on the left flank of the green. This is a brilliant round of golf and it is well worth the drive that you must take into rural Murcia to reach this course.

Alhama Signature Course

The Alhama Signature Course is also known as the Condado de Alhama Golf Course and is a brilliant 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. The course only opened in 2009 and has already established itself as being one of the best courses in the region of Murcia and it isn’t hard to see why! The course is a little further away from San Javier Airport than the other Nicklaus designed ones but is still within easy access of the airport making it a perfect holiday course.

The course is set within beautiful landscapes and features the Sierra Espuna mountains as a dramatic backdrop to the course. The natural features of the land have been subtly incorporated into the design of this course, meaning that the greens are lined with pine trees as well as esparto grasses and herbs making for a brilliant and fragrant round of golf. Similar to other Jack Nicklaus designed courses, there are many strategically placed bunkers lying in wait for any errant shots.

The course stretches to over 7,500 yards from the back tees and poses a stern challenge to golfers of all abilities. Not only are there 116 sand-filled bunkers but there are four lakes strategically dotted across the course so you must anticipate a challenge at every turn on this course. Of course, along with the challenges come stunning views across the rustic countryside of Murcia – it isn’t hard to see why this course has gained a reputation for being one of the most attractive courses in all of Spain. With stunning scenery and an interesting layout, add Alhama Signature Course to your itinerary for your next golf escape.

Golf Altorreal

Last, but certainly not least, we have Golf Altorreal which was designed by the world-renowned architect, Dave Thomas. The course opened for play in 1994 and is still recognised today as being one of Murcia’s most challenging golf courses. The parkland course is situated in the picturesque Murcia mountains and boasts perfectly manicured greens and excellent practice facilities. Much of the natural fauna and flora of the landscape has been incorporated beautifully into the design of the course to create a classically beautiful Spanish landscape. There are also many pine trees, olive groves and carob trees along the course.

Each of the 18 holes poses a different challenge due to the different features of each hole. On this round, you will use every club in your bag! Although the course is a long one, you need to be accurate and strategic in order to navigate your way around the tight fairways and finish the round with a good scorecard. The most challenging hole of the course is the strong par 5 6^th hole which measures 540 metres from the white tees. You must hit an accurate tee shot in order to avoid the tricky lake which lies to the left of the green. However, if you hit too far to the right, you will find the out-of-bounds area. For a brilliant round of golf, look no further than Golf Altorreal.

We hope that you have enjoyed this week’s blog and that some of these courses have taken your fancy for your next golf escape to Murcia.

If you liked this one, check out our Murcia Special blog for more information!