Alhaurin

Severiano Ballesteros gave Alhaurín Golf a layout that keeps you thinking from the first tee, with uneven ground in the Sierra de Mijas foothills shaping both the line and the club selection. The par 72 measures 6,611 yards from the championship tees, yet its make-up is less conventional than most, with five par threes, five par fives and eight par fours. Stronger players can take on a proper test, while sensible tee choice keeps the round enjoyable for mid and higher handicaps. Well-kept fairways and rough sit against the more natural hillside, with the Sierra de Mijas on one side and Mediterranean views opening out on the other.

There is useful scope to work on the parts of the game that matter before a full round. The separate nine-hole par-three course suits a short-game session or a more relaxed game, and its two tees and two flags on every hole allow it to be played as two distinct nine-hole routes. The training centre runs lessons on both the practice area and course, for adults and juniors, while the clubhouse pro shop carries leading golf brands for any essentials left behind. After golf, Ristorante el Italiano offers pizza and pasta alongside Andalusian cooking with international touches, making the clubhouse an easy place to settle into after the scorecards are signed.

Alhaurín el Grande gives the course an inland base without leaving the coast out of reach. Málaga Airport and Marbella are each around 25 minutes away by car, while Fuengirola and Mijas Costa are roughly 20 minutes away. That makes it straightforward to combine a hillside round with evenings by the sea, or to make Alhaurín Golf part of a wider Costa del Sol schedule.