Introduction
If you are thinking about taking a golf holiday in Fuengirola and you are new to golf, a h the par four greens with your second shot, or at the very least choose the tee box from which your drive reaches the fairway.
Santana is a very friendly golf course. Respect the etiquette and the pace of play and it does not matter how elegant or not your swing is. The team at Santana are waiting and ready to give you a warm welcome.
Calanova
This is one of the most beautiful settings of all of the golf courses near Fuengirola. The views from the golf course and the clubhouse offer a panorama that sweeps down the mountain slopes down to the shore and then across the Mediterranean taking in the Atlas mountain of Morocco.
At first glance Calanova can appear to be a tough golf course. Many of the holes are lined with dense, waist high gorse which is somewhere that golfers do not want to go! However, the fairways are generous enough for the beautiful vegetation to remain an adornment and, hopefully not impact your game too much!
Calanova Golf is unusual. The layout of the course works for everybody. The highly skilled golfer will enjoy the discipline of playing to a strategy, whilst at the same time the less experienced players seem to find form as soon as they tee it up and rack up par after par after par!! .The rule of thumb for enjoying a great day at Calanova is to always play the easiest shot you can. If your handicap is 36 then allow yourself 2 lay up shots before finding the green. In fact, from the perspective of a beginner, Calanova makes a great course because it will help you develop course management strategies.
Lets not forget the other reasons why you should play here, it's beautiful, bring your camera. The clubhouse and restaurant are a delight and the pro shop is the best stocked in Europe.
Summary
Adhere to the pace of play, be ready to hit when it's your turn, follow the etiquette regarding repairing pitch marks, raking bunkers etc, and you will be welcomed by fellow golfers wherever you play. We have all been beginners at some point.
Golf for beginners in Fuengirola is a very positive experience. The welcome that awaits you from everyone here in golf and hospitality is going to make you feel highly valued. You won’t be a beginner for very long. When you come back to golf in Fuengirola again the following year you will no longer be a newbie, you will know the ropes and be ready to help the next generation!novice, or a high handicapper, the thought of joining your friends on a Fuengirola golf break might be daunting. Many of the golf courses around Fuengirola are tournament venues and often host professional events. Whilst they are designed to test the elite they are also friendly and rewarding to the rest of us.
Golf in Fuengirola is inclusive and welcomes everyone. You do not need to worry about how good you are. Here we will guide you towards the most beginner friendly golf courses in Fuengirola and help you to put together a great golf itinerary for your Fuengirola golf holiday.
Speed of play
The golf courses aim for a pace of play between 4 and 4 hours 30 minutes. All you have to do is keep this in mind. Do not play medal or stroke play format, this is the purest and also most difficult form of golf. If you are a nervous golfer or a beginner, playing stroke play will make you miserable. Play matchplay or Stableford, if it is clear that the hole is lost, or you cannot score a point then pick up your ball and go to the next.
Make sure that you are ready to play your shot when it is your turn. Make sure that you have your glove on, that you have done your pre shot routine so that when the honour is yours you are ready to hit. Play ready golf.
Provided that you respect the etiquette of the game and pace of play it really does not matter how good you are. All of us have been beginners at some point, we all remember what it feels like!
The golf courses most suited to beginners near Fuengirola
Mijas Golf
There are two fabulous golf courses at Mijas Golf. Located just an 8 minutes ride from the heart of Fuengirola.
Los Lagos
From the back tees the Los Lagos course is formidable. A test that will confound the elite with its gargantuan scale and intricacy. However, if you choose your tee box based upon how far you drive the ball then you will be able to enjoy the golf course exactly as the designers intended. If your average tee shot is 160m then the red tees are the optimum choice, 180m and the blue tees will suit you, 200m make the yellow tee boxes the right choice and 230m means you can try it from the tournament tees.
The fairways are broad and rolling, unless you hit a very crooked ball they are generally easy to hit. The rough is short, but will make clean contact difficult. You will not lose balls in the rough, nor will you lose time searching for them, but it will cost you a shot.
There are huge lakes that come into play on nine of the holes. You will almost certainly deposit a few in them. Don't worry, everybody does. They are all marked as lateral water hazards which means you drop out at the point where you went in for a penalty shot.
Los Lagos is a very special golf course. It will make you feel like you are playing in a major , yet at the same time it can be gentle and kind!
Los Olivos
Los Olivos is shorter in length than Los Lagos, the fairways whilst still more than generous are narrower. However, the same rule applies, choose the box that suits your driver distance and you will have a great time.
Many of the greens on Los Olivos are elevated which means that accuracy with your approach shots is paramount. As a beginner the chances are that you are not accurate with your approach shots. Worry not! Most of the greens have run off areas that collect balls that did not stay on the green. My advice is to putt up the slopes to get on the green. Chipping the ball from an uphill or downhill lay is difficult, a putt will always find the green and help you to take fewer shots, build confidence and have a great day!
Santana Golf
This is a close neighbour of Mijas Golf and is very highly rated by all who choose golf in Fuengirola.
Most of the fairways at Santana are accommodating, many of which are shaped like a soup bowl which helps to keep the drives in the fairway. The designers were very thoughtful and on most of the holes there are no hazards blocking frontal access to the green.
Santana is not considered to be a long golf course, nevertheless it makes sense to choose the right tee box.
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