Costa del Golf
Costa del Golf
The Costa del Sol has long been nicknamed the Costa del Golf, so much so that even the road signs carry this moniker. Truthfully there are very few places on the planet that can match this region as a destination for golf tourism. With the highest concentration of golf courses per square metre in Europe (50 or so first-rate courses exist and plenty more are under construction or in planning stages) and a unique warm winter climate, the golf clubs incessantly whizz around the baggage carousels at Málaga Airport.The Costa del Sol is also held in high esteem by the professional golfing world. The Robert Trent Jones designed course of Valderrama has consistently been voted Europe's top course for the past ten years, and in 1997 it was the chosen venue for the Ryder Cup Championship. The final tournament in the European Circuit, the Volvo Masters, was first played at Valderrama in 1988, and in 2007 tour officials announced that at Valderrama it would remain for at least the next three years until 2010.
No two courses on the Costa del Sol are alike, everything from Links courses to tricky mountain courses, but all are characterised by lush vegetation, remarkable views and some quite superb facilities. This means that the appeal extends far beyond golfing and deep into property ownership. Buying a home within a golf resort brings obvious golfing advantages such as green fee discounts, automatic rights of play or even complimentary memberships, but for the non-golfer, the allure is just as strong. A golf course forms a mini green belt guaranteeing that today's verdant views are the same in ten years' time, this type of resort also tends to have gated access and often 24-hour patrolled security whilst facilities can extend from a cosy Clubhouse with bar and restaurant through to state-of-the-art Spas, gymnasiums, equestrian centres and five star hotels. On a more serious note, the building of a large scale golf resort requires significant detailed planning on the part of the developer, so nasty licensing surprises are pretty much unheard of. The added value of golf-related property is beyond compare.
