Sotogrande And Sports – A Perfect Combination

Sotogrande has managed to become one of the most luxurious, exclusive and secluded residential areas in Europe. A sparsely populated area; peaceful, quiet, family-friendly and discreetly luxurious Sotogrande is perfect both for year-round living and as a relaxing and privileged holiday destination.

Sotogrande enjoys around 300 days of annual sunshine. Temperatures are mild in winter and, thanks to the area’s cool breezes, it escapes the scorching spells usually experienced by inland Spain in summer, making it the ideal climate to fully enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle.

Nestled in nature’s bounty, surrounded by cork oak forests and mountainous landscapes, and bathed by the Mediterranean Sea, Sotogrande is the most exclusive destination in Southern Andalusia and is world famous for its nautical facilities, polo tournaments, horseback riding opportunities and, above all, golf courses with some of the world’s greatest golf holes.

A Veritable Paradise For Golf Lovers

Sotogrande is home to 7 of the best golf courses in Europe located within a 10-kilometre radius. Such an abundance of carefully designed 9, 18 and 27-hole top-level golf courses and clubs makes Sotogrande a crowd pleaser among golf lovers and their entourages.

Let us embark on a whirlwind tour of some of the best resorts for a perfect day of golfing.

Real Club Valderrama

Claiming to be the best golf course in Europe, this 18-hole course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior, is one of the most famous and distinguished golf courses on the Costa del Golf. It marked a milestone by becoming the first Spanish golf course to host the Ryder Cup in Europe in 1997. Before that, it had hosted nine Volvo Masters, a tournament that later continued to be held here and had earned recognition among the very best players.

Real Club del Golf Sotogrande

Founded in 1964, the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande features 18 competition holes and is considered to be one of the ten best golf courses in Europe. It is an old school club, where golf comes first. The club house hoovers over the tee of hole number 1 and the green of hole number 18.

Club de Golf Almenara

Designed by former Ryder Cup player Dave Thomas, Almenara Sotogrande Golf Club runs around a number of large lakes and features some of the most impressive tees in Europe. The restaurant’s terrace affords views of the first nine holes and the luxurious residential complex of Sotogrande towards the sea.

Sotogrande is an international benchmark for golf. It is one of the more than 70 courses on the Costa del Golf and is located a few kilometres from other large exclusive golf resorts such as La Zagaleta and Finca Cortesin, which will host the Solheim Cup in 2023.

Sports And Nature At Their Finest

Sotogrande does not live on golf alone – it is also the perfect place for water sports lovers, horseback riding enthusiasts, and tennis or paddle tennis addicts.

As for horseback riding enthusiasts, action takes place in the manicured gardens of the Santa Maria Polo Club, nicknamed the Wimbledon of polo fields. Located on the Guadiaro estuary in Sotogrande, its fields are dotted with palm trees and white canvas umbrellas to protect the flocks of visitors attending the summer tournaments. The International Polo Tournament, held annually in Sotogrande, is world renowned and attracts the world’s best teams who compete for the highest ranking points available in any tournament. It is one of the four Grand Slams, along with the Argentine Open, the United States Open and the United Kingdom Open, which goes to show the great importance of Sotogrande on the world circuit.

A paradise for sailing enthusiasts, Sotogrande is also home to one of the most popular and exclusive nautical sports tourism locations in Southern Andalusia and Europe. The marina, with little over 1,400 berths, provides a variety of activities, restaurants, bars, boutiques and elite stores, and offers a lively atmosphere all year round.

Even the beach feels like private property in Sotogrande. The laid-back suburban vibe extends to the coast and sea, where beach clubs infuse Spanish flair and high-society glamour in the most understated way possible.

Sotogrande is undoubtedly a paradise for outdoor living, beautiful natural landscapes and sporting disciplines.