Our golf experts travel the world and have spent years honing their knowledge to enable them to put together exactly the right holiday for you.

So, when our Golf Sales Consultant, George Curtis, recently had the opportunity to take a trip to Gran Canaria to test some of the courses out and see our featured hotels (perennial favourites and new openings) we sent him off note pad in hand to report back.

Read on for some expert insights into golf in Gran Canaria and a few personal tips from George ….

Gran Canaria 14th – 19th March 2024

It was a 4-hour flight from London Gatwick to Gran Canaria and well worth it! The weather was a balmy 25 degrees on arrival and after a winter in the UK it was so great to feel it as we stepped off the plane.

It was onto work straight away and first stop on the trip was Seaside Palm Beach Hotel. This hotel is around 30 minutes from the airport and located in Maspalomas where I stayed for 5 nights.

That evening was a ‘get to know you’ session, as I travelled with fellow golfers, so we had dinner at the hotel buffet area/restaurant. You have the option of eating inside or outside by the pool for dinner and we sat outside.  I was extremely impressed – the food was excellent, lots of choice (meat, seafood, veg, fruit and desserts) and all freshly cooked in front of you – everything and anything you wanted or needed (or didn’t even know you did!).  The weather was still warm, although I would definitely recommend taking a jumper for the evenings if you like sitting outside.

We had an early start and had breakfast and coffee in the same outdoor buffet area near the pool. Again, the food was all cooked fresh by two chefs who whip up omelets on tap with plenty of choice for fillings.  Perfect before a day of golf!

Then it was onto the serious business of golf!  The first club on the agenda was Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas, the journey from Maspalomas took about an hour, some of the journey is up the mountains as the club is built around a large crater there. Fantastic views!

The club has a long history, it was founded in 1891, this makes it Spain’s oldest golf course. My thoughts: This is a hidden gem as not many people play or even know about Las Palmas because it is situated in the north of the island. The greens were exceptionally good (the best in Gran Canaria) and there are a lot of junior golfers about which is good to see.  The Back 9 edged it for me, I finished strong, the only time it rained birdies on this trip!  A wonderful way to start the trip!

I had the same breakfast every morning, a bowl of fruit, cereal, coffee, and of course, an omelet with cheese, ham, peppers, mushroom, and onion. Go big or go home!

We then started our 15-minute journey to Salobre Golf & Resort. I have sent many golfers to Gran Canaria over the years and personally, Salobre Old and New Courses were the two I was most looking forward to playing. On arrival I was blown away by how good the course and clubhouse looked, both looking very new and modern.

We teed off the 10^th on the Old Course with a drivable par 4, which I obviously went for…  with quite an audience I was a bit nervous but thankfully I made contact with the ball and ended up walking off with a par, which set the tone for a great round!

My thoughts: Salobre Old is a good challenge and visually very attractive, the New Course is also visually attractive, but can also be daunting with some outrageous tee shots over huge ravines and blind tee shots, very fun and enjoyable, however beginner may struggle on the New Course. Overall, I was very satisfied with the golf and a must play in Gran Canaria.

Like Salobre, Anfi Tauro was a course I heard so much about and imagined playing many times as I had only ever heard good things about it.  With an early 07:30 tee time (first out), we rocked up to the course with a packed breakfast from the hotel and a takeaway coffee.

Most of the views teeing off at Anfi Tauro are spectacular as many of the tee boxes are elevated, the course was in fantastic condition, with large soft white sand bunkers, huge undulating and receptive greens, tight fairways and lots of water protecting the fairways and greens. A great challenge and my favourite course in Gran Canaria. And as a bonus, the cool, modern clubhouse served the most amazing food, which was just what we needed after a very hot day golfing!

In the afternoon, we headed to Maspalomas Golf. My first impressions – this is a very well-maintained good-looking golf course with a large but open, clean clubhouse that serves all types of cuisine from fish, pizza, pasta, burgers, and salad.

The course is often rated as easy (and maybe boring) with straight fairways and not too much danger, but I liked it. It’s perfect for a stress-free enjoyable round and a really good way to enjoy a round with friends or family of differing abilities and I would recommend this to anyone who is staying in the area for sure, but if you are looking to play the best courses I would leave this one out or play it for a good warmup.

We spend the morning looking around Lopesan Villa del Conde, Lopesan Costa Meloneras and Lopesan Baobab – all great hotels for golfers with a few differences that I’m happy to talk you through.

At 13:30 we teed off at Lopesan Meloneras Golf, a very picturesque golf course with two very different 9’s. The first 9 is an inland style course that is tree lined, has its fair share of water, and you have to be in the right areas of the tee for sure. The second nine is the ‘Instagram 9’, the course seems like it’s on the highest point of the island as the views look out to the ocean and towns close by. The back nine seems longer than the front but you are hitting up hills and over huge ravines most of the time which makes some tee shots on the back nine daunting.

My thoughts:  Overall the service was fantastic, and the course looked stunning. Again, if you are staying in Gran Canaria I would 100% recommend playing this course but the two stand out courses and must plays are Salobre & Anfi Tauro.

Get in Touch with George

If you have any questions about Gran Canaria or would like to chat through your next holiday, please get in touch and I’d be delighted to help.