Buenavista - Canary Islands - Spain

Played it in February 2022 and found it in very good condition, significantly better than Golf del Sur which was definitely scruffy from tees to greens. A lot of fun, if a little challenging bordering on dangerous when the wind gets up - which presumably is often!

Buenavista is a good if rustic ‘holiday’ golf course with an excellent layout. It is on a compact site set in a splendid landscape in the unspoilt north of Tenerife between mountains and the coast. But after two rounds here I believe it is at risk of becoming a ‘faded glory’ for it is in desperate need of a makeover, and the course is only 18 years old. It was designed by no less a golfing legend than Seve Ballesteros who apparently found time in his busy life to visit a number of times. But if he was alive today, I cannot believe that Seve would like how the course is being treated.

The surrounding area in this remote part of Tenerife is still majestic, but the golf course is in poor condition and requires tender care and attention. Commercially however it appears successful for the course is packed from dawn to dusk every day. The playing area of tees, fairways and greens are badly worn, largely because the course is so heavily overplayed and there seems to be insufficient time for adequate maintenance. The shrubbery between the holes, particularly on the front nine, is often dead and cactus and palm leaves need to be cleared from the site. An eye-catching glass-fronted clubhouse in the middle of the property hints at the Golf Club’s priorities.

The front nine is workmanlike, with thee good par fives, but the back nine has some scenic holes very close to the edge of the Ocean. I like the variety of six par threes, six par fours and six par fives, and the long downhill drives at 10 and 13 are quite special with the wind at your back.

Most of the greens are raised, but a strange pattern when we played our two rounds was that all the holes were sited right at the front of the greens. Perhaps the green-keeper wanted to protect his greens, but in peak season this created an uneasy compromise as the golfer’s approach shot always had to be landed in the front fringe (often on an upslope) of the green.

I questioned Club officials about the Course Management and Green-keeping after my rounds, but received a polite shrug of the shoulders and disinterest. As long as the golfers keep coming and paying their 108 euro green fee, the Club is happy. Quality on the course however is suffering.

A spectacular golf course. Very well maintained, very courteous staff. Beautifully situated in a large bay directly on the sea. Some of the (very fast) greens are directly surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean with high shooting spray. You can easily carry your bag on the course, but you have to cover a few meters of altitude. In contrast to many other courses on the island, the surrounding area is laid out (partly banana plantations) and well maintained. We played into the sunset with twilight-tariff and got well through in 4 hours, so we could finish all 18 holes before sunset. And the sunset on the golf course alone is worth the journey. Our absolute favourite on Tenerife!

Nice course with great views of the Mediterranean. Good set of par 3s and a good variety of holes. Great fun and worth playing if near by

Buenavista is a golfers paradise as far as I'm concerned. Spectacular ocean views all over the course and you can just sense the power of mother nature when playing the holes closest to the sea. The fairways and greens are in immaculate condition and the beautiful clubhouse sits up there overlooking the course. Although it's a about one hour drive (definitely worth it!) from the Las Americas area, the drive is really memorable as it winds through the mountains steep slopes with beautiful and almost breathtaking scenery.

The course itself is super fun to play and offers a lot of birdie chances because there are six par 5's on the course, all of them asking the long hitters to take the chance and go for it in two. The back-to-back par 5's 9th and 10th are my clear favourites of them but the 1st is also a great starting hole.

The rest of the course offers a great variety as the terrain is rolling and there are many tee shots where you can launch the ball far. The course is picturesque and there are stunning views all over. The back 9 are more memorable but the first 9 are just as good though. The signature holes for me are the beautiful par 3 15th hole and the short but challenging par 4 16th hole, it's because of their proximity to the ocean which really gives you that extra special something when playing it.

Overall, Buenavista is a must visit and play, and it should be ranked much higher than it is. Seve has created a true gem of a course here. I have played all the other courses in Tenerife (except Abama Golf) and for me Buenavista is the best without a doubt.

I personally think this course should be rated much higher than it is.

I had a fantastic time here, the course had sea views from 90% of it. Condition and layout were superb. Truly think it should be rated higher, well worth you coming to visit here if you can, I made the trip up from Playa de las Américas. To date my favourite course I have ever played.

CLUBHOUSE 9

FACILITIES 9

TEE BOXES 8

FAIRWAYS 9

ROUGH 8

GREEN CONDITION 9

GREEN SPEED 8

LAYOUT 9

VIEWS 10

VALUE FOR MONEY 7

OVERALL FEEL 9

TIME OF THE YEAR PLAYED - NOVEMBER

FAVOURITE HOLE - 10TH

A fair course with challenging greens for beginners and some good views of the coast. Very disappointed in that I booked a round of golf for my 23 year old son and myself (16/14 handicaps) hoping for a special experience on our own only to be paired up with beginners with no warning and no means of opting out.The club handled it very badly. Also hired clubs and for 40e with only 11 clubs,and no teas, ball markers and pitch repairers which having hired clubs before is mean. It feels to me they are a money making organisation not interested in service. The course itself was fine but not special having played many links courses around the world.

One of the real virtues in heading to Buenavista is the winding roads taking you to the location. You are clearly away from the maddening crush of people found closer to where all the main hotels and restaurants are cloistered in and around Costa Adeje.

The golf dimension provides what a resort course should do. Give people a beautiful site -- the layout provides views of the Atlantic Ocean -- while the holes come near but never really intersecting.

The property the course resides upon is rolling and full of different movements. The design unfortunately opted to include an equal balance of par-5, par-3 and par-4 holes and this desire to "equalize" the presentation often doesn't work because the plentitude of such holes makes for wasted opportunities. Buenavista would have been better served with a more robust and comprehensive array of par-4 holes.

The 6th through the 9th holes is well done. The two par-4's at the 6th and 7th go in different directions and feature a good mixture of terrain and shotmaking challenges. The long par-3 8th is a stern hole for its length but could have been better in its presentation. The risk / reward 9th is a good way to end the outward half with a par-5 that provides players to finish the side with a possible birdie.

The inward half starts from an elevated tee near the clubhouse. The short par-4 16th is especially well done as the hole turns left and you can hear the ocean immediately to your left.

Buenavista has a staff clearly engaged and the amenities certainly allow for the mind and body to rejuvenate when on holiday. The layout is in need of a makeover because the potential to be much more is certainly present.

by M. James Ward

A realy great and fun course to play, the scenery has a wow factor when you come near the sea. Balesteros had some fun when doing the desing and clearly left a lot of that behind! Emphasis should be put on the design of the clubhouse and do go for a dine the restaurant under the green of the 10th next to the sea.. best fresh fish!

The twisting road via Masca was hilarious. Don´t miss that one at least on one way.I loved the modern architecture of the club house – very stylish and pure. I found the front 9 a lot tougher than the back 9. Scenery and conditions were just amazing. Feels like an Irish Links course at times, which I reckon as a big compliment. We had the course almost for ourselves in early April, which was surprising, when you look at the quality of the venue and the reasonable green fee price. Maybe the remote location is keeping most of the golfing tourists away. But this place I can strongly recommend, It´s also more than just a gem and should rank so much higher.