El Chaparral - Southern Spain - Spain

Great course with some cracking, helpful staff, course in very good condition. The Club sandwich just excellent.

Es un Campo de Golf único de la Costa del Sol por su ambiente forestal (recuerda a los campos de Canadá). He jugado un torneo esta semana y me ha sorprendido gratamente su cuidado mantenimiento y su buen estado en general del campo. Cada hoyo es distinto. Los greenes en estado óptimo y con velocidad media alta. La siega muy controlada y los bunkers perfectamente rastrillados.

SADLY DISAPPOINTING! For a well ranked course, the course was in poor condition when we played with a number of Tees & Greens in particularly bad condition.

The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th & 8th greens stick in my mind, all suffering badly with pitch-marks & what looked almost like small divots (the greenkeeper was filling in the 8th as we approached, almost like you'd sand a Par 3 Tee) but the main culprit for us was definitely the 11th Green - a large portion had been poorly re-turfed and was almost unplayable (the edges of the newly laid turn were actually turning up).

On to the Tees - again, 2nd, 3rd, 9th and a few others were almost weed-like in condition, not properly turfed and were a big disappointment on the day. It should also be noted, if playing from white tees, there's a very strange & ill-placed fence/net infront of the 6th tee.

With some TLC and investment, this could COULD be pretty amazing but our experience was poor & unfortunately, a major anti-climax!

Played course in October 2013.I was very much looking forward to this course as it is unique on Costa del Sol. Layout is nice, very technical holes, beautiful views. You have to really think how to play before each hole and if you make any mistake you are always punished. Very challenging course. The only problem is quality of greens , fairways etc. Very very poor…. Some of greens were almost unputtable , fairways mostly too dry in some places almost without any grass. Tees – just sand and little of grass…. Only thing what this course needs is MONEY… I can’t recommend at current conditions….

I so very badly wanted to rate this course higher than I have done.The hospitality upon arrival was very welcoming as it was with our service when we had a bite to eat and a few drinks on departure.The course layout is simply stunning. a fantastic mix of Par 3,4 & 5 over all sorts of undulating terrain.The par fives were my favourite. With the double winding par five with a huge tree in the centre of the fairway a particularly different hole.The final two holes are up there with anything I have played abroad, with the green tucked away on 17 beside what appears to be the wall of a cliff. That said, when we played at the end of Sept 2012 - the fairways were not well trimmed at all, and the greens could only be described as very poor indeed. Very bumpy, full of unrepaired pitchmarks with bare patches throughout.It became all too frustrating when you had played a number of good shots but were having to settle for 3 putts on a regular basis due to the nature of the inconsistent greens.As there had been extensive flooding in the area a fortnight prior to the visit, I am assuming this wouldn't be a regular state of play and have thus given it a rating of 4. It could easily be a 5 or 6 if this were remedied. I played La Cala Americas on the same trip and it wasn't in poor condition at all, so not sure how much the rain can be blamed.Worth a try though!

It is great to see this course on the Top 100 site as a GEM – I would think that it will not be too long before It gets a ranking position. If golf is meant to be fun, then you must visit here when you are in the Malaga/Marbella area. Like a few other courses in the area the land is not perfect to design a golf course but this is in my opinion the best of this style – plenty of elevation changes, plenty of different styles of hole but at El Chaparral, it works well. The first thing of note is the warm welcome from the staff on arrival, they all have the objective to ensure you have a great day. The opening hole sets the scene early, a par-4 with a drive over a barranca (a deep ravine) and then an uphill approach to a two tiered green – a great start. The 8th hole is another favourite of mine and a very tactical hole – under 350 yards but a severe dog-leg to the right with a dry water bed down the right-side makes the tee shot, the key shot. The par-3 10th has another elevated tee with the green about 40 feet below which makes the hole play a little less than the 175 yards – there are plenty of good looking trees that surround this short hole too. Hole 17 is a memorable par-5, where the second shot is probably the most important, this needs to be an accurate lay-up to attack a unique green-site, this is slightly elevated, protected by sand at the front and a natural wall of earth at the rear –unforgettable. The final hole is a good looking par-3 and like the opener, has to carry the barranca….next stop is the very welcoming clubhouse. The bar, the terrace and the restaurant have an atmosphere that will make you want to stay a while that is for sure. El Chaparral is recommended for many reasons, all of them good.

What a pleasure it was to visit El Chaparral. It's a family business and it shows. The welcome you will receive is genuine and the hospitality warm. Someone recommended it to me last year and it did not disappoint, There are 6 par 5's, 4's and 3's. No two holes are even remotely the same and the greens are in brilliant condition. The course is tight in places and forgiving in others. Some holes have ribbon fairways with undulating terrain and others are wide and confidence inducing. My playing partners thought this was the best of the courses we played on our 4 day trip. Very enjoyable. This is a fun course to play and is well worth a visit. The club has soul and personality. It is memorable for all the right reasons. You should seek it out, for the dramatic golf, the views, the greens and the relaxed hospitality. JCB LAY

El Chaparral Golf Club is a great course and also is a very good club, with amazing views and is a challenge for the players.The greens were best conditions, the speed of the game was very fast and the fairway is quite different from either the roughs.One of the best attribute is the excellent service received, such as with the marshalls, in the pro shop and the restaurant, they were very helpful and kind with us.The Clubhouse offer to the players or visitor a wide and quality facilities and services.I would recommend to every players that visit the Costa del Sol to play in El Chaparral Golf Course, really i think that is one of the best golf courses in the Costa del Sol, don´t repent you and want to back.

Although we are a four ball and play links golf in Ireland, we found the El Chaparral course to be particulary challenging on fast but fair greens. Having played on the Monday and scored well on the par 5's off the yellow tees we had to return again on the Wednesday to get the real challenge of playing the par 5's off the white tees. Unusually the 6 par 3's were split in two; 3 short shots and 3 long 3 iron shots, a great test of golf overall. However the golf course is then superseeded by the friendliness of the staff in the golf shop and restaurant. Unusually the two starters we met both had scratch hcp. A totaly enjoyable experience

Great course this one. Reminds me a little of the West Course at La Manga. Lots of tough narrow drives and careful course management required, but equally one that gives you a chance to flex the shoulders on occasions. Some of the holes are arguably tricked up a little too much - the 17th I seem to recall must have been built by a committee and a stroke saver is a must. Some of the par threes are a challenge, but there are a couple of short ones just to mix it up. Club house is delightful and I would recommend this course to anybody, but the higher handicappers may find some of the holes a little daunting. But it has to be one of the prettier courses in the area.