Golf del Sur

Las Galletas, Canarias

Rankings

AddressC. de José María Galván Bello, 38631 Las Galletas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Pepe Gancedo was the architect behind the Golf del Sur complex when it first opened in 1987, around the same time that the Amarilla golf course was built, and both golf facilities now sit close to each other, near the busy Reina Sofia airport on the south coast of Teneife.

The original 18-hole North and South nines – constructed with distinctive black volcanic sand bunkers – proved to be so popular that an additional 9-hole Links nine was subsequently added (sadly featuring conventional sand hazards) to cope with the demand. At the start of 2021, the 27-hole facility reverted to eighteen holes when the South nine was sold for property development.

Surrounded by holiday apartments and located close to the coast, the del Sur golf complex has moved with the times to retain its share of golfing trade in a very competitive market – Manuel Pinero was involved in some new millennium remodeling work, updating holes 3, 4 and 5 on the Links in 2005 and landscaping the 3rd on the North the following year.

The book 500 world’s greatest golf holes by author George Peper and the editors of GOLF magazine features the 457-yard par four 3rd on the North nine at Golf del Sur: “The barren ravine and lava wasteland to the right contrast starkly with this lush and long hole, which is a golf ball graveyard for slicers. It’s a very thin line between safety and danger, especially when the wind blows across the open hillside. Palm trees dot the left boundary of the hole, but it’s the surface beneath them that offers the true intimidation. Mean-looking, black sand bunkers surround the bases of the trees and extend up the entire left side of the deep, narrow green.”

In its formative years, the club hosted four editions of the Tenerife Open on the European Tour between 1989 and 1994, with victories for José Maria Olazábal in the first two editions, then David Gilford and Mark James, in 1993 and 1994. The following year, an episode of Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf was held here, with Ernie Els matched against Phil Mickelson.

The first Tenerife Ladies Open event on the Ladies European Tour was staged at Golf del Sur in 1989, with Raquel Carriedo recording a 1-shot victory over her nearest rival. The tournament returned to the club in 2007, when Australian Nikki Garrett finished two shots ahead of Trish Johnson and Tania Elósegui to win the 6th edition of the competition.

Las Americas and Adeje courses opened in 1998, doubling the number of courses in the southern tourist trap of Tenerife in one fell swoop. Together with the up-market Abama resort which opened in 2005, the five courses in this part of the island offer resident and visiting golfers a fantastic choice.