Golf del Sur - Canary Islands - Spain

I played Golf Del Sur a couple of times recently on a Tenerife golf trip, managed to play all 3 loops during a couple of rounds. It is an attractive looking course with the lush green frequently framed by black sand (although often more like gravel!) and the conditioning of both fairways and greens was good. Personally I feel the North and South are the best of the 27 holes, the links feels compromised by the land they had to squeeze the holes into and with hazards rather clumsily added giving it an unnatural feel. It is generous from the tee and a solid challenge even from the yellows, the key defence the course has is the wind which seems to always blow hard from the airport and it sure makes the course a great deal tougher. On one of the days we played it was blowing 15 mph+, will little natural cover it made the round something of a grind. One really disappointing element was the pace of play, 5 hour+ rounds seem the norm and the club doesn't seem to do much to control the standard of golfers or have marshals out to speed up play, given it was low season I can't imagine how long a round takes during the peak months. Personally I rate Adeje and Las Americas higher than Gold Del Sur.

Having played all 3 nines of this course recently I have to say I am surprised at its ranking. For me having played over 50 courses in spain I am surprised that this is ranked as highly as it is. We enjoyed the course and found it good fun, but we were slightly underwhelmed. If I compare this to Montecastillo that we played a few years ago, and at the time of writing this is ranked one place below Golf Del Sur I would say they are poles apart in quality in favour of Montecastillo.

I would say that this was okay to play the greens were good and true and there are nice holes. I would also thank the course for keeping us as a two ball not always the case in Spain. For me this is an average course and a 3 ranking for average.

I have been playing Golf del Sur on average twice a year for the last 5 years and I find the course and the staff to be excellent. Its not a Major venue by any stretch of the imagination but its great holiday golf.

That's not to say its not a test, as its usually breezy and therefore a challenge.

Split in to 3 nines, Links, North and South, the main view is that the South is the sterner test with the Links being the easier of the 3 courses. There are some great holes and some real risk and reward holes, with the 4th on the North a hit the fairway or reload kind of hole!

I have always found the courses to be in great condition, especially the greens but again if you are seeking tour standard conditioning you will need to look elsewhere, but that is by no means a criticism of the course as this is an extremely busy venue over the winter months. The black sand in the bunkering is a pleasant change and enhances the signature hole, the 2nd on the South a lovely par 3 with large green surrounded by black sand

After playing the bar and restaurant provide good food and drink and is an ideal spot to end the round. Paco in the pro shop is excellent and regripped my full set of clubs for a really competitive price too!

Last week a group of us played the North/South combination at Golf Del Sur. This is undoubtedly a good layout but the course was looking a little tired and unloved on our visit. This time of year is regarded as the low season in Tenerife and most courses charge accordingly so maybe this was a factor in the mediocre presentation. There are some very good holes here, my favourites on the North being the 3rd and 4th alongside the canyon and the 7th over water. The pace picks up straightaway on the South with attractive bunkering on the 1st hole followed by the stunning short 2nd, the green surrounded by black volcanic sand. The black sand is an attractive feature and is hopefully here to stay, unlike nearby Adeje which has replaced it with white. The run of holes between the 4th and 8th are all very good but watch out for the road on the long 9th. One of our fourball hooked his tee shot left almost hitting a car in the process. Definitely a heart stopping moment! I plan to play the Links nine on my next visit when hopefully the course will be playing at its best again. Brian W

Just coming back from a five days “buddy trip” on the Canary Islands. We played Golf del Sur, Tecina, Buenavista and Costa Adeje and I have to say that Golf del Sur (Links + South) comes in last. Overall the course is o.k., with a great signature hole (nr. 2 on the south course), but conditions were not at its best. The course was too dry in general with lots of burnt/sandy areas on the fairway. Greens were also covered with pitchmarks, which might be more of an greenfee player problem, but I still will put it into consideration. The black volcanic waste areas look really good though. Service was good. Since I enjoyed the other courses more, I doubt that I´ll play here again. Competition on the island is getting tougher…

I played this course in December. On one side it is a really challenging course with some pretty though and hilly holes. On the other side it is slicing paradise because of the wide fairways. The course is in fine condition and the facilities are up to date. I was not really impressed by the lay-out (up and down) and the environment (many holiday apartments and construction areas). Overall I enjoyed playing here very much (23 degrees celcius in the middle of the winter) and I would recommend everybody to play here while on holiday on Tenerife.

played this course back in 1996 i remember it being a long test of golf with some good par 5 and the bunkers were black dont see that alot but on the hole i enjoyed it be it i was only young

I’ve just watched a re-run on television of the 1995 “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” match between Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson at del Sur - what a late winter’s night treat that was! Many may disparage the type of relaxing, holiday golf to be found on the Canary Islands but neither of those fresh faced young men from 15 years ago managed to tear the course up – Phil, in fact, finished a couple over par, four shots behind the Big Easy!

It certainly whetted my appetite for a return to Tenerife in a couple of months when I’ll almost certainly manage another 27 holes here. Disclaimer: I do NOT work for the Canary Islands tourist board NOR am I an employee of the Golf del Sur club. I DO however enjoy playing on decent tracks with the sun on my back and this is one place that fits the bill superbly.

Jim McCann

Until the arrival of Abama in 2005, Golf del Sur was, in my opinion, the best course in Tenerife. It’s still a cut above the others, of course, and many golfers will tell you that it continues to offer the best value golf on the island.

The Links course has recently been extended to a par of 36 (with back-to-back par fives on holes 3 and 4) so any combination of the three nines will give a par of 72 for an 18-hole round.

The North course has a great run of holes starting at the 2nd and ending at the 7th where water protects the front of the green but it’s the South course that really steals the show at Golf del Sur.

The par three 2nd is played slightly downhill to an island green completely surrounded by black volcanic sand, the 4th is played to a wonderful, elevated green site then holes 5, 7 and 8 incorporate the natural lie of the land to great effect, forcing carries across barrancas (ravines) to the putting surfaces.

At a push, I’d say play the North and South if you only have time for an 18 hole round but you really should make the time to play all three nines in order to decide which two make up your favourite Golf del Sur 18-holes.

Jim McCann