Golf del Sur - Canary Islands - Spain

Summary: Great course (especially the 9 holes called "Sur) but facilities have gotten old/have more potential:

+ Well maintained fairways and greens. The original nine holes (called Sur) have a great layout with nice views on the sea. Traditional lava stone walls around the tee boxes and hole descriptions from especially elaborately made tiles

+ Black volcano bunkers make the course special and easy to remember

+ Location is windy which is a further challenge when playing

+ Not a lot of people playing, I did not see a single other flight on the front nine

- Facilities are old and not well maintained (old balls on the driving range, the restaurant seems to have closed, restrooms/showers very old, the nine holes on the North course seem to be abandoned, no place to clean clubs, push trolleys are rusty)

- The nine holes called Links are between simple houses and hotel buildings which do not have a lot of charm, fenced in with barbed wire

- Next to the airport which is not great but also not dramatic

The course is nice but quite uninspiring. Worth playing however just to see the black bunkers, created by the volcano at the islands centre

A few months ago, when it was still permitted by the government to play a round of golf, I hit the links at Golf del Sur. After paying 35 euros for 11 rental Titleist clubs without wedges (cause who needs wedges on a soft soil golf course that is not overly long right?) I got out before a group of pensionados as one will encounter when on the Canary Islands.

The opener is a gentle par 4 with a wide, slightly mounded fairway and ends with a steep downhill approach that can play blind depending on the yardage. The green is well guarded by two sidebunkers and the prevailing wind. You immediately see a buena vista over the dry plains and ravines all the way to the lone rock near the airport accompanied by the scorching sun. The start is quite good actually, leading the player to the very edges of the property and exploring all the nice corners of it. This is also the most undulated part of it and it is quite interesting. The second is a par 3 with a shallow green guarded by bunkers and the 3rd a par 5 with a ravine along the entire right side of the hole. There is more than enough room on the left but also a chance to get home in two for those who want to play the hero. I also liked the par 4 4th, which with the right wind is reachable. There is a fairway left for the conservative, and the more agressive the line of the tee, the deeper the drop for the balls that won’t make it. Those will be treated a blind second from deep rough or a bunker. The green has a semi-punchbowl on the left side and drops down on ts front right, giving a great sight over the island. After the fourth, we proceed to the inner part of the property. There are some nice parkland holes but nothing too spectacular. Just solid. The back nine starts off with a nice awkward short par 4 with a dogleg right to a higher green running off tot he left. The wind will try to blow it there. The 2nd is the most famous hole on the course and maybe the island, a par 3 with many tee options played to an island green surrounded by the volcanic black sand that the bunkers at Golf del Sur consist of. The green appears to be lying on the side of a subtle hill and it makes for a beautiful natural green site with a deceiving perspective as seen from the teebox. The remaining holes are all quite nice, without any obvious standout holes. I liked the par 5 14th and the short par 4 16th which has a cross ravine which makes you think from the tee that you can easily carry it while it actually isnt. Because it runs cross the fairway diagonally, much depends on the line you take from the tee. And you’ll have guessed that this goes hand in hand with the risk you are willing to take. Writing this, it occurs to me that you shouldn’t probably go for it at all as a lay up leaves a pretty straight forward pitch to a flat green. This hole certainly got me, that’s for sure… holes like these make Golf del Sur a nice place to play with some really good strategic golf holes. I’m still mad I did not get any wedges but I might consider returning anyway, when I’d travel to Tenerife again.

Better than expected. Golf del Sur is located next to the airport on the southern tip of Tenerife... this means it is windy and you have plans coming into land above your head.

Course was in really good condition... lush fairways, receptive greens and relatively quick. Lots of interesting holes... fairways are pretty generous, big greens with a good variety of risk and reward holes.

The two 9's we played (north and south) are located on the side of a hill which means you are usually walking uphill or downhill. Course was very walkable, even in warm conditions.

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.