Santana - Southern Spain - Spain

This is a thoroughly enjoyable course. It is not a 'championship' course and is all the better for it. It is just long enough to be challenging, wide enough to be forgiving, and the greens are excellent but not straightforward. It should probably be classified as a holiday golf course, but it is a very superior member of that category. It was in good to very condition, one or two scruffy tees being the only real blemish.

All of the par 3s are good, the 2nd has water in front of the left half of the green allowing you bail out right or risk going for the pin, the longer 7th is a real challenge with water down the right of a narrow green, the 12th is a superb downhill hole with a good trick of design which makes club selection very difficult.

I disagree with reviewers who don't like the 9th and 13th, I like the change in elevation and the semi-blind tee shots. There is no unfair danger waiting over the hill. In my opinion, the only weakish hole is the short par 4,17th and that is weak rather than poor.

In fact fairness is a characteristic of this course, one which I would say should make it a pleasure for golfers of all standards.

The reception, starter and restaurant were all very friendly, and the course was comparatively uncrowded for a weekend on the Costa del Sol. We were around in just over 4 hours, which is a lot quicker than many of our other experiences in the area.

Great course & fair for all levels of golfer (with limited water too - we ranged from 4 hcp to 18hcp). Quite open & great for those who can tend to stray a little off the tee.

Some quite long & challenging holes but some shorter/easier ones too. General condition was great & greens were in excellent condition too, rolling well & consistent in speed.

Staff were helpful throughout the day & the Marshall (a fellow Scot) was great too, keeping everyone moving when needed.

Would definitely return if we book for next year!

Ps. The small safes for valuables on-board the carts are an excellent idea. We unfortunately had some issues at another course we played!

Played at Santana April 2018. We played Santana 3 years ago and decided to come back again for 3 reasons. Course was good, was great value for money, and the service and hospitality was excellent last time.

This year we had an even better time. Course was in better condition than previous years. (maybe helped as the sun was shining this time). Greens were noticably better than last time. The course was the easiest for scoring that we played this year (La Quinta and Rio Real were other courses). Yes it is quite open but i prefer this compared to right courses where gardens are within 10yards of the fairway like other courses in the region. Agree with previous reviewer who said you dont need to hit driver much. That is true. The two par 5s on the front nine are very long, and give club player no chance on reaching in 2 shots (both over 550 yards).

Club lacks pratcise facilities, and changing rooms arent great either.

The restaurant next to the course is amazing value for money, and the service with a smile is great. We told waiter to serve us tapas and local white wine. Well he did till we couldnt eat or drink no more. Cost os 40 eur each, which was amazing value for the amount we ate. complimentary caramel vodkas are a nice touch.

If you want a chmapionship course with amazing club house avoid santana and go play San Roque or Finca. If you want a good course with great hospitality at a great price visit Santana. You wont be dissapointed.

Played this course back in June 2012 on a planned trip with upwards of x20 golfers of very mixed abilities. Spectacular course it is not, some nice holes and a few that make you wanna get the 'big dog' out and give it a bash - but beware, it looks quite tame but if you go after it there is enough trouble out there to protect it. Course was generally in good condition and when the wind blows there it does tend to funnel thro a few of the holes, especially on the back nine. It is was ok, staff were friendly and great service thro-out, shame the bar is situated where it is though, missed opportunity there i think. Wouldnt rush back there, but worth a try if the price is around 60 euro.

Played Santana on saturday last and was impressed. The course is a good layout and was in reasonable condition eventhough the greens were fairly slow. We played on a windy day so some holes are very close in those conditions. Overall one of the better courses in the region so would go back

Its always a great sign when your group wants to return to certain golf courses and in our three day trip we played here twice,Its a really enjoyable holiday course with fine conditioning,wide fairways,water features that wont beat you up.Extremely friendly staff, which you don't always get in this area,Miguel the bar manager despite being a big Real Madrid fan is very attentive to thirsty golfers.Best course in this area of Costa del Sol by some distance!

A lovely little course, pleasing on the eye and not too tough, but still need to keep the ball in play. It is not the longest course by any means but it is amongst some lovely countryside. The greens had recently been cored and were bit on the slow side and the bunkers were not that special, but it was a nice round and all our group of 11 enjoyed it. The service should not go unnoticed either, the waiters/bar staff were fantastic, some of the best service I have had in a golf club in Spain. Attentive, quick and ready with the beers. The food was super as well. I recommend this place for societies.

A group of 8 played this course on 26th March 2012; we really enjoyed this course; it is well designed and has great views of the rolling hills; no apartment blocks or villas to distract. Fairways, greens and rough well maintained. Only complaint was inconsistency in bunker sand - some have fine sand others gritty type. Clubhouse and food top quality; we paid 85 which included a shared buggy - the most expensive course we played on the trip; I would say it was worth the money. Other courses played on this trip were Marbella Golf & CC (60 euro in poor condition); Valle Romano (65 with buggy) good course but don't play if it is windy as it will blow a gale being high in the hills; Rio Real (77 with buggy - great course in great condition.)

An attractive design with the holes naturally sited into the undulating terrain. Wide fairways and generous light rough provide a course playable for all handicaps. Best holes 4 through 7, 11 is a good short par four; 17 and 18 a good finish. Against that the long 8th is just that , long; 9 and 13 give on a sense of deja vu. Also no range or warm-up area. The small club house provides everthing the visitor needs, and is actually a welcome relief from some of the palatial structures encountered on the Costa del Sol. A enjoyable course, walkable, also a good test for the better player.

There have been some mixed reviews so far for Santana; some say the best course down on the Costa del Golf and other reviewers a little less gushing. I think it would quite easy to pick 12-15 courses of the area that are ahead in any rankings but in saying that I enjoyed Santana, to the level to say that there were some fantastic holes, some good holes and only a few that fall into an average category. First off, you will can expect a warm welcome at the course, Salva (the Director of Golf) and his team are genuinely doing their bit to make sure you have a good experience. The front 9-nine holes have the edge over the back-9 and after a gentle first three holes, the best hole on the course at the 4th awaits; a par-5 to a sloping fairway, then a precise lay-up is required for an exacting approach over a stream to the green. My favourite par-3 is at the 7th, around 200 yards long with trees, wind off the right-side and with the stream back in play, this is a very tough short-hole. The next few holes are very Spanish holiday golf looking - nothing wrong with this but just a little familiar. The par-3 12th is the next for a mention; downhill to a large undulating green with a brilliant amount of dead-ground just short of the green. The run of holes to the 18th tee, again are a little predictable but fine - the par-4 18th is a decent finishing hole with water on the right-side. The current clubhouse is a little way from the 18th green, which I believe is being looked into and if the funds are available, would be worth investing in a move nearer to the final green. I am glad I have played here and I'll probably be back but the Costa del Sol has many courses that would be ahead of Santana for me.