La Zagaleta Country Club ☆ Follow

La Zagaleta is a private residential estate and country club situated at the foot of the Ronda Mountains near Benahavís, ten minutes from Marbella on the Costa del Sol. Spanning almost 900 hectares of Mediterranean forest, it offers two 18-hole parkland courses set within an environment of rolling hills, private valleys, cork oaks, and abundant wildlife including deer, mouflon, and pheasant.

The Old Course, designed by Californian architect Bradford Benz in 1991 and redesigned by Marc Westenborg in 2016, plays to a par of 72 over 6,604 yards and is reserved exclusively for residents of the estate. It occupies a lush valley within an amphitheatre of wooded hills, with views of the Mediterranean, the Alboran Sea, Africa, and Gibraltar emerging as the round progresses. Play is characterised by immaculate fairways and greens, bunkers, water features, and significant changes in gradient throughout.

The New Course, designed by Gaunt and Marnoch and inaugurated in 2005, plays to par 70 and is open to non-resident visitors by arrangement. It occupies more dramatic terrain with steeper gradients, narrower fairways, rocky escarpments, and a more rugged natural character than the Old Course. Both courses share a design philosophy built around doglegs, technical precision, and risk-and-reward strategy, with the emphasis firmly on accuracy and course management rather than length. The estate operates under strict security and access protocols, and both courses are maintained to an exceptionally high standard consistent with La Zagaleta's positioning as one of the most exclusive private clubs in Europe.