Lanzarote Holidays Guide

When people are planning Lanzarote holidays, they might feel resigned to limited golf choices. For nearly 30 years Lanzarote has had only one golf course. Well, that’s changed now – a new course opened in 2009. If you’ve been considering a vacation to the Canary Islands and hadn’t even thought about golfing, give it a thought now. The weather in Lanzarote is almost always perfect for golf. It’s dry and warm all year round. The landscape might seem odd at first. Lava flows don’t normally lend themselves to golf course design, but the blue skies, open vistas and the local flora all combine to create an unforgettable experience.

Golf Costa Teguise, Sands Beach Hotel, Lanzarote

The original Lanzarote golf course is the Costa Teguise, which opened in 1978. It’s an 18 hole course, par 72. John Harris designed the course, which sits at the foot of a volcano. He designed it to be both smooth and varied. Costa Teguise has plenty of doglegs, so players will need to bring all their clubs into play. A sign of great course design, it’s both challenging to skilled players and enjoyable for someone of my (lower) skill level. It’s just a beautiful place. Adding to the beauty are the over 3,000 palm trees scattered throughout. If you’re looking for hotels close to the course, there several, such as the Occidental Oasis, the Gran Melia Salinas, and the Coronas Playa.

This past summer the Lanzarote Golf Resort opened just outside Puerto del Carmen. It’s an 18 hole, 72 par course designed by American golf course designer, Ron Kirby. The location is amazing. I can understand why they picked it. The course is nestled in the hills overlooking Puerto del Carmen. Golfers have the Atlantic ocean as their background. Like Costa Teguise, the Lanzarote Golf Resort has wonderful landscaping. They used the latest in eco-technology to keep the water usage minimal. As you would expect, the resort has a friendly bi-lingual staff, as well as a golf pro if you need lessons. Golfing lessons are even available for kids. They’ve thought of everything!

As golf becomes more popular on Lanzarote, more courses are in the works. More courses mean more choices for all of us. Playa Blanca is getting its own golf course. It will be close to Faro Park, which has large, amazing villas. We might get one near the marina of Puerto Calero. That’s kind of close to the new course, Lanzarote Golf Resort, but I don’t think anyone will complain. No matter how you view it, golf has really arrived in Lanzarote. Let’s tee off!