Opened in 1973, and designed by the legendary South African Gary Player, El Paraiso Golf Club is a well renowned and highly respected course on the Costa del Sol. Suitable for all levels of golfer, the club features excellent practice and teaching facilities, welcoming the beginner through to the professional.

With a real variety to its holes, you will be sure to find a few favourites, but there are no bad holes here. The course begins with a series of four par 4’s which show off some classic design.

The 2nd, a dogleg right and uphill, sees a slightly blind approach into a tricky green protected by bunkers at the front, whereas the 3rd stretches its way downhill and to the left. This is a long par 4, and in keeping with the sound design philosophy, gives you plenty of fairway to work with when distance is asked for from the tee.

Clever touches abound, with well placed bunkers on fairways and around greens. Questions are asked of your driving, requiring accurate positioning if you are to attack the pins. Of note is that the hazards are generally placed for the lower handicap golfer, leaving the less skilled player to get on with the job of enjoying their golf. With good management you should see your way past the trouble and trying to score points on the greens.

Putting offers plenty of variety too. Some greens are fairly flat, others with steps – but all are relative to the difficulty of the hole being played. The more you visit the course and get to know its intricacies, the more you can appreciate how enjoyable and playable an experience El Paraiso provides.

The 5th is one of four excellent par 3’s, which along with the 17th usually requires a long iron or wood to reach the green, whilst the 7th and 14th are normally a mid to short iron. The 6th is El Paraiso’s signature hole. A par 5 dogleg left where a good drive leaves a modest player a chance to reach the green in two. With a lake running down the right, and plenty of bunkers in play, it certainly is a delightful hole.