The received wisdom on Canary Islands golf is Golf Costa Adeje in the south and the Abama Ritz-Carlton course in the southwest. Both are good. Neither is Buenavista del Norte.
Buenavista sits on the north-western tip of Tenerife, adjacent to the Teno Rural Park, in a landscape that looks nothing like the south of the island. The south is volcanic, black, and stark. The north-west is green, agricultural, and — from the golf course — reminds you more of coastal Ireland than a mid-Atlantic volcanic island.
The course was designed by Seve Ballesteros, the only course he designed in the Canaries and one of only a handful outside Spain. It opened in 2007, three years after work began on a project that Seve supervised personally until his illness prevented him from continuing. The final design was completed by his associates to his brief.
The result is a course that plays along clifftops above the Atlantic on the back nine with views, on clear days, of La Gomera and La Palma offshore. It is not as dramatic as Old Head of Kinsale but it belongs in the same conversation as the most visually impressive coastal courses in Europe.
Green fees: approximately €90–120 depending on season. That is, for the quality on offer, exceptional value. The comparable view at Verdura would cost €170. At Old Head, €285–375.
The logistics: Buenavista is 90 minutes from Tenerife South airport and 45 minutes from Tenerife North (Los Rodeos). The drive north and west through the Orotava Valley — past the banana plantations and the cliffs of the Teno Massif — is itself worth doing. Allow time to stop at a local restaurant in the village of Buenavista for lunch after the round.
My recommendation: if you're in Tenerife for a week of golf, pair Buenavista with Golf Costa Adeje and Abama and you have three genuinely different courses that cover the full range of Canary Islands golf. Most of my Canaries clients have been surprised by Buenavista. That is my favourite sentence to write about a course.
James Kinloch
Golf Travel Specialist · View profile →
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