The Canaries are Europe's year round golf escape, where volcanic ridges, ocean cliffs and subtropical valleys produce some of the most spectacular winter golf within a short flight of the UK. Here are the ten we rate most highly across the islands, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.
Photograph: Salobre Golf, Salobre Golf, via Google
The Canary Islands are golf's reliable European warm weather bolthole, a Spanish archipelago off the African coast where the courses stay green and the temperatures stay pleasant right through the northern winter. The strongest concentration is on Tenerife, where Abama, Buenavista, Costa Adeje and Golf del Sur sit within easy reach of the resort south. Gran Canaria is the historic heart of Canarian golf, home to Spain's oldest club at Bandama and the dramatic canyon golf of Anfi Tauro. Lanzarote, La Gomera and the smaller islands add volcanic and clifftop courses with views that are hard to forget.
We weighed design quality, conditioning, the drama of the setting and how easily a travelling golfer can build several rounds into one warm week, which is how most people play the Canaries. Almost everything here is resort or pay and play golf welcoming visitors with advance booking. Every fact, from designers to opening years, was checked at the time of writing, and where a detail could not be confirmed we describe the course by its verified character. The order and the verdicts are our editors' view, so reasonable people will reorder the list. If you want any of these built into a costed winter trip, that is what our concierge does.
The best rated course in the islands, a Dave Thomas design opened in 2005 on the southwest coast of Tenerife and conceived, in the architect's words, as an Augusta of Europe. It tumbles down a steep subtropical hillside toward the ocean past more than twenty lakes, waterfalls and white sand bunkers, with hundreds of plant species lining the corridors. Attached to a Ritz Carlton resort, it is the flagship golf experience of the Canaries.
The most dramatic golf in Gran Canaria, a von Hagge, Smelek and Baril design set in a desert canyon a few kilometres west of Maspalomas, where towering rock walls and an Arizona desert feel frame the holes. Bold, sculpted and a genuine candidate for any Continental European top 100, it is a strikingly different round from the resort courses of the south coast and the standout reason to play golf on the island.
A Seve Ballesteros design on the rugged northwest coast of Tenerife at Buenavista del Norte, where several holes run right along the Atlantic cliffs beneath the Teno mountains. Wilder and greener than the manicured south, with the ocean and the peaks providing constant drama, it is a hidden gem that rewards golfers willing to drive across the island for one of its most memorable rounds.
The oldest golf club in Spain, founded in 1891 and since 1956 laid out on the rim of the Bandama caldera above Las Palmas, a Mackenzie Ross design with the extinct crater as its extraordinary backdrop. Mature, hilly and steeped in history, with sweeping views over the volcano and the coast, it offers a sense of heritage no resort course can match and remains a must play for the golfing traveller.
A coastal course on the resort south of Tenerife by the Spanish amateur great Jose Pepe Gancedo, climbing the hillside above Costa Adeje with sea views from much of the layout and ravines crossing several holes. Well conditioned and conveniently placed among the beach resorts, it is one of the easiest quality rounds to fit into a Tenerife south trip and a natural pairing with Abama nearby.
A Donald Steel design on the small island of La Gomera, laid along clifftops high above the Atlantic with breathtaking ocean views and dramatic changes in elevation, and Tenerife visible across the water. Reached by a short ferry from the south of Tenerife, it is the kind of spectacular, off the beaten track round that turns a golf week into something more adventurous, paired with the laurel forests of the island.
The more dramatic of the two courses at Salobre near Maspalomas, a Ron Kirby design opened in 2008 that plays through the volcanic hills of southern Gran Canaria with rocky outcrops, sharp elevation changes and desert framing. A demanding, scenic test alongside the older Roland Favre course, it gives the south of the island a strong 36 hole golf base within the warmest, sunniest corner of the Canaries.
A Ron Kirby design on the south coast of Gran Canaria between the Maspalomas dunes and the sea, a par 71 that is more forgiving and resort friendly than its neighbours, with ocean views and the lighthouse as a backdrop. Right among the Meloneras beach hotels, it is the convenient, enjoyable round of the south coast, ideal for golfers who want their golf and their beach within walking distance.
A 27 hole complex by Jose Gancedo near the southern airport on Tenerife, laid out across black volcanic terrain where dark lava sand bunkers give the course its distinctive look. A long standing host of professional and amateur events, well conditioned and easy to reach, it combines flexibly into 18 hole rounds and remains one of the most popular and reliable bases for golf in the south of the island.
The established course of Lanzarote, a John Harris design from the late 1970s set among the palms and volcanic rock near the resort of Costa Teguise, greener and more sheltered than the lunar landscape around it. A pleasant, mature round with the island's distinctive black volcanic character, it anchors golf on Lanzarote alongside the newer Lanzarote Golf and suits a relaxed, sunny break on the easternmost island.
Designers and opening years verified June 2026 where stated; courses without a confirmed detail are described by their verified setting and character. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Tell us which island appeals, the Tenerife courses around Abama, the canyon golf of Gran Canaria, or a multi island tour, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the tee times, ferries and hotel and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Abama Golf on Tenerife, the Dave Thomas design that tumbles down a subtropical hillside to the ocean, is the best rated course in the islands, with the desert canyon golf of Anfi Tauro on Gran Canaria and the clifftop Buenavista on Tenerife its closest rivals. Reasonable people reorder the top three, but those anchor any serious list.
Tenerife has the deepest collection, with Abama, Buenavista, Costa Adeje and Golf del Sur within reach of the resort south, making it the easiest single base. Gran Canaria runs a close second on quality and history, with Anfi Tauro, Bandama and the Salobre and Meloneras courses. Many of our clients pair the two islands by short flight or combine golf across several.
The Canaries are a year round destination, but the standout season is the northern winter, from roughly November to April, when the islands offer warm, settled golf while most of Europe is closed for the season. Summer is hotter but still playable, especially in the cooler north. Always confirm conditions before booking.
Yes. Almost all of the leading Canarian courses are resort or pay and play layouts that welcome visitors with advance booking, including Abama, Anfi Tauro, Costa Adeje and the southern Gran Canaria courses. Even the historic Bandama club takes visitor play. Always confirm access and green fees directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers and opening years verified June 2026 where stated. Last reviewed June 2026.