Real Club de Golf Las Brisas

The verdict

Las Brisas is the aristocrat of Nueva Andalucia, the course that gave the golf valley its reputation. Robert Trent Jones Sr laid it out in the late 1960s in his grandest manner, with generous landing areas leading to large, boldly contoured greens defended by water and his trademark sweeping bunkers. Where Aloha next door rewards craft, Las Brisas rewards nerve and a long, controlled iron game, and the better player relishes the challenge.

A careful Kyle Phillips restoration in 2015 sharpened the bunkering and refreshed the greens while respecting the original lines, and the course today reads as a beautifully maintained classic rather than a museum piece. Its championship pedigree is real, with two stagings of the World Cup of Golf and editions of the Spanish Open on the record. Access is the catch, as Las Brisas is a private members club, but for a golfer who can arrange a round it is one of the most rewarding days in southern Spain.

The holes worth the trip

Trent Jones designed Las Brisas to test the strong player on the green and around it. The greens are large, tiered and full of movement, and water is a constant threat, in front of greens, down the side of fairways and at the lay up to several par 5s. The strategy is rarely about distance off the tee, but about controlling the approach to the right level so the putter has a chance, a hallmark of the designer's best work.

The par 3s are a highlight, several of them carrying water all the way to the green and demanding a committed, well struck iron under pressure. The par 5s tempt the longer hitter to go for it in two, but a pond or a bunker complex usually guards the reward, and the smart play is often the patient one. Phillips's restoration recovered the crisp, flashed faces of the original bunkering, and the sand now frames each hole as it did when the World Cup field arrived.

The closing holes bring water and bunkers back into play just when a card needs protecting, and the round finishes in front of an elegant clubhouse in the heart of the valley. Las Brisas is a course that flatters good golf and exposes loose golf, the kind of test that lingers in the memory long after the round, and a privilege to play.

Where to stay nearby

Las Brisas sits at the center of the Nueva Andalucia golf valley, minutes from Puerto Banus and central Marbella, so the full spread of Costa del Sol lodging is close at hand, from marina front hotels to quieter resorts in the hills behind the coast. A base in or near the valley keeps every tee time within a short transfer.

Because the valley packs several excellent courses into a few square miles, Las Brisas is best enjoyed as part of a Marbella golf week alongside Aloha and other neighbors. With the championship test of Las Brisas paired with the architectural charm next door, this is one of Europe's most efficient and rewarding premium golf bases.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Las Brisas.