If you’re staring out at a drizzly British fairway wondering where your swing went, perhaps the Canary Islands are your antidote. Sitting off the northwest coast of Africa, the archipelago enjoys a spring like climate throughout the UK winter months with temperatures getting up to 20–24°C.
To complement these warmer climes, you’ll find a deep bench of courses set between Atlantic views and volcanic backdrops. With 4–5-hour direct flights from the UK into Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura, it’s an easy swap: grey skies for green fairways.
Why the Canaries work so well for UK golfers
Winter-sun certainty
You can count on mild, breezy weather that makes every round feel effortless—perfect for 18 holes followed by lunch out on the terrace.
Volume & variety
From championship courses and classic members’ clubs to dramatic cliff-top layouts, desert-style mountain golf, and welcoming 9-holers, you’ll find a huge mix of golf that keeps every day fresh.
Resort convenience
Stay-and-play resorts make life wonderfully simple, and even if you’re exploring different courses, quick taxi hops keep everything easy and stress-free.
Island-hopping potential
Build your own rhythm, settle into one island for the week or split your time with a twin-centre trip, such as Tenerife paired with the quieter charm of La Gomera.
Where to play - Island to Island
Tenerife
Tenerife has the deepest course roster and a great spread between luxury resort golf in the southwest and heritage golf in the greener north.
Abama Golf (Guía de Isora)
Abama sets the bar high. A course that climbs Teide’s western slope, using 23 lakes, bold elevation, and lush planting to frame ocean views from most holes. It hosts elite events, including the 2025 Tenerife Women’s Open, and pairs the golf with five-star resort comfort. Expect premium pricing and strong advance demand, especially in winter.
Golf Costa Adeje (Adeje)
Costa Adeje delivers a more expansive feel. Pepe Gancedo routed the championship course across former banana terraces, keeping wide fairways, stone walls, and sea views front and centre. It’s joined by Los Lagos, a friendly 9-hole layout ideal for warm-ups or higher handicaps. Conditions are consistently good and tee sheets stay busy thanks to its resort-side location.
Golf Las Américas (Playa de las Américas)
Las Américas sits in a natural amphitheatre in the heart of the south. Designed by John Jacobs Associates, it’s a par-72 with gentle elevation, ravines, and lakes, plus convenient twilight deals throughout the peak UK-winter period. Accessibility is its strength: close to major resorts, reliable surfaces, and steady but manageable demand.
Buenavista Golf (NW Coast)
Buenavista shows Seve Ballesteros at his most dramatic. The course hugs the cliffs beside Teno Country Park, mixing Atlantic carries with one of the island’s most striking finishing stretches. It’s a longer drive from the south, but many golfers call it Tenerife’s most scenic round. Prices are fair for the setting, though peak slots go quickly.
Amarilla Golf & Golf del Sur (San Miguel de Abona)
Amarilla leans into its oceanside setting. Donald Steel’s routing skirts the marina, while a separate 9-hole pitch-and-putt offers easy wedge practice.
Next door, Golf del Sur, a Pepe Gancedo design later refined by Manuel Piñero, runs multiple 9-hole loops and has hosted European Tour events.
Real Club de Golf de Tenerife (Tacoronte, North)
For something with tradition, Real Club brings genuine members’-club character. Founded in 1932, this par-71 weaves elevation changes and ravines into a classic layout that feels worlds away from the southern resorts. It’s a brilliant heritage day out, especially paired with local wine tasting. Tee times are more limited, so early booking helps.
Who Tenerife suits: everyone from first timers to low-handicappers. For easy logistics, base in Costa Adeje/Las Américas; for a heritage day out, book Real Club in the north and combine with local wine tasting.
Gran Canaria
Concentrated in the sun-drenched south with one historic gem up by Bandama, Gran Canaria serves up contrasting styles within short transfers.
Anfi Tauro Golf (Mogán / Tauro Valley)
Anfi Tauro brings an Arizona-style feel to Gran Canaria. The championship layout cuts through volcanic rock, opening up dramatic mountain backdrops and ocean vistas. It’s consistently rated among Spain’s top resort courses and sits firmly on many golfers’ bucket lists thanks to its striking terrain and reliable conditioning.
Maspalomas Golf (Maspalomas)
Maspalomas offers a gentler, classic test. Designed by Mackenzie Ross and bordered by the Maspalomas Dunes nature reserve, it’s flat, breezy, and highly playable — an ideal setting for groups, mixed-ability trips, or anyone who prefers a smooth, unhurried round. Expect forgiving fairways, dependable greens, and relaxed demand compared with the island’s headline courses.
Lopesan Meloneras Golf (Meloneras Bay)
Lopesan Meloneras serves up a blend of terrain: nine holes facing the mountains, nine aimed squarely at the Atlantic, with several stretching right along the coastline.
The seaside setting pairs perfectly with the beachfront hotels on the promenade, making it a favourite for golfers who want easy walkability and sunset finishes. Conditions are steady year-round and demand peaks in winter sun season.
Salobre Golf (Maspalomas)
Salobre has long been known as a 36-hole resort. Today, the Old Course anchors three blended loops that mix the Old with sections of the New, giving returning players fresh combinations throughout a multi-round stay.
Strong practice facilities and the on-site resort make it a convenient base for golf-heavy trips, with tee-time availability generally better than at the coastal hotspots.
Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas (Bandama)
Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas is Spain’s oldest club, founded in 1891 and set along the rim of the Bandama caldera. It’s not long, but it rewards precision: tight corridors, small fast greens, and clever angles make this a strategic delight. It’s a memorable day out from the south and a refreshing contrast to the broader resort layouts.
Who Gran Canaria suits: golfers who want top-tier conditioning and convenience in the south (Maspalomas/Meloneras/Salobre), plus history lovers ticking off Spain’s oldest club up north.
Lanzarote
Lanzarote keeps it simple with two excellent 18-hole choices and a slower, boutique vibe.
Costa Teguise Golf (Costa Teguise)
Costa Teguise is a true Lanzarote original. John Harris set this par-72 across the slopes of an ancient volcano back in 1978, shaping doglegs that thread through palms, lava, and cacti with wide Atlantic views. It’s a thinking player’s course, strategic, characterful, and still one of the island’s must-play rounds. Conditions are reliably good and demand is steady without being frantic.
Lanzarote Golf (Puerto del Carmen)
Lanzarote Golf offers a more open, modern feel. Ron Kirby designed the layout to fall gently towards the sea, keeping it generous from the tee but using wind and subtle contouring to test sharper players.
Its location is a major draw: close to the airport and the main resort strip, making it an easy choice for arrival-day or departure-day rounds. Expect friendly pricing and comfortably busy tee sheets through the winter sun months.
Who Lanzarote suits: couples and groups who want two contrasting rounds, good restaurants, and easy transfers, plus time for Timanfaya National Park’s otherworldly landscapes between tee times.
Fuerteventura
Long beaches, sporty resorts, and four 18-hole options make Fuerteventura a value-friendly base, with trade winds adding bite.
Fuerteventura Golf Club (Caleta de Fuste)
Fuerteventura’s original 18-hole course still sets the standard on the island. A former Spanish Open host, it offers broad fairways, forgiving lines, and plenty of sunshine year-round. Its resort-side location makes it an effortless choice for holiday golfers looking for a comfortable, good-conditioned first round.
Salinas de Antigua (Caleta de Fuste)
Just minutes from Fuerteventura GC, Salinas de Antigua adds a different flavour. Thoughtful earth-mounding and lakes create a more sculpted, modern feel without making things intimidating. It’s an enjoyable second round in the same area — handy, friendly, and easy to slot into any itinerary.
Jandía Golf (Morro Jable)
Jandía brings more drama. Ron Kirby’s par-72 weaves through ravines and elevation changes in the island’s south, delivering a strategic layout where wind direction genuinely shapes your scorecard. It’s a rewarding test for confident golfers and a scenic day out for anyone who enjoys rugged terrain.
Playitas Golf (Las Playitas)
Playitas is a shorter par-67 by John Chilver-Steiner, but don’t let the card fool you; ravines, ponds, and well-defended greens keep you thinking from the first tee. Set within a full sports resort, it’s perfect for golfers who like to mix practice, fitness sessions, or other training between rounds.
Who Fuerteventura suits: value seekers, mixed-ability groups, or golf-and-beach fans who like the option of cycling, swimming, or watersports on non-golf days.
La Gomera
La Gomera is a tiny, tranquil island sitting just off Tenerife’s southwest coast close enough for an easy ferry, far enough to feel like a real escape. It’s lush, quiet, and slow-paced, making it perfect for golfers who want a breather from the busier resort hubs.
Tecina Golf (La Gomera)
Tecina Golf is the island’s showpiece: a Donald Steel par-71 that spills down a clifftop ridge with uninterrupted ocean views back towards Tenerife. Every hole feels peaceful and scenic, with a wonderfully unhurried rhythm you rarely find on larger islands. Many golfers staying in Tenerife hop across for a day trip or stay overnight at the clifftop hotel to make the most of the setting.
La Palma and El Hierro don’t currently offer 18-hole resort golf, but they’re fantastic for hiking, stargazing, and nature-led island hopping if you’re exploring beyond the fairways.
When to go & how to plan from the UK
The best time to visit is October to April, when UK golfers enjoy mild temperatures, low rainfall, and plenty of flight options.
You’ll want to book your key tee times in advance, especially at courses like Abama, Anfi Tauro, and Buenavista, while using 9-hole or twilight rounds for warm-ups or arrival days. Las Américas, for example, runs a very popular winter twilight slot.
Getting around is simple. Taxis and Ubers cover most resort-to-course journeys, and hiring a car is only really necessary if you plan to mix north and south courses on Tenerife or travel up to Bandama from Gran Canaria’s southern resorts.
Island-hopping is easy too. The Tenerife – La Gomera crossing is the go-to pairing, with Tecina perfect for a day trip or a relaxed overnight stay.
Most clubs publish recommended maximum handicaps, typically around 28 for men and 36 for women and usually request soft-spike shoes. It’s worth checking the course’s guidance when you book.
Practical tips that save stress
Wind
Wind is part of the experience in the Canaries, so it’s worth planning for a bit of breeze on exposed layouts especially at Jandía, Anfi Tauro, and coastal holes across the islands.
Course condition
Island agronomy and busy winter schedules mean rolling maintenance windows are common. It’s always wise to check each course’s news page for any temporary closures before you book.
Renting vs bringing clubs
Most courses offer premium rental sets, which makes travelling light easy. Airlines are generally golf-bag friendly, but it’s still worth comparing baggage fees against the convenience of renting on arrival.
Find out more about Travelling with golf bags.
Twilight golf
Twilight rounds offer great value and a relaxed pace, making them ideal for a second round in the day. Las Américas, for example, publishes seasonal winter twilight offers that are popular with visiting golfers.
Non-golf days
There’s plenty to fill a rest day: dune walks in Maspalomas, the Teide cable car or sunset trip, Timanfaya’s volcanic geysers, tastings in the La Geria wineries, or whale-watching from Los Gigantes.
The verdict
For a UK golfer, the Canaries tick every winter-golf box: direct flights, dependable weather, and a concentration of quality courses that let you mix resort ease with a few memorable shots over ocean or lava fields.
Whether you’re chasing a luxury long weekend at Abama, a dune-framed week in Gran Canaria, a chilled two-course Lanzarote break, or a value-rich Fuerteventura swing, you’ll find your sweet spot and probably come back next winter for the island you didn’t play.
Secure Golf Travel Insurance from SportsCover Direct
Don’t forget to take out specialist golf travel insurance before heading abroad for a golf break! It’s essential to protect yourself against unforeseen scenarios that could otherwise leave you seriously out of pocket.
Golf travel insurance not only covers standard travel disruptions like delayed flights or lost luggage but also safeguards your prized clubs in case they’re lost, stolen, or damaged. Additionally, it provides crucial cover for accidental injuries, whether they happen on the course or during your travels.
At Sports Cover Direct, we’ve been insuring golfers just like you for more than 30 years, so that you can enjoy your rounds with confidence knowing that you’re covered if things go wrong. Whether you’re playing in the Canaries or elsewhere around the world, our affordable policies are a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Take two minutes to take a closer look at our golf insurance policies today.
This blog has been created as general information and should not be taken as advice. Make sure you have the correct level of insurance for your requirements and always review policy documentation.