There are so many destinations to choose from if you’re planning a winter golf trip. While the Costa del Sol is a popular choice, the weather can be inconsistent over the winter months, as anyone who has travelled out there over the 2022/23 winter will tell you! For more reliable warm weather, so you can work on your swing and top up your tan, the Canary Islands are the obvious choice.
Most golfers will naturally be attracted to the larger islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife for their trip. But if you want something off the beaten track, then Lanzarote represents a more compact but no less scenic alternative. This guide tells you all the key facts you need to know.
Why travel to play Lanzarote golf courses?
As mentioned above, one of the most compelling reasons to travel to Lanzarote for a golf trip is the weather. The average daily high remains above 20 degrees Celsius even in December, January and February, and on average there are only three or four rainy days a month at this time of year.
Then there’s the plentiful availability of flights and accommodation, especially during the winter months if you can avoid the Christmas period and February half-term. If you’re aiming to keep your costs down, then Lanzarote represents excellent value for money, as well as providing plenty of tourist-oriented activities away from the course.
The third major selling point – just as important as the first two – is the more relaxed vibe of the island. Many of the golf courses in Tenerife, for example, are clustered around the lively resort of Playa de las Americas. While the nightlife might be preferred by some groups, Lanzarote is a much quieter island by comparison, making it ideal if you just want to chill out after your round.
The two Lanzarote golf courses in detail
Yes, you read that headline right: Lanzarote only has two golf courses. But don’t let that put you off: they are very different in character, and collectively will test your all-round game. They both also benefit from being in very handy locations. Each is located close to major Lanzarote tourist resorts; they’re just 20 minutes’ drive apart; and in between them you’ll find the main town of Arrecife as well as the airport.
Lanzarote Golf Club
There aren’t many golf courses around that give you views of both ocean and volcanoes, but Lanzarote Golf Club fits the bill. Located in the south of the island, close to the resort of Puerto del Carmen, it’s a rolling course but with a surprising amount of hazards to catch out the unwary, with stone walls and some awkwardly placed bunkers. The 17th poses one of the biggest challenges, with a narrow fairway leading towards a lake around the green. Watch out for the sea breeze, too, especially if it’s a particularly windy day: there isn’t a huge amount of natural protection from it!
Costa Teguise Golf Club
The second of the two Lanzarote golf courses is Costa Teguise Golf Club, just outside the tourist resort of the same name. Although set a bit further inland, you’ll still get excellent views. It sits below a volcano and is lined with thousands of palm trees, making it a very different environment compared to Lanzarote GC further south.
Costa Teguise is a much more technical course, too, with doglegs punctuating several of its holes. You’ll experience a bit of everything over the full 18, and you may well need to use every single club in your bag over the course of the round. It’s a course that will need more than one round in order to get right.
Things to remember before you go
As with any trip abroad, there are plenty of arrangements and travel plans to make, such as suitable accommodation and car hire. The proximity of the two courses to tourist resorts means you’ll have plenty of choice of quality hotels within a few minute’s drive, and without having to worry about traffic.
Don’t forget that it can be expensive to take your clubs with you when you fly abroad, so make sure you account for this when budgeting for your trip. Unless you’re wedded to your clubs specifically, it may work out cheaper for a shorter trip to rent clubs instead. Both courses will happily let you hire a full set of clubs for around 30 euros.
You should also consider what would happen if something goes wrong while you’re away, and whether you might end up out of pocket. For a trip such as this, it’s worth looking beyond standard travel insurance options and taking out specialist golf insurance.
Get golf insurance with SportsCover Direct
Before boarding your flight to play both Lanzarote golf courses, make sure you have Golf Travel Insurance in place for a golf trip abroad. After all, the unforeseen can easily have an effect, whether you get hurt while playing, your clubs are lost or stolen, your travel plans are disrupted, or you accidentally injure someone else.
When you’re back on the course in the UK, we also provide a Golf Insurance policy to cover you and your equipment. The policy protects you from potential financial loss and covers your equipment on and off the course. Compare Golf Insurance to find the most suitable policy for you.