I just played Abama Golf Club in Tenerife today for my fourth time ever and I can definitely say it is the pinnacle of golf in Tenerife. The scenery on the front nine in particular is breathtaking. This course opens with two short par fours to break you in gently but then the third is a very long Par five followed by a 225-yard beast of a par three. I teed off first at 8am this morning so the air was cool starting off but by the time I reached the 6th hole I was peeling layers off swiftly. I played from the back tees which I would only recommend for longer hitters. On paper this course’s yardage looks short but a lot of the holes play uphill and you often end up hitting one to two clubs extra to reach the green surface on the steeper holes especially.
Abama Golf Club is located just beyond Adeje and it sits between Adeje and Los Gigantes. The Ritz Carlton Hotel is attached to the golf course which I believe is one of the best five stars hotels on the island. Once you arrive at the clubhouse, I highly recommend dining there it is delicious and the clubhouse is the highest point of the course so the views out over the course are stunning with La Gomera island in the back drop. The greens roll incredibly fast possibly around 10.5 – 11 on the Stemp and there are a lot of slopes and tiers on the greens so they are very challenging. Every hole is either uphill or downhill so I highly recommend taking a buggy and also there is quite the long walk to the next hole on some of the holes out there.
The 10th hole, their signature hole in my opinion is possibly my favourite hole in Spain. The tee box is situated beside the clubhouse so it is one of the highest points of the course. You tee off to a fairway that is located over a hundred feet below the tee box and it has a water hazard that hugs along the left side of the fairway and runs all the way up the left side of the green. The mesmerising Ritz Carlton Hotel is located just beyond this fairway with La Gomera island also in the back drop so it makes for a fantastic photo opportunity. If you do manage to find this fairway you are still left with a difficult approach to a green that has a large pond to the left and three bunkers that protect the right side of this hole, should you try to bail out to the right-hand side. This is also a two-tiered green with a lot of slopes towards the water hazard so a two putt is never guaranteed. This truly is a great golf hole in every way and is probably the best golf hole I have ever played on any trip to Spain or the Canary Islands.
The course has some stunning oceanic views looking south west and the mountains of Tenerife at the opposite side looking north east. I often get the feeling of being in Jurassic Park the movie especially when playing the 13th hole looking back towards the mountains in between the trees that surround this hole. The green fee at Abama is not surprisingly the highest in Tenerife at €225 however I still feel you are getting value for money with the amazing views and the impeccable manicure of the golf course. If you do travel to Tenerife or if you want to play golf in almost guaranteed glorious sunshine all year round, I highly recommend Tenerife and especially adding Abama to the list of courses to play. You will be blown away by the course and with the amount of great golf shots you will have to play throughout your round. With flights direct from Shannon we were here in four hours and the course and Ritz Carlton is under a half hour from Tenerife South Airport so it is very convenient to get to.
