Between Marbella and Sotogrande in the municipal limits of Manilva lies the Duquesa Golf & Country Club, an 18-hole course designed by the late master Robert Trent Jones, who also designed the neighbouring Valderrama course, among others.

The Duquesa Golf & Country Club is set in a wonderful location on the Costa del Sol only 30km from Gibraltar airport and 90km from Malaga airport, and it can now be reached along the Autopista del Sol.
As its manager Andrés Moncayo explains, “Duquesa is not only a golf course. Its meticulous design also makes the Duquesa a leisure complex of the first order with the latest in sports installations – gymnasium, sauna, jacuzzi, tennis, billiards, and a covered swimming pool, not to mention the warm welcome awaiting any golfer who visits us”

The course has a total length of 6717 metres from the white tees, 6203 from the yellow tees and 5219 from the red ones. It is built around a hill so the wind plays a major role when working out your shots as it comes at you in all sorts of ways.
The views are another feature of this course. From the high points you can see the Bay of Estepona and Marbella, Gibraltar and, on a clear day, the coast of Africa.
The 8th deserves a special mention. It is a short par-3 of 108 metres from the yellow tees with a raised tee and spectacular views. It faces south so there is normally a crosswind on this hole, either from the east or the west. You can play anything from a sandwedge to a 7-iron depending on the direction of the wind, and there is a two-tiered green waiting for us with each tier sloping different ways, so it is no mean feat to make par.

An area to be aware of when you’re playing at the Duquesa is its local “Amen Corner” made up of the 13th, 14th and 15th. All of these holes offer an unbeatable view, but you will need to concentrate on your game. On the narrow par-4 13th, with its stroke index of 1, and the fairway sloping off to the right, you can use anything from a 4 to a 7-iron depending on the breeze, and there is a two-tiered green waiting for you, protected by a bunker at the entrance and another to the rear. The 14th is a par-3 which severely punishes badly aimed shots, and you have to land on the green to avoid complicating matters. To round off this interesting “Amen Corner” the 15th is a devilish par-4 where you can reach the green in two as long as you do not end up in the out-of-bounds on the left or the water hazard lurking on the right, so its important to reach the fairway with the tee shot. The straightforward green should not present any further problems.

Visitors to the Duquesa usually round off their game with a drink and a chat on the club’s wide terrace while watching fellow players arriving at the 9th.