Marbella Golf & Country Club – Two Very Different Nines

Gunnar Kobin
Jan 24
3 min read

Updated: Feb 7

Marbella Golf & Country Club: Two Different Courses Stitched Together

Marbella Golf & Country Club sits right next to Santa Clara Golf, and it surprised me more than once—not always in a good way.

I was genuinely surprised learning this is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design. While parts show classic RTJ traits, the overall experience feels uneven, with two nines that play and feel completely different from each other.

Almost like two separate courses sharing a clubhouse.

Next Door to Santa Clara

Marbella Golf & Country Club sits in rolling terrain just east of Marbella, immediately adjacent to Santa Clara. The location makes for interesting comparison—while Santa Clara feels open and modern, Marbella Golf & Country Club feels more rugged and severe.

The terrain plays a huge role here, especially early.

The Front Nine Is a Problem

The first nine holes are extremely hilly. Walking the course simply isn't realistic. A buggy isn't optional—it's essential.

From the opening holes, elevation dominates everything. Many tee shots are partially blind. You're frequently hitting into slopes or valleys where judging distance and landing areas is difficult. This already puts pressure on pace.

That 4th Hole Creates Chaos

The biggest bottleneck comes at the 4th, a drivable par 4. This hole consistently jams the course.

Groups wait to see if the green clears. Even if you choose not to go for it, the hole still creates problems. Lay up and the second shot is awkward—requires flying the ball over a tree guarding the green. Difficult shot to judge, slows play further.

Immediately after, you're hitting down into a valley, which again forces waiting for the group ahead to clear.

This pattern repeats itself a couple holes later, making the front nine feel stop-start and disjointed. Rather than building rhythm, the first half feels like a series of interruptions.

Then Everything Changes

The second nine is a completely different story.

The terrain becomes more logical and noticeably flatter. Sightlines improve. For the first time you can actually see where you're hitting.

Tee shots are clearer, landing areas make sense, the course finally starts to flow.

As a result, pace improves immediately. Fewer blind shots, fewer forced waits, fewer awkward transitions allow the round to find rhythm that's completely missing on the front nine.

This is where the RTJ influence makes more sense. The golf feels strategic rather than chaotic, demanding without being constantly disruptive.

Two Courses, One Name

What makes Marbella Golf & Country Club difficult to judge is this split personality.

The front nine: hilly, blind, slow, frustrating. The back nine: flatter, clearer, far more enjoyable.

Individually, there are good holes on both sides. Taken as a whole though, the course lacks cohesion. Feels as if two very different design philosophies were stitched together.

Maybe they were. I honestly don't know the history here, but it plays like a compromise between competing ideas about what the course should be.

Conditioning's Fine, Layout's the Issue

Conditioning is generally solid, but the layout itself has bigger impact on enjoyment than turf quality.

Pace of play is heavily dependent on how busy the course is. Quiet day? The back nine can be enjoyable. Busy day? The front nine can feel painfully slow due to forced waits, blind shots, and drivable holes creating congestion.

Where It Stands

Marbella Golf & Country Club is a course of contrasts.

First nine: hilly, blind, prone to congestion, making the round slower and more

frustrating than necessary.

Second nine: far more logical, flatter, enjoyable, with clearer sightlines and better rhythm.

Learning this is Robert Trent Jones Sr. design was a surprise—not because the course is bad, but because it lacks the consistency and flow you'd normally associate with his work.

With Santa Clara sitting right next door offering a more open and playable experience, Marbella Golf & Country Club feels like a course you play once out of curiosity rather than return to regularly.

If I'm back in the area and someone suggests it, I'll probably suggest Santa Clara instead. Life's too short to spend half your round waiting in a buggy on blind hillside holes.