How I put the Tee in Tenerife!

When I think of Tenerife, I think of ‘Brits abroad’ – loutish behaviour from tattooed skinheads in football shirts.

With a wide variety of courses on offer and average temperatures of 23-degrees, Tenerife is fast establishing itself as a world-class golfing destination. The island boasts nine superb courses, all very different and with their own character and flanked by Tenerife’s breathtaking mountain and coastal vistas.

I arrived there to play the TaylorMade Burner XD Iron Set before heading down to Tenerife Ladies Pro-Am at Buenavista Golf & Spa, a true golfers’ delight. This impressive course enjoys close proximity to the coastline, but watch out for the waterfall and lake which require great precision but lend a fresh feel to this unusual course in the north of the island.

Here, I played with the delightful Flory Parker, winner of the Ladies Holland Open.My Tiger-like attempts to woo the 21-year-old failed, so I headed off to sample the delights of Golf Costa Adeje, a beautiful track which hosted the 2009 Tenerife Ladies Open.

On day three, a boat took us to La Gomera to play Tecina. I was joined by several Dutch guys who were following the Holland – Brazil World Cup game on their radios. You should have heard the racket they made when the final whistle went! Thin, flexible and fast titanium clubfaces deliver higher COR (coefficient of restitution) for faster ball speed and therefore, longer distance.

Tenerife is the perfect place to escape from the stresses of everyday life. Year round sunshine, diverse landscapes, idyllic beaches and charming villages make it an ideal golfing holiday choice. Other than those I played, the island boasts plenty of lovely courses on the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean.

The 18-hole Amarilla Golf & Country Club, designed by Donald Steel, is one of the island’s most spectacular courses if not a little challenging when golfers have to drive the ball right over the waves to the next green on the fifth hole! There’s also Golf del Sur – a 27-hole course which played host to the first Tenerife Ladies Open in 2002.

The high standard of the island’s courses, plus the overall facilities, have enabled Tenerife to host major international professional tournaments. Since hosting its first major international tournament in 1989, the island has gone on to stage a total of twelve competitions on the PGA European Tour and the Ladies European Tour.

Renowned names in the world of golf have won tournaments on Tenerife, including José María Olazábal, David Gilford and Mark James – three Ryder Cup players – and Raquel Carriedo and Elisabeth Esterl – both Solheim Cup players. Other top players that have teed off at Tenerife’s golf courses include Sergio García, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Bernhard Gallacher, Paul McGinley, Vijah Singh and Ian Woosnam.