Golf, holiday homes and letting to golfers on the Costa del Sol

The Costa del Sol is one of Europe's most popular destinations for golfers, with more than 70 golf courses and golf all year round. In 2025 it was named Europe's best golf destination by IAGTO, the international golf tourism organisation.

That makes golfers an interesting group for anyone who owns, or is thinking of buying, a holiday home here. In this article we look at how to combine golf, family holidays and property, and what has to be in place before you let your home to golf guests.

Our golf partnership

Solkystmegleren has recently started working with Amisol Golf, a Scandinavian travel company that arranges golf trips and golf tournaments on the Costa del Sol, mainly for travellers from Norway. Through the partnership we want to connect the golf community more closely with everything the coast has to offer, and make it easier to combine golf, family holidays and property in Spain. We do not receive commission from Amisol.

You do not need to live on a golf course

An important part of our message is that you do not need to buy a home right on a golf course to enjoy everything the Costa del Sol has to offer golfers. In many attractive residential areas, you can live close to the beach, restaurants and shops, and still have several courses within a 10-15 minute drive.

For many people, a modern flat in Fuengirola, La Cala de Mijas, Marbella or Estepona can be just as good a base for a golf holiday as a home beside the course. It gives the family more freedom to choose a holiday home that suits everyone's interests.

You can play great courses in areas such as Mijas, Marbella, Estepona and Sotogrande, while enjoying the sun, good restaurants and the relaxed pace of life on the coast. In our article Golf on the Costa del Sol we go through the courses area by area, and our golf property specialist Magnus Brovold can help you find a home close to the courses you like best.

Letting to golfers

Another interesting option for holiday-home owners on the Costa del Sol is to let the home in the periods you are not using it yourself.

The golf season here covers most of the year, and spring, autumn and winter are particularly popular with golfers from northern Europe. That means your home may be in demand outside the traditional summer holidays, which can make it easier to combine your own use with rental income.

We can help you assess your home's letting potential and, through our contacts in the golf community, put you in touch with relevant partners.

What must be in place before you let

Letting requires the home to meet the rules, and for short golf stays the rules are strict. If you let regularly to tourists, the home counts as a holiday let (vivienda de uso turístico) in Andalucía and must be registered with the Andalusian tourism register (RTA) before you start. The registration number must appear in every advert.

• The owners' community must have approved holiday letting. To register, you need a certificate from the community's administrator confirming that tourist use has been expressly approved.
• The community can ban holiday letting. An owners' community can limit or ban holiday lets with three fifths of the votes. The decision applies from then on, not retroactively.
• The town hall may have its own rules. Málaga, for example, accepts no new holiday lets, and Fuengirola requires a separate entrance. Read more in our article on tourist licences on the Costa del Sol.
• New VAT from December 2026. Under a royal decree-law of October 2026, furnished lets of up to 30 nights are subject to 10 per cent VAT from 1 December 2026. The decree still has to be confirmed by the Spanish parliament.

An alternative is longer lets, for example to golfers who want to spend the winter here. Lets of more than two months to the same tenant fall outside the Andalusian holiday-let rules, but since October 2026 the contract must state why the tenant is temporarily away from their usual home, so have a lawyer draft it.

How much letting can bring in depends on the area, the standard and the season. See what you can expect in rental income, and remember that the income is taxed in Spain. A holiday home can give the family many good experiences, while letting helps cover part of the running costs.

Golf all year round

One of the biggest advantages of the Costa del Sol is the climate. When autumn comes further north and the courses there start to close, you can still enjoy great golf days in southern Spain. Even in December and January, Málaga airport records 160-180 hours of sunshine a month on average.

Many courses stay open all year, subject to maintenance, weather and tournaments. For you as an owner, that means the freedom to come down whenever it suits you and your family.

Imagine leaving a cold northern winter for sunshine, mild temperatures and green fairways in just a few hours. Read more about winter on the Costa del Sol.

More than estate agency

With more than 15 years' experience of the property market on the Costa del Sol, we at Solkystmegleren want to offer more than help with buying and selling. Through our network of local partners, we can also help our clients with services linked to life on the coast, and our golf partnership is a natural part of that.

Whether you already own a home on the Costa del Sol or are thinking of buying, we are happy to help you explore the options. Browse homes for sale or new developments, or get in touch with us for a no-obligation chat.

This article is general information, not legal advice. The rules on letting vary between municipalities and owners' communities and should be checked for the specific property.