Golf Santa Marina

Golf Santa Marina is an 18-hole course designed by Severiano Ballesteros in San Vicente de la Barquera, Cantabria. Integrated into Oyambre Natural Park on Spain’s Cantabrian coast, it combines a golf course with practice facilities, other sports and a restaurant that also welcomes visitors who are not club members.

For a golfer planning a visit, the course is the starting point, but not the only reason to spend time here. There is a golf academy, space to work on the short game, padel and croquet, as well as a children’s area for family visits.

The course and its setting

Santa Marina opened in 2001, with the first shot struck on 21 December that year. Ballesteros designed the 18-hole layout, which is presented as modern and competitive in character.

Its connection with Oyambre Natural Park is another defining feature. The course brings together a named designer and a natural setting on the Cantabrian coast: two useful reference points when considering Santa Marina as part of a golf trip to Cantabria.

Practice, learning and time beyond golf

The club has a practice area and short-game facilities alongside its golf academy. These give visitors the option of making practice part of their time at Santa Marina rather than focusing solely on the full 18-hole course.

Away from golf, the sporting facilities include padel and croquet. A children’s area adds another option for families, while event organisation is also among the club’s services. Taken together, these facilities make the club relevant to a visit that includes both golfers and people with other interests.

Eating at La Cocina de Santa Marina

La Cocina de Santa Marina looks out over the course and has an outdoor terrace. The main dining room seats around 70 people, with a separate private space for approximately 20. There is therefore a distinction between dining in the main room and gathering in a more private setting.

Stews and rice dishes are the house specialities. You do not have to be a member to eat here, although non-members must reserve in advance. That makes the restaurant an option in its own right, as well as somewhere to include in a golf visit.

With the Ballesteros course at its centre, Santa Marina brings practice, dining and additional activities together in one club. Its location in San Vicente de la Barquera places the whole offering within Cantabria’s coastal setting.