A Guide to the Clubs
Sotogrande’s love affair with polo began in 1965, when Enrique Zóbel, nephew of founder Joseph McMicking, laid out the first field beside the beach. By 1971 the Gold Cup was being contested, and six decades on the area is one of the four great polo destinations in the world, with clubs strung from the coast up the Guadiaro valley to San Martín del Tesorillo. All summer matches are free to watch.
Santa María Polo Club
The original and most famous club, home of the Gold Cup. Owns the principal grounds, including Los Pinos near the marina, with seven fields in all.
Ayala Polo Club
Three kilometres inland at the Hacienda de San Enrique, run by Paola Zóbel. Three professional fields, stabling for 400 horses, and organiser of the International Polo Tournament since 2022.
Iridike Polo Club
The friendly, down-to-earth option. Family-run and welcoming to everyone from complete beginners to seasoned players, with two big fields and a lively asado scene.
Club de Polo Dos Lunas
At Finca El Mezquitón, specialising in both polo and dressage. Two fields and some of the largest all-weather training tracks in Europe, plus national dressage competitions.
Polo Valley
Furthest inland, just over the Málaga border. Founded to make polo accessible to all: lessons, clinics, summer camps and polo holidays with accommodation on site.
Smaller local clubs
La Querencia Polo and Tres Rosas round out the local scene, with much of the practice and lower-goal play happening away from the summer spotlight. Best followed on social media.
Aerial view of the Guadiaro valley. Tap a pin for club details, or use the layer button (top right) to switch to a street map.
The season
Polo in Sotogrande runs from May to September, organised by Ayala Polo Club across the Los Pinos fields near the marina and the Ayala fields at San Enrique de Guadiaro. The season falls into four parts: the early summer cups through May and June, the opening summer tournaments in early July, the International Polo Tournament that fills the second half of the summer, and the farewell cups in September. Admission to every match is free.
The centrepiece is the International Polo Tournament, which reaches its 55th edition in 2026 and runs from 27 July to 29 August across three cups: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Around twenty-five teams compete in three handicap bands, High at 20 to 22 goals, Medium at 12 to 14, and Low at 6 to 8. The Gold Cup final weekend at the end of August is the peak of the summer, and the best single day to aim for if you are visiting once.
Matches are played in the late afternoon and evening once the heat has gone. The dates below are the 2026 calendar. They shift a little each year, but the shape of the season stays the same.
2026 schedule
| Cup | Dates | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Copa Bienvenida (Welcome Cup) | 19 to 24 May | Sunday 24 May |
| Copa KE | 26 to 31 May | Sunday 31 May |
| Copa Joseph McMicking | 4 to 14 June | Sunday 14 June |
| Open de España (Spanish Open) | 18 to 28 June | Sunday 28 June |
| Copa Memorial Manuel Prado y Colón de Carvajal | 2 to 12 July | Sunday 12 July |
| Copa Memorial Fundador Enrique Zóbel | 2 to 12 July | Sunday 12 July |
| Bronze Cup | 27 July to 1 August | Saturday 1 August |
| Silver Cup | 3 to 15 August | Saturday 15 August |
| Gold Cup | 17 to 29 August | Saturday 29 August |
| Copa San Enrique de Guadiaro | 3 to 6 September | Sunday 6 September |
| Copa Despedida (Farewell Cup) | 10 to 13 September | Sunday 13 September |
The many one-day and round-robin cups that fill out the calendar, among them the Copa Don Diego, Copa Inés Rosales and Copa La Criolla, are played on the finals days of the tournaments above and change from year to year. The full fixture list is published each spring by Ayala Polo Club.