There are over 300 golf courses in Spain and many are amongst the best in Europe and the world. However, these are some of the best...
1. Real Club Valderrama
Green fee € 350,00
Real Club Valderrama is located in Andalucia, the largest and southern-most region of Spain. A few miles north of Gibraltar, it is approximately two hours' drive from Cádiz and one and a half hours from Málaga. The climate is ideal for year-round golf.
The Par 71 Championship Course measures 6356 metres from the professional tees. The fairways have been described by top pros and leading golf writers as the best in Europe, if not the world. It is not an easy course - nor was it intended to be. It is designed so as to call forth thought and precision for every shot. The course was designed in 1974 by Robert Trent Jones, Sr, one of the great golf course architects, and was originally known as Sotogrande New. In 1981 its name was changed to Las Aves. Finally, Ortiz-Patiño renamed the course, Valderrama, after the ancient estate on which the land is situated.
2. Finca Cortesín Golf Club
Green fee € 280,00
Very near the Mediterranean Sea and in a privileged area of Andalusia, Finca Cortesin has become a reference in the world of golf. At almost 7,000 meters from the back tees, it is considered one of the longest courses in Europe. The natural environment and landscape of Cortesin are one of it's most attractive features.
Finca Cortesin Golf Club has 18 holes designed by Cabell Robinson, a length of 6800 meters and more than 100 bunkers. It is considered one of the best golf courses in Spain. The privileged location of the layout will make the player enjoy wonderful views of the Mediterranean sea and mountains.
3.Club de Golf La Reserva - Sotogrande
Green fee € 235,00
The Course RSGC is considered as one of the masterpieces of Robert Trent Jones who chose this course as one of his five favourites from more than 500 courses he designed worldwide according to what he wrote in his book GOLF – THE MAGNIFICIENT CHALLENGE – published in 1988. Officially opened in 1964 Sotogrande was the first course Trent Jones designed in Europe and is blessed with his design philosophy, which consists of building courses perfectly integrated with the natural surroundings which are a great challenge to the better players, but accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Nothing describes better a round on Sotogrande than these words. It is a fascinating course for players of any level which retains all the natural beauty of the land on which it was built only 150 metres from the Mediterranean.
4.Golf Son Gual
Green fee € 135,00
Laid out across beautiful Mallorcan terrain, just east of the capital Palma, Golf Son Gual is the realisation of one man’s dream. Adam Pamer, a double-glazing magnate and a self-confessed golf nut has been visiting the island since 1974 and purchased a holiday home there in 1994. Frustrated with the poor condition and service he experienced at many of the island’s courses, he set out to build his own dream golf club and employed three-time German Amateur Champion, Thomas Himmel, to create it. Himmel has worked wonders and delivered an exquisite golfing experience that blends seamlessly into the local landscape.
5. PGA Catalunya Resort
Green fee € 110,00
One of the best courses in Spain and Europe and satisfying all requirements for hosting professional competitions.
A beautiful course and a very difficult one, where the stars of the round are the trees and the numerous big lakes. It's a long course suitable for big hitters, though accuracy is also essential from the tee as the greens are surrounded by water. Everyone who has had the pleasure of walking its fairways has gone away with a positive impression of the course. With its naturally undulating terrain, the fairways can seem quite narrow when you are driving off from the tee but they open up for the second shot before reaching greens which are wide but full of secrets.
6. Real Club de Golf El Prat
Green fee € 114,00
The Royal El Prat Golf Club is designed along classic lines on a marvellous estate and is dotted with bunkers and gentle slopes.
It is a varied and entertaining 45-hole course and is suitable for all levels of play. The greens are very tricky and the round is both demanding and rewarding. It is possible to combine five different rounds.
In short, a new course that plays host both to daily matches and social tournaments and to major national and international championships, while respecting the strictest environmental regulations and blending perfectly with the natural surroundings.
7. Parador & Golf El Saler
Green fee € 105,00
In the early 1960s, Javier Arana, undoubtedly the best golf course designer Spain has ever had, took a walk through the pine forest next to the sea at El Saler and his special intuition enabled him to determine that this land could be used to build a magnificent golf course. After a great deal of effort, the Ministry of Information and Tourism agreed to the idea and construction began on the current Parador, with Javier Arana responsible for creating the golf course. His customary wise choices included the decision to do the utmost to respect the natural landscape, keeping as many pine trees as possible and the sand dune that separates the pine forest from the sea.
The result is now familiar to anyone who has visited this golf course, which has generally wide fairways; vast, challenging greens; and almost one hundred bunkers, some of them natural, created by using the dunes. Although there are no other special challenges, it is difficult to achieve the course's par 72. Those who play at El Saler should know that this is one of the best courses in the world, with an exceptional location beloved by all Valencians: the Dehesa de El Saler forest.
8. Real Club de Golf Las Brisas
Green fee € 220,00
Real Club De Golf Las Brisas was founded by D. José Banús in 1968 as "Club de Golf Nueva Andalucía." He was appointed its first President until 1981. For its design, he chose the American, Robert Trent Jones, already considered one of the best golf course designers in the world. He had just finished building the golf course at Sotogrande and after Las Brisas, went on to design Los Naranjos and Valderrama. The course includes numerous water obstacles: there are ten artificial lakes fed by two streams. The greens, the majority of which are raised, are amply protected by bunkers.
The results of Robert Trent Jones's efforts, which we continue to enjoy today, were truly notable and original, obtaining a difficult and attractive course. He was also original in his choice of Bermuda grass for the fairways and Pencross Bent on the greens, unusual species in the Europe of the sixties. The outcome of all this is a round that requires a precision game of golf. As an example of the opinion of great golfers, we can quote that of Paul Azinger (USA), "There is not a single bad hole in Las Brisas. Indeed it is one of the finest courses on which I have been able to play".
Nº 9 REAL SOCIEDAD HIPICA ESPAÑOLA CLUB DE CAMPO (NORTH) - MADRID
Green fee €100,00
The RSHE Club de Campo can trace its roots as far back as 1901- attaining royal status in 1908- and it was one of the founder members of the Spanish golf federation. The two courses on the property – North and South - were both laid out by the prolific American architect Robert von Hagge. The North course was redesigned in 1997 and it now stretches 7162 yards from the back tees. Most fairways are gently undulating and tree lined – but not restrictively – and water comes into play at four holes on the back nine. There are no fewer than seven left-dogged holes. Laid out on a huge scale across naturally undulating and sometimes hilly ground. These elevation changes provide for an interesting and though provoking round
10. Desert Springs Resort
Green fee € 68,00
In the last `forgotten´ corner of the Mediterranean coast of south eastern Spain on a plateau overlooking the Almanzora Valley, with easy access from the international airports or Almería and Alicante, Desert Springs has constructed Europe´s first ever Arizona style desert golf course.
Designed by Peter McEvoy, Desert Springs is built to full USGA specifications and is well worth the visit.
Here the talk is of water courses, hardpan, armadillos, cactus and there is, of course about half the green planted area you will find on a regular course. But this the desert where host of other westerns so a tough golf course fits in perfectly. Not that Desert Springs is especially tough, it just looks, well, rugged with those towering outcrops of sandstone rock. Eventually there will be two courses on the site.
For the time being be among the first to enjoy the original. Desert Springs is certainly that and it offers a challenging round of golf.