Another Spanish architect of note, Ramon Espionosa receives full credit for his gem of an accomplishment at Mediterraneo, located about 30 miles along the coast, northeast of Valencia. This has been Sergio Garcia’s home club for years and the place he learned golf under the tutorage of his father, the club pro. The European Tour…
Moray Old Course Moray Old Course is without doubt, one of Scotland’s finest traditional links, starting and ending in town and following a relatively straightforward, out and back path. The generous, undulating fairways are lined with prickly gorse, the shrewdly placed bunkers are deep, revetted and fearsome, including a healthy helping of good old fashioned…
El Saler Golf Course Valencia’s shining star of golf artistry from Spain’s outstanding master of design, Javier Arana, El Saler is considered as his best work. Ten holes run through a forest, but the remaining eight are pure links golf of the finest form and as good as can be found in Scotland or Ireland….
This hilly layout is a Robert Trent Jones concoction that combines many qualities with appeal to the better players. It’s a very intelligent design that is daring, varied, imaginative and technical. The hilly setting makes sloping lies commonplace, combined with a defense arsenal of hazards that are in plain view, but simply dangerous. El Bosque…
Zaudin Golf Course Enchanting Seville demands the attention of every visitor to Southern Spain, whether golfer or not, but for those with golf in their veins, there are temptations that shouldn’t be resisted, including the Gary Player layout, Zaudin Golf Course. Set amidst palm and orange trees, olive groves and large lakes, there are amazing…
Home to the European Tour’s season closing event, The Volvo Masters, for more than 20 years, legendary Real Valderrama has gone on to host two World Golf Championships and in 1997, received the ultimate honor of being the very first course located outside of Britain to host the European leg of The Ryder Cup. And…
This is another very intelligent layout from maestro designer, Cabell Robinson, in an especially attractive setting. Very fair to all levels, providing you select the tee positions that match your own abilities and everyone will be assured a most enjoyable time. The fairways are wide enough to give most the chance to take out the…
With the fabled courses of Real Valderrama and Real Sotogrande as next door neighbors, you expect the layout at San Roque will be something very special … you won’t be disappointed! Two famous members of Britains’s golf fraternity have produced a pair of totally different challenges. San Roque Old Course Two famous members of Britain’s…
Jack Nicklaus chose to make his Southern Spain entrée in 1992 with this top class layout, located close to two spectacular Spanish cities, Seville, the historic capital of Andalucia and Jerez de la Frontera, the birthplace of Sherry, Flamenco and home to the, not to be missed, Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Arts. The course…
When Marbella’s longest established, luxury hotel hires a top British architect to design their own course, you can expect spectacular results and neither the hotel nor designer Dave Thomas have disappointed. The dramatic views of the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and the African coastline, are only enhanced by waterfalls, lakes, carefully contoured fairways and superbly maintained, undulating…
Dating from 1925, Real Club de Campo de Malaga was the very first course on the Costa del Sol, the combined effort of two noted British architects, Harry S. Colt and Tom Simpson. Operated by the Spanish government’s Paradores Hotel operation, the airport location offers every departing player the chance to get one last round of…
This is a big, handsome good-looker and another gem from Cabell Robinson that virtually guarantees an enjoyable round for all levels As always, Robinson has provided multiple tee positions to accommodate everyone from scratch golfer to those who still treat golf as a game. The wide fairways provide every opportunity for the big-hitters to flex…
Western Gailes Golf Course Bordered on one side by a railway line and the other by the sea, this is an exceedingly narrow layout, with an entire width no more than the two fairways permitted by the meager 130-acre site. But Western Gailes Golf Course is golf magic, presenting variety and challenges, rarely found in…
A frequent past host to The Spanish Open, Las Brisas is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. masterpiece and one of the Costa del Sol’s great layouts that helped pioneer Spain’s golf development in the 1960’s. The elevated greens are well protected by numerous bunkers and water hazards, often making approach shots tricky. Once on the…
This is one of the regions major golf resorts with a 4 star hotel, a health spa, a golf academy and three quite different,18-hole Championship courses, all are the handiwork of Cabell Robinson. The idyllic setting in the foothills of the Mijas Mountains is quite spectacular. La Cala’s Europa Course offers magnificent mountain views and…
Cabell Robinson is a trans-planted American architect who opened his own design company on the Costa del Sol after being responsible for all of Robert Trent Jones Jr’s European projects for a number of years. Robinson is today probably the most respected golf architect in Spain and France, with more quality designs to his name…
Royal Aberdeen Balgownie Course Founded in 1780, this is the 6th oldest golf club in existence, though the club moved to its current home in 1888. Ranked among Scotland’s top courses, Royal Aberdeen has one of the strongest front 9’s of any course on the planet and arguably, the toughest series of closing holes in all Britain. Royal Aberdeen…
The name may be misleadingly Hawaiian, but make no mistake this is a very Spanish layout, designed by Spain’s most illustrious golf architect, Javier Arana and brilliantly showcases the man’s impressive creativity. This is 18 holes of golfing perfection, which Arana managed to squeeze onto an awkwardly small site and he has done it all…
27 holes of design artistry from the drawing board of renowned British architect, Dave Thomas, provide 3 different, 18-hole playing options, each with its own level of challenge. Built over hilly terrain, the often narrow fairways are lined with mature pine trees and cork oaks, bringing an interesting level of complexity, made all the more…
A perfect setting for a championship course could not be imagined, even in a country that seems to have been designed by nature for the game of golf. The natural lie of the land has been used to fashion this, Ireland’s first island golf course – every existing hillock, slope and tree plays its part….