With the highest concentration of fairways in Europe, Spain is the continent's leading golf getaway. Yet with so much green, especially around the bustling southern coastline known as the Costa del Sol, a.k.a. the Costa del Golf, it can take the will of Don Quixote to sort out world-class venues from impossible dreamers. Ever since the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama, Spanish golf has been luring Americans, with splendid newer courses in the northern Costa Brava region competing with old favorites down south.
Apart from the courses, golfers come for the weather: You can tee off 365 days a year. Plus, there's Spain itself: flamenco, bullfighting, beaches, siestas and late, late nights. There's a culinary boom, too, with young chefs doing for Spanish cuisine what Dalí and Picasso did for Spanish painting.
Finally, there's the relaxed Spanish attitude toward golf: It's just a game, after all—mistakes happen. The trait is recognizable even in fierce competitors such as Sergio Garcia and Seve Ballesteros, who is famous for once explaining away a four-putt with a shrug and the comment, "I miss, I miss, I miss, I make."
Yes, the country is still reeling from the March terrorist attack in Madrid. But according to tour operators, as of press time no American golfers had canceled or postponed trips to either coast. We golfers are a hardy lot, it seems, and when we want to play Valderrama, we are going to play Valderrama.
The best way to play through Spain without missing must-see nongolf destinations (which are numerous) is to split at least two weeks between the north and south coasts. Begin in Barcelona with a few days of sightseeing before making the hour and a half drive north to the Costa Brava courses. Then fly to Sevilla for a taste of traditional Spain before driving south to the top layouts and ancient towns of Costa del Sol.
Once on the tee, don't be confused by the culture clashes. In Spain, as in most of Europe, white indicates the pro tees; gold or yellow, the men's tees; red, the forward tees. Distances are in meters, so add 10 percent to get approximate yardage. Last, most Spanish courses have handicap requirements (typically in the high twenties). You'll probably pass muster, but check before you go if a handicap card is required.
COSTA BRAVA
The so-called wild coast, the Costa Brava is one of the world's great emerging golf regions. It stretches the coast north of Barcelona through the storied town of Girona to the mountainous French border. Along with Spain's best young layouts, it's home to many of the nation's top restaurants and country hotels.
PGA GOLF DE CATALUNYA
Caldes de Malavella, Gerona; 011-34/972-472-577, pgacatalunya.com. Yardage: 6,809. Par: 72. Slope: 130. Architects: Angel Gallardo and Neil Coles, 1999. Greens Fees: $62-$85. T+L GOLF Rating: *****
The first and only ETC course (Europe's version of a TPC course) in Spain and a former European PGA Tour stop, Catalunya has views of the Pyrenees Mountains, world-class facilities and more than ten dramatic downhill drives through natural brushland. Simply put, it blows away all area competition. Its beauty and beastliness are exemplified by the third hole, a 504-yard par five that begins kindly enough from an elevated tee but turns wicked near a green that's flanked by two lakes. All this, and it's reasonably priced to boot.
EMPORDÀ GOLF CLUB
Gualta, Gerona; 011-34/972-760-450, empordagolf.com. Yardage: 3,211 (Blue); 3,124 (Gold); 3,192 (Green); 3,367 (Red). Par: 36 (Blue, Gold, Red); 35 (Green). Architect: Robert von Hagge, 1991/1993/ 2004. Greens Fees: $56-$80. T+L GOLF Rating: ****1/2
Empordà offers four excellent nines, all by von Hagge, including one that opened in March. That nine, called the Red, joins the rollicking Green to constitute Empordà's competition course. The woodsy, water-packed Blue is also a treat, highlighted by a windswept troublemaker of a closer. A 509-yard par five with tees set on isolated bluffs, it requires a heroic drive, a precise layup and an approach to a green bracketed by water. The smart play? Keep a few balls in reserve.
GOLF SERRES DE PALS
Pals, Gerona; 011-34/972-637-375, golfserresdepals.com. Yardage: 6,849. Par: 72. Slope: 123. Architect: Ramón Espinosa, 2000. Greens Fees: $54-$79. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
This young links-and-parkland hybrid course in a countrified setting is simply a great walk through Spain. Though it plays a bit short, the layout meanders from windswept hilltops through pine forests, finishing on open fairways between scenic marshland. There's plenty of water to be found on fourteen, a 557-yard par five with a marsh discreetly lining the right side; a mistake here and, like the course's abandoned stone farmhouse, your score may turn to ruins.
GOLF PLATJA DE PALS
Pals, Gerona; 011-34/972-667-739, golfplatjadepals.com. Yardage: 6,496. Par: 73. Slope: 122. Architect: F.W. Hawtree, 1966. Greens Fees: $61-$85. T+L GOLF Rating: ***
Located near Pals beach and carving through forests of mature pines, this course exudes a quaint retro feel. It's also a thinking golfer's day out that demands precision and shrewd club selection. One drawback: a series of massive radio-antenna towers serves as backdrop on several holes. Fortunately, they're scheduled for removal in two years.
COSTA DEL SOL
This dry mountainous region is a mixed bag of romantic towns, arid farmland and impossibly crowded beach resorts. Andalucía's top courses are scattered in the hills just northeast of Gibraltar and in green pockets along the overbuilt Costa del Sol. Dig a little deeper and Spain's soul emerges in the vibrant city of Sevilla, the mesmerizing old quarter of Cádiz and the whitewashed mountain town of Ronda.
VALDERRAMA GOLF CLUB
Sotogrande, Cádiz; 011-34/956-791-200, valderrama.com. Yardage: 6,556. Par: 72. Slope: 142. Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1975. Greens Fees: $304-$335. T+L GOLF Rating: *****
The immaculate tree-lined fairways, talcum-white bunkers and centuries-old cork trees here are reason enough to come to Spain. There is also the notorious seventeenth, unconquerable even for Tiger, who plunked into its fronting pond three times out of four at the 1999 WGC-American Express Championship. Bolivian tin billionaire Jamie Ortiz-Patiño, the course's demanding owner, spares no expense. Only thirty-six players are allowed on the fairways each day, and visitors may play just twice in any given month. On the standout fourth, a 514-yard par five, the green sits atop a stony buttress, reachable only through a ten-yard gap between an overhanging tree and water right. A too-short approach can roll back fifty or more yards; too long, and you'll take a bath. Hit it perfect and you'll never want to leave Spain.
REAL CLUB DE GOLF LAS BRISAS
Marbella, Málaga; 011-34/952-810-875, lasbrisasgolf.com. Yardage: 6,740. Par: 72. Slope: 128. Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1968. Greens Fee: $183. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
Perhaps the country's most underrated layout, Las Brisas is a meticulously groomed RTJ Sr. course with dramatic mountain views and water on a dozen holes. Visitor play is limited here, but it's worth the effort needed to worm your way on. General Franco loved walking the course, as did Bing Crosby, and it's easy to see why. Number eleven is one of Spain's prettiest holes, a 206-yarder with water stretching from the green's front center to its left side. But keep an eye on the trees: Las Brisas has more than a hundred varieties from around the world, including some rare African acacias on the left side of seventeen.
THE SAN ROQUE CLUB, OLD COURSE
San Roque, Cádiz; 011-34/956-613-030, sanroqueclub.com. Yardage: 6,708. Par: 72. Slope: 128. Architect: Dave Thomas, 1990. Greens Fee: $161. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
There's no better resort in Spain for a family golf vacation. In addition to having the finest on-site facilities in the south, the course itself is forgiving and fun, albeit a bit overplayed. The front nine rolls gently through cork oak groves before toughening on the watery inward half. The ravaging wind, which whips in from the Strait of Gibraltar, often greatly complicates club selection. A second eighteen, designed by Perry Dye and Seve Ballesteros, opened late last year.
LA CALA RESORT, NORTH COURSE
Mijas-Costa, Málaga; 011-34/952-669-033, lacala.com. Yardage: 6,323. Par: 73. Slope: 132. Architect: Cabell B. Robinson, 1992. Greens Fees: $49-$85. T+L GOLF Rating: ***1/2
Robert Trent Jones Sr. protégé Robinson used these rolling inland hills to deliver a wide-open design that tests the ability to hit to elevated greens. Steer clear of the (very) occasional wild boar on the way to the marquee hole, the short but scary 115-yard par-three sixteenth. From its elevated tee, the view across the Mediterranean is distracting, but it's the water flanking the pin that will most concern you. Incidentally, the Mijas golf region is booming these days. Robinson's South course is a worthy plan B if the North is too busy; and his new eighteen-holer along the Ojén River will be fully operational by 2005. Rounding out the area's options, ten minutes from La Cala on an old avocado plantation lies the new flat-but-taxing Santana Golf & Country Club.
MONTE MAYOR GOLF CLUB
Benahavis, Málaga; 011-34/952-937-111, montemayorgolf.com. Yardage: 5,855. Par: 71. Slope: 132. Architect: Pepe Gancedo, 1989. Greens Fees: $61-$110. T+L GOLF Rating: ***
Gancedo is known as the Picasso of Spanish course designers, and indeed this hilly outpost has all the logic of a cubist still life. Set away in a high valley between two steep mountains, Monte Mayor is an ideal day out for a group of buddies—sadistic buddies. The layout twists and dips precariously with lofty tee boxes and sunken fairways linked by white marble bridges that crisscross streams and ravines. The ups and downs require every club in the bag, not to mention every ball.
REAL CLUB DE GOLF SOTOGRANDE
Sotogrande, Cádiz; 011-34/956-785-012, golfsotogrande.com. Yardage: 6,807. Par: 72. Slope: 132. Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1964. Greens Fee: $195. T+L GOLF Rating: ***
Sotogrande was built at the height of the Franco years, and its style may best be described as dictator chic: not many frills, plenty of terror. Your troubles begin in earnest on seven, a 417-yard dogleg-left par four to a narrow green guarded by sand, trees and water. The daunting back nine is exemplified by the thirteenth, a 181-yard par three with water long and right. Technological advancements have taken their toll (several fairway bunkers are no longer in play), but Sotogrande remains a fine place for old-school Spanish golf.
ORIENTATION
Traditionally, most international golfers have jetted into Madrid on the way to courses along the Mediterranean coast, but that city can be avoided if you like by flying direct to Barcelona in the north or via London to Málaga on the coast or Sevilla in the south. From those culture-rich gateway cities, you'll need to hit the highway. The easiest rental option is Europcar (europcar.com), since it provides English-speaking assistance. One warning: Sharing those corkscrew coastal roads with aggressive Iberian speed hounds can be as harrowing as the approach to the seventeenth green at Valderrama.
COSTA BRAVA
Barcelona is the point of embarkation when traveling to the Costa Brava, and before you flee for the greens, you have to see the city in all its glory. The best view for that is from one of the towers inside Antoni Gaudí's unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral. For another kind of sight-seeing, Barcelona's Las Ramblas promenade is the place to people watch—a major local activity, especially on weekend afternoons. Once on the road to the coast, take in the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres (011-34/972-677-500). It's an understatement to call it surreal; let's just set the mood by saying "tuna fish apple-cart poppycock" instead. For more art and a charming waterfront, wind your way to the remote seaside artists town of Cadaqués.
COSTA DEL SOL
The coast has the courses, but nearby Sevilla offers the culture. Its spectacular fourteenth-century Alcázar Palace is the oldest royal residence in Europe. From Easter to late October, you can catch a bullfight in the place where the sport originated, the hilltop town of Ronda. Sip jerez (pronounced "hehreth") in the sherry bars of Jerez de la Frontera, its original hometown. The old quarter of Cádiz and the fishing town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda are as colorful as they were when Christopher Columbus's ships returned here five hundred years ago. Finally, the quirky British territory of Gibraltar is a day trip from Sotogrande. Just gawking at it from afar is fun, too.
TOUR OPERATORS
Spanish Golf Adventures (800-772-6465, spanishgolf.com) specializes in customized high-end trips. Other reliable tour operators for Spain are Golf International (800-833-1389, golfinternational.com), Perry Golf (800-344-5257, perrygolf.com) and Haversham & Baker Golfing Expeditions (800-883-3633, haversham.com).
From luxe beach resorts to quaint mountain inns, Spain offers a vast range of accommodation options. And to think, the Man of La Mancha slept outside with Sancho Panza.
COSTA BRAVA
EUROSTARS GRAND MARINA HOTEL
Barcelona; 011-34/936-039-030, grandmarinahotel.com. Rooms: $393-$453. Suites: $726-$823.
Flying into Barcelona and looking for lodging before storming the coast? You could do far worse than this. Resembling an ocean liner docked in port, the new five-star Marina is grand indeed. Its 235 rooms and thirty-eight suites come equipped with Internet TVs, Jacob Jensen phones and six-headed Pharo showers.
HOSTAL DE LA GAVINA
S'Agaró, Gerona; 011-34/972-321-100, lagavina.com. Rooms: $212-$357. Suites: $278-$969.
On a bluff over the sea, this grand Spanish villa is a fifty-six-room, seventeen-suite retreat fit for royalty (indeed, King Juan Carlos has been a guest). Marble and crystal are ubiquitous; some walls are literally laden with gold and silk.
MAS DE TORRENT
Torrent, Gerona; 011-34/972-303-292, mastorrent.com. Rooms: $309-$425. Suites: $358-$668.
The best home base from which to launch your expedition of the Costa Brava courses, this family-friendly Relais & Châteaux property, created from a 1751 farmhouse, is comfortable without being fussy. The newer suites may lack the charm of rooms in the main house, but they do feature private heated pools.
COSTA DEL SOL
NH ALMENARA GOLF & SPA
San Roque, Cádiz; 011-34/956-582-000, nhalmenara.com. Rooms: $190-$272. Suites: $278-$634.
In the hills above Sotogrande, Almenara looks out on its own fine twenty-seven-hole course. Many of the spacious rooms and suites also overlook the Mediterranean, and an on-site kid's club called La Iguana offers plenty of ways to keep the little ones amused.
THE SAN ROQUE CLUB
San Roque, Cádiz; 011-34/956-613-030, sanroqueclub.com. Rooms: $246-$287. Suites: $301-$431.
The best place to stay to play Valderrama and Sotogrande, the San Roque Club is built around a magnificent old sherry dynasty-family mansion. Its fifty rooms and fifty hacienda-style suites are ideal for families or groups of friends.
SOFITEL LAS DUNAS BEACH HOTEL & SPA
Marbella-Estepona, Málaga; 011-34/952-794-345, las-dunas.com. Rooms: $180-$355. Suites: $370-$1,960.
With a more exclusive feel than the famed but timeworn Marbella Club nearby, Las Dunas lavishes its guests with spectacular aesthetics: Gardens, fountains, pools, trompe l'oeil murals and luxurious suites with oversize tubs and showers are but a few of its charms.
A revolution is underway in Spanish cuisine. While grand old restaurants still serve traditional Castillan and Catalan fare, creative young Spanish chefs are introducing savory new spins to the world.
COSTA BRAVA
CAL PEP
(Catalan) Barcelona; 011-34/933-101-961. $$
This bustling joint is the place to sample botifarra amb foie al oporto (white pork sausage with foie gras and port wine served over white beans). As fabulous of a tapas bar as you're likely to find anywhere.
EL BULLI
(Indescribable) Roses, Gerona; 011-34/972-150-457. $$$$
Call now to have any chance to secure a table at what some call the world's finest restaurant. Over the span of more than fifteen courses, chef Ferran Adrià shatters every culinary expectation with Willy Wonka-esque foams, glazes, melts and mists.
RESTAURANT SANT PAU
(Eclectic) Sant Pol de Mar, Barcelona; 011-34/937-600-662. $$$$
Carmen Ruscalleda, Spain's leading female chef, serves exquisite vegetable and seafood creations in a lovely garden overlooking the sea twenty-eight miles north of Barcelona.
SIETE PUERTAS
(Catalan seafood) Barcelona; 011-34/933-193-033. $$$
Enjoy traditional fish stews and seafood paella amid boisterous tables of Barcelona lawyers and financiers on very long lunch breaks.
TORRE DEL REMEI
(New Catalan) Bolvir de Cerdanya, Gerona; 011-34/972-140-182. $$$$
In an impossibly beautiful 1910 hotel, a former mansion, chef Josep-María Boix brings a modernist touch to traditional Catalan dishes like black-footed Ibérico ham.
COSTA DEL SOL
LA HACIENDA
(Mediterranean) Marbella, Málaga; 011-34/952-831-267. $$$
A remodeled villa with mountain and sea views, La Hacienda earns high marks (and prices) for Andalucían dishes with a French touch. The iced soufflé dessert is worth the transatlantic flight.
TABERNA DEL ALABARDERO
(Eclectic) Sevilla; 011-34/954-560-637. $$$
Featuring lamb, fish and pork prepared with haute cuisine flair, the Taberna is part of a well-known cooking school. It also has a branch in Washington, D.C., for those who prefer politics over pleasure.
TRAGABUCHES
(Andalucían) Ronda, Málaga. 011-34/952-190-921 $$$$
Tragabuches chef Dani García is noted for his wild departures from traditional Andalucían specialties, such as cherry gazpacho garnished with "cheese snow" and a "backdrop accent of anchovies." A culinary gem worth the thirty-five-minute drive from Marbella.
