Playing Golf in Spain - Golf courses in Spain

Golf in Spain was once very much an activity for the upper classes and golf clubs in Spain were often treated as a social venue rather than somewhere to play golf, many of the older Spanish golf clubs still have the ratio of social to playing members higher on the social side. However in the last twenty years many provinces in Southern Spain in particular have discovered the advantages of golf holidays as a method of attracting good quality tourism. In Southern Spain in particular there are innumerable golf resorts and specialist golf hotels offering golf packages on a wide selection of differing Spanish golf courses.

The first region of Spain to market itself with a cohesive policy was Andalucia and their well co-ordinated campaign resulted in Andalucia golf becoming the major winter destination for British golfers. This has had a knock-on effect with, more recently the Spanish Canary Islands jumping on the band wagon with their superior all year round climate.

The premier golf course in Spain and indeed Europe is situated in Andalucia. Designed by Robert Trent Jones in 1974 it has risen to become a benchmark for all Spanish golf courses. Owned since 1984, by the autocratic Jaime Ortiz-Patiño the championship course has swiftly achieved worldwide recognition. As early as 1988, Valderrama began to host the newly-launched Volvo Masters, the flagship tournament of the PGA European Tour, and continued to do so until 1996.In 1997 the Club hosted the 32nd Ryder Cup, won by Europe in a most thrilling finish. Valderrama remains today the only club ever to have hosted golf's pinnacle event outside its traditional homelands, the USA and Britain. Valderrama is THE Spanish golf course that a golfer must play at least once in his lifetime.

Spain is of course renowned for its flamboyant costumes, fiestas, flamenco dancing and bullfights. These traditions have been maintained for countless generations and are now enjoyed by visitors of every nationality. With its impressive landscape ranging from the Pyrenees in the north which stretch for 440km and stand an imposing 2,000m high and the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains in the South, a Mecca for winter sports enthusiasts. Spain is an intriguing blend of lush greenery and desert dunes with an equally varied climate to match.

With an overall temperate climate the northerly regions are notably wetter than the hotter south especially the area known as ’Green Spain’ which includes the Basque Country with its traditional fishing harbours and the Central Plateau, there are a number of golf courses in this region, an agricultural area famous for its production of cereals, grapes and olives. As one moves through the provinces of Spain and the nature of the terrain varies so the golf courses of Spain naturally follow suit. From parkland, tree lined courses to links courses to some of the latest courses in the South Eastern corner of Spain which are desert like in their layout and appearance, golf in Spain has something for everyone.