Destination Golf Spain 2025 | Page 63

DESTINATIONGOLF. TRAVEL
MADRID & CENTRAL
Jones Jr and Kyle Phillips of the original course that featured the handiwork of Harry Colt and Tom Simpson.
The Abajo( Lower) course opened in 1966 with a design by Robert Trent Jones Sr and John Harris before being remodelled by RTJ II in 1998.
Golf Santander
is one of Europe’ s longest and serves up a tough test for high and low handicappers alike. Water is ever present, flowing in a closed circuit through a series of lakes and rivers that cross much of the course.
The course was designed by Rees Jones and is supplemented by some of Europe’ s best golf training facilities. They include the first Jim McLean golf school in Europe, one of just six TaylorMade Performance Labs in Europe and a five-hole short game area designed by Seve Ballesteros.
The Real Club de Golf Las Rozas de Madrid, renamed after being conferred the Real title on reaching its 50th anniversary in May 2022, has an 18-hole, par 70 golf course set on a 76-hectare estate in the municipal district of Las Rozas northwest of Madrid’ s centre. The club has a golf academy and driving range, and recently added a fleet of electric buggies. There are also tennis and paddletennis courts.
Golfers can hone their games in multiple ways at Golf de Negralejo, also one of the best restaurants in Madrid capable of hosting up to 4.000 guests for a cocktail party. It has the only 18- hole pitch and putt course in Madrid as well as a short course with nine par 3 holes and a long course comprising seven par 3s and two par 4s, which can be combined to give 18 holes. In addition, Golf Negralejo has a golf school with a Toptracer range.
Enjoying possibly Spain’ s most magnificent and certainly most historic setting, Real Club de Golf la Herreria has long been associated with royalty and was called“ the club of kings and the king of clubs” by US President Gerald Ford.
The Real Automovil Club de Espana( RACE)
The Real Automovil Club de Espana( RACE) is a motoring club formed in 1903 that owns the famous Jarama racing circuit. In 1967, the RACE sports complex was inaugurated on the outskirts of Madrid in the foothills of the Sierra Norte mountains with an 18-hole golf course by Javier Arana.
The complex has continued to expand since then. Among golf facilities are a nine-hole pitch and putt course, a golf school that uses the latest technology and a driving range, while other sport and leisure amenities include tennis and paddle-tennis courts, football pitches, an equestrian centre, a swimming pool and a gym.
The historic Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro is one of Spain’ s oldest and most traditional golf clubs, dating back to 1904, besides being one of its most exclusive.
Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro
The club has hosted the Madrid Open on numerous occasions as well as the Spanish Open and has two 18-hole courses. The Arriba, or Upper course, is a 2000 renovation by Robert Trent
Real Club de Golf la Herreria
It lies surrounded by oak trees and at the foot of a mountain within the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the monumental 16th century monastery alongside the club which was long the residence of Spain’ s royal family and where most of its sovereigns were buried.
The club’ s 18-hole golf course opened in 1966 and was remodelled in 2000 by Jose Gancedo. It is complemented by a golf school, driving range and short game zone besides other sport and leisure facilities.
Club de Golf Aranjuez is a scenic 9-hole course nestled along the banks of the Tagus River in southern Madrid. Established in 1992, it features seven par 4s and two par 3s, offering a flat yet technically demanding experience. Natural challenges like water hazards, small greens, and out-of-bounds areas require strategic play and precision. Facilities include a driving range, putting green, pro shop, clubhouse and restaurant.
Although the Real Sociedad Hipica Espanola Club de Campo has only been on its existing site since the 1990s, its beginnings date right back to 1901 when it was established as the Real Sociedad Hipica( Royal Horse Society), merging in 1942 with the Sociedad Deportiva Club de Campo( Country Club Sports Society) to form the RSHECC as it is today.
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