Destination Golf Travel (Autumn 2022) * | Page 15

DESTINATIONGOLF . TRAVEL
including the Spanish Open and Madrid Masters . Facilities at the centre include a golf school , Toptracer range and a short game area .
Club de Campo Villa de Madrid , near the centre of Madrid , is one of the city ’ s most historic sports clubs and one of Europe ’ s largest , covering 250 hectares . It offers two 18-hole golf courses , a nine-hole par 3 course and extensive practice facilities .
The club ’ s original 1932 golf course was badly damaged in the Spanish Civil War , being replaced by the Black course by Javier Arana that opened with 18 holes in 1956 . One of Spain ’ s most prestigious courses , it has hosted nine Spanish Opens and nine Madrid Opens .
The second nine holes of the yellow course were designed by Seve Ballesteros .
The club also incorporates an equestrian centre , hockey pitches , 35 tennis courts , ice skating rinks , Olympic-sized swimming pool and squash among its amenities .
The 18-hole course at Club de Golf Lomas Bosque was designed by Robert Dean Puttman and inaugurated in 1973 . The undulating front nine weaves between pines , oaks and ravines while the flat back nine holes are laid out round a large lake .
Club de Golf Lomas Bosque
The many tournaments it has hosted include the Ibergolf Trophy won by Gary Player in 1975 and the Madrid Open championship the same year .
The club has a nine-hole pitch and putt course , and its clubhouse has views over the course , the lake and the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains .
Thirty minutes north of Madrid , Club de Golf Retamares is a family sports club that was founded in 1993 and enjoys spectacular views of mountains and the capital .
Its championship course is the only one in Madrid to have been designed by Spanish star golfer and golf course architect Jose Maria Olazabal .
The course has undergone recent renovations including the addition of five lakes to give it a total of eight , the planting of 1,200 trees , improved landscaping , watering and drainage improvements and a new network of buggy paths .
Practice facilities include a large , reversible driving range while the club also has a golf school , golf training for youngsters and family sports and social facilities .
Just 20 minutes from the centre of Madrid and close to the historic town of Alcala de Henares – birthplace of the author of Don Quixote , Miguel de Cervantes – Club El Encin Golf Hotel has an 18-hole , 72-hole course designed by renowned Robert van Hagge from design firm Hagge , Smelek and Baril that opened in 2011 .
El Encin has its own golf school using the latest Swing analysis systems and one of the largest driving ranges in Spain , with 100
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