The best golf courses in Spain

Such a sizeable budget gave architect Thomas Himmel the resources to fulfill plenty of daring design elements that would be beyond most resort courses, including an island green, a 1.2km man-made river, a vineyard, and the planting of acres of wild flowers between fairways. The course itself flows in two loops, with seven large lakes puncturing the fairways at regular intervals to provide plenty of thrills and spills. Although a tough track off the back tees at 7,243 yards, the vast teeing areas ensure that golfers of all standards have a fair chance of scoring. Apart from the massive clover leaf-shaped bunkers – of which there are 66 – the key feature of the design are the treacherous false fronts to the greens. Cut short, these slippery slopes will greedily gather anything left short; son-gual.com

Highlights are many, starting off at the tee shot from the opening hole, which plays down to a fairway some 100 yards below your feet. The par five fourth is a great three-shotter, with the green jutting out into a lake that all but takes the pin out of range with your second, while even a third with a wedge has to be perfectly judged to avoid a reload. The par three holes are all good, but the 15th is a cracker. With a beautiful old palacio framing the green from behind, it is played from a tee as long as a football pitch and can be anything from a six-iron to a fairway wood. An acre of bunker fills a cavernous dip all the way up the left-hand side, while the massive kidney-shaped green is steeply sloping and offers numerous testing pin positions. The par-five 18th would provide a stunning climax to any tournament, with the 544-yard hole offering two stretches of water to avoid, first off the tee and then as you approach the green. The modernist clubhouse offers plenty of creature comforts, including a steam and sauna suite, with on-site massage, while the dining experience is well up to five-star levels; son-gual.com

Although the club was granted ‘royal’ status by King Juan Carlos in 2014, Valderrama needs little agrandissement by heads of state in order to justify the lofty status in which it is held by the golfers who have had the pleasure of playing at this exclusive club over the last 40 years. The godfather of all Spanish golf clubs since it first opened 1974, Valderrama is set to get a facelift in the not too distant future, following its sale earlier this year after the death of its long-time owner, Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, in 2013; valderrama.com

The new owner, La Zagaleta Group, has pledged to redo the greens following a litany of complaints from tour pros in recent years over the indifferent quality of the putting surfaces and the difficulty of the rough around the greens. It was fair criticism, as the scores at last month’s Spanish Open showed, with the winner, Londoner Andrew Johnston, taking the title with a five-over-par score – a record high total for a European Tour event. Hopefully they won’t be touching Robert Trent Jones’s magnificent design, which proved such a fitting venue for the 1997 Ryder Cup, and which has more than stood the test of time following its first renovation in 1985, under Patiño’s command; valderrama.com

Signature holes are many, although the fourth hole, La Cascada – a stunning par-five with a pond to the right of a two-tiered green – is a standout, while the par-three sixth, which is surrounded by sand on all sides, is one the world’s great short holes. The par-five 17^th is equally memorable after Jones generously thought to add a whopping lake in front of the green, forcing players to lay up or go for it in two. Providing you stay out of the omnipresent cork trees – which is a huge proviso – it is possible to keep a score going here if you happen to possess imagination and touch in equal measure, and also take a perverse pleasure in putting on greens that are as quick and undulating as you’re ever like to come across. As you’d expect from a venue that has been rated the best in Europe since 1988, the off-course facilities and levels of service are second to none, and despite the eye-wateringly hefty green fee, you’ll leave the gates wanting to come back for more; valderrama.com

Although its hopes of hosting the 2022 Ryder Cup went down in flames at the end of last year, when Italy’s Marco Simone Resort near Rome got the nod, PGA Catalunya remains a world-class tournament venue that is as highly rated by the pros as it is with thousands of less proficient amateurs. Located just inland from the Costa Brava, an hour or so north of Barcelona, Catayluna is pretty much a self-contained resort, where golfers can while away a few days in luxury without ever having to drag themselves too far from the action. Boasting two championship courses, Stadium and Tour, the former was voted the best course in Spain in 2013, while its practice facilities are as you’d expect for a European Tour venue. With fast-running greens, pristine fairways, and a marvellous mix of natural and man-made hazards, the courses are both entertaining and challenging; pgacatalunya.com

The 7,333-yard Stadium Course, which is currently ranked Spain’s No.1, was a joint design by Neil Coles and Angel Gallardo, and immediately after opening in 1999 held the Sarazen World Open, after which it has hosted three Spanish Opens, the most recent of which, in 2014, saw the ageless Miguel Angel Jimenez triumph in front of an adoring home crowd. If its tournament pedigree needs any further underpinning, the final of the European Tour’s Qualifying School has been held here for a number of years, testing the mettle of wannabe tour stars at every turn. The Tour Course is a much friendlier par-72 layout, where the picturesque front nine meanders through pine forests, while back nine moves onto more open land that rides the contours of the estate and its many lakes. It co-hosts Final Qualifying in November, so the conditioning is also first class; pgacatalunya.com

The Tour Course is a much friendlier par-72 layout, where the picturesque front nine meanders through pine forests, while back nine moves onto more open land that rides the contours of the estate and its many lakes. It co-hosts Final Qualifying in November, so the conditioning is also first class. Practice facilities are also top notch, with the Sergio Garcia Junior Golf Academy, and a short game area that features bunkers boasting different sand types from around the world, including those found at Augusta, St Andrews, Hawaii, Pebble Beach and, of course, PGA Catalunya. It’s also possible to practice your putting on a variety of different grass types, including Bent, Bermuda, Paspalum and Poa. On-site accommodation is offered in the futuristic four-star Hotel Melia Golf Vichy Catalan, which may not be to everyone's taste from the outside, but is suitably plush inside, while the estate features over 350 award-winning private villas and apartments, many of which are available to rent. The hotel features four different restaurant and bars, while the clubhouse offers an excellent restaurant of its own with views out to the Pyrenees, while a residents club boasts outdoor and indoor pools, a spa and a gym complex. For those who have had their fill of grass and sand, the stunning city of Girona, with its cobbled streets, world-class restaurants (and handy airport), is just a short drive away; pgacatalunya.com

Mallorca is growing in stature among the golfing elite as it continues to divert players away from their Spanish stomping grounds in the Costa del Sol. One look at the natural beauty of this Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed course is enough to see why. Situated on the very tip of Alcudia bay in the north, it comes as no surprise that the majority of this 7,108-yard course takes advantage of its stunning waterfront location; golf-alcanada.com

Seventeen of the 18 holes offer anything from a teasing glance to spectacular views of the sea, but teeing off from the par-five seventh, 11th and 13th holes, is reminder enough why we play this game. The former commands players’ full attention as much for its shot selection as the surrounding scenery. Measuring more than 600 yards, a steep downhill drive towards the water must land left or right of the large bunker in the middle of the fairway, while an accurate wood or hybrid needs to account for a tapered green with more sandy defences - deliciously risk-reward business; golf-alcanada.com

When the wind is blowing, this course can break your heart, but the stern test gives as well as takes shots - either way, you’ll walk off with a round for the memory bank. Post-round celebrations should be hosted in the charming clubhouse where your main reflection will be a desire not to leave; golf-alcanada.com

With over 50 other golf courses to choose from in the vicinity, any new course that opens in Malaga better be a good one if its wants to survive – and thankfully Finca Cortesin is a good one and has survived and thrived since it opened in 2007. The 7,482-yard Cabell B Robinson design received instant rave reviews, which has taken it to being the fourth highest-ranked course in Spain. It soon caught the eye of the European Tour, leading to the course staging the Volvo World Match Play Championship just 18 months after it opened in 2009, and then again in 2011 and 2012; fincacortesin.com

Joyously free from property development, although it does offer a hotel, the course is the star of the show here, with so many good holes that it’s hard to pick a favourite. If pushed, the par-five third, which has an approach over water is a cracker, while the 11th, another lengthy hole, features that rare thing, a double dogleg. The pick of the back nine is the par-four 13th, which twice involves water, including a diagonal stretch in front of the green; fincacortesin.com

In addition to the course, there is a Jack Nicklaus Golf Academy, which offers residential tuition, with guests staying at the on-site hotel which offer 67 luxury suites housed within an Andalucian-style country house built around two courtyards. Other facilities include a spa, fitness centre, and indoor heated saltwater swimming pool, while there is fine dining to be enjoyed in the El Jardin restaurant; fincacortesin.com

Located an hour south of Barcelona, on Spain’s little known Costa Dorada, Lumine Golf & Beach Club has taken the golf offering in the region to a new level since it opened five years ago. The resort boasts three courses – two of which are 18-hole championship layouts designed by Greg Norman. The Lakes is a links-style course that features several water hazards that wind around wetlands, while the Hills courses runs through pine trees and offers spectacular views of the Balearic Sea; lumine.com

The latter requires a buggy for all but the fittest. Completing the golf offering is the 9-hole Ruins Course, another Norman design, which is laid out among Roman archaeological remains. After a round, golfers can take their pick from three dining options in the clubhouse, including the award-winning Hoya 19 (19^th Hole to us); lumine.com

The club does not have any accommodation on site, but there are numerous hotels in the nearby town of Salou, including the Estival Park and the Magnolia. However, the club does have its own beach club, which features no fewer than seven swimming pools, and access to 1km of private beach. Local sites of interest include the ancient Roman town of Tarragona, and for kids big and small, there’s Europe’s tallest rollercoaster to ride at the PortAventura theme park; lumine.com